Meet the man who trains superheroes
WHEN ALICIA VIKANDER
was papped on holiday in Ibiza last year with abs more defined than most Olympic athletes, it was met with typical understatement online (the hundreds of comments varied from ‘Next time someone says Alicia Vikander is not strong enough to play Tomb Raider, I will just spam them with her abs’ to ‘Alicia Vikander can crush me with her abs and I will thank her’).
But collective meltdown aside, the photos were also an early indication of just how intensely the 29-year-old actor had been preparing for the role of Lara Croft, previously played by Angelina Jolie, in the new Tomb Raider film. Now, in an exclusive interview with
Grazia, Alicia’s trainer, Magnus Lygdbäck, has revealed she worked so hard for the part that he often had to ‘force’ her to take a day off. ‘I came into this project knowing Alicia would bring it,’ he said. ‘She’s a former ballerina, and the work ethic of a ballerina is just something different mentally. If I asked for 15 reps, she would do 16. I would force her to take a day off.’
Magnus who, like Alicia, is from Sweden, has previously trained Alexander Skarsgård to play Tarzan and Ben Affleck for the part of Batman ( he also counts Katy Perry and Harry Styles among his A-list clients). More recently, he’s turned his attentions to the new generation of superheroines, including Lara Croft and Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman. How does he design a programme to ensure an actor is ready for a film?
‘I’m a nerd, I take it pretty far,’ he said. ‘I use mood boards: it could be different female athletes or a particular environment. For Tomb Raider, I sat down with Alicia and the director Roar Uthaug to discuss the character: what background do they have? What skills do they need? She needed to have some physicality to it and also, obviously, fighting skills.’
After their meeting, Magnus devised a nutrition and training plan for the actor over three months, then worked with her in London for another four. On the importance of creating a strong female body for Lara Croft, he added, ‘It’s 2018, that’s what we should be aiming for. I’m very happy to be part of that.’
Next, he will work with Gal Gadot on the second Wonder Woman film, a project so shrouded in secrecy he was unable to comment about what designs he has for her body. In the meantime, he posts regular workout videos on Instagram to help the rest of us get in shape (@magnuslygdback). But can any of us really hope to get Alicia’s abs?
He admits that the regimes for Tarzan and Lara Croft are ‘extreme’ but says there are things we can learn from his training: namely, the art of balance. ‘ We don’t do anything controversial: just good food and good exercises. Listen to your body, have treats. Food and wine is a big part of life and we shouldn’t take that away.’ That’s a superhero diet we can get on-board with… ‘ Tomb Raider’ is in cinemas from 15 March