14 DAY TRIAL // Some time ago, Rihanna promised that she would never diet and work out like crazy just so she could go down to a size 0. However, when training for “Battleship,” in which she plays a Marine, she definitely lost some weight and became more toned.
This is the singer's first major feature film role and, as such, there was a lot of pressure on her to make a convincing role.
Usually, Rihanna trains for short and frequent sessions of 25 minutes each but, in order to get in the best shape possible to play a Marine, she definitely stepped up her game a little, she says in a new interview with Women's Fitness magazine.
“I had to do a lot of physical training with a personal trainer as well as a soldier, and it was gruesome, but fun. One man drilled me, yelled at me, made me do push-ups. It really got you in the mentality,” Rihanna reveals.
To get used to the weight of the weapons she's seen brandishing in the film, she would have to rehears scenes with sand bags attached to her arms, so she could imagine how a weapon would feel in her hands.
“The weapons were really heavy, so at times I had to hold a 5lb sandbag just to get used to drawing it the right way,” she explains.
Rihanna has been a longtime client of celebrity personal trainer Harley Pasternak, who has nothing but nice words to say about his client.
Because she's young and doesn't have a weight issue, Rihanna usually exercises often but for shorter periods of time, he reveals for the same publication.
These workouts intensified as the film's start production date was nearing.
“If you want to work out like Rihanna, train hard and often, but not long. Rihanna is really driven, there’s no need for me to motivate her,” he says.
“She trains for at least 25 minutes at a time, and she loves skater lunges, deadlifts and dumbbell work... Her least favorite exercise is running,” Pasternak adds.
Of course, the singer also had to be more careful about her diet when preparing for the film: to make sure she wouldn't gain weight but, at the same time, get plenty of nutrients, Pasternak customized a diet for her, consisting of 5 healthy meals a day.