Anna Paquin True Blood Workout

I have been a fan of Charlaine Harris’s Sookie Stackhouse vampire mysteries for a few years now. The HBO series, True Blood is based on the Sookie Stackhouse series, but its definitely a little different in tone. While watching the show, I couldn’t help but get blown away by what great shape Anna Paquin is in. Anna really nails that healthy, blond, “girl next door” look and here legs are just awesome.  Yesterday I did a little poking around online to see what kind of exercise/workout program Anna follows to maintain her shape (FYI – Anna is quoted as being 5ft 5in tall and 108lbs…) (I also just posted Ryan Kwanten’s workout – check it out!)

Anna Paquin Workout

Anna was pretty open about the fact that she makes a lot of extra effort with her diet and exercise plan due to the fact that she appears semi nude on screen. While a good spray tan really helps to give her that healthy “toned” look – primarily her body is the result of healthy eating, daily activities (like swimming, surfing, running, biking), structured workouts with a trainer, and additional workouts at home. Additionally Paquin is said to also really like doing gymnastics style training (including Trapeze class), Pilates, Bar Method, and Core Fusion…the last two are basically Lotte Burke method spin offs (sort of like Pilates blended with Ballet, lots of reps, lots of isometric holds and small movements.)

When Paquin trains with her trainer Clay Burwell at the NYC gym “High Performance” they focus on doing a combination of regular exercises/strength training and high intensity exercises like plyometrics and boxing in each 1-2hr session.

The Myth of Toning

I think Anna’a body is a great example of what people are thinking when they say “I want to look toned” Anna’s body isn’t super lean but there is muscle definition where you want it. Keep in mind “tone” is just a descriptive term for this kind of look, its not how you get this kind of look yourself. This kind of firm look is achieved through maintaining your existing muscles (or if super skinny you *may* need to add a couple pounds of muscle) and then reducing your overall body fat through diet and exercise.

If you just do the workout circuits below but do not reduce what you eat and/or do additional cardio – you may see some small results at first, but it will not be anything dramatic. The secret to losing fat is always eat less and move more. If you stop seeing results then increase your activity, intensity (heavier weights, more reps, harder compound moves) or both. If that doesn’t work, cut back on the calories a little more – about a snack’s worth. Wait a week and see if you see improvement. If not, repeat process.

If you repeatedly are not seeing results I recommend a session with a trainer (or other expert) to see where things are going wrong. Usually people are just eating a little too much without realizing it (or moving just a little less throughout the day) but sometimes there are other factors which should be considered such as – eating too little for too long, long term dieting, lack of the right foods and nutrients, etc.

Back to Anna’s Workout -

In general this is what an average session looks like:

10 min warm up – active stretching and movement prep

Here is a sample series I put together:

Weight Training Circuit Option #1 (via Clay Burwell @ Bombshell-bride.com)

• 15 (each side) Quadruped Sidekick
• 12 (each side) Barbell lunges w/5-10lb plates on each side
• 25 Tricep Kickbacks w/3lb weights
• 25 Hammer curls w/5lb weights
• 25 lat raise w/3lb weights
• 6-12 military press w/5lb weights

Weight Training Circuit Option #2 (via Self Magazine)

• 30 (per side) oblique crunches  (3 sets)
• 15 box jumps (3 sets)
• 15 (per side) Bruce lee kicks (3  sets)
• 15 (per side) kettlebell clean (3 sets)

• 15 planks to pushups  (3 sets)

• 15 curtsy lunges from step (start with both feet on top of a step or do as shown below)  (3 sets)

Weight Training Circuit Option #3 (good for beginners via Bombshell-Bride)

• 10 squats (5 sets)
• 10 pushups (5 sets)
• 10 forward rows or seated cable rows (5 sets)
• 10 pelvic bridges (5 sets)

Additional cardio – 20 min – could include boxing or just steady state biking/jogging.

10-15min cool down and stretching.

Home Workouts

Anna also keeps a home gym in her garage with an elliptical machine, a stationary bike, and weights. I really think this is key. Part of getting into shape, losing fat, and just looking great is developing a routine that maximizes your chances for success. If you have a mind set where workouts only occur at the gym, then what happens if you can’t make it to the gym? Then you skip your workout! That is setting yourself up for failure. Instead, always have a backup plan you can execute at home any time of day. This allow you to fit in a workout any time of day.

Here’s an example of great bodyweight-only workout from Holly at Fit Yummy Mummy -

Here is my favorite bodyweight circuit via Craig Ballantyne -

(Simple, challenging routines like this are also perfect in the summer because you can do them anywhere from outdoors in a park to your average hotel room.)

Best advice for beginners -

Quote from Anna Paquin’s trainer Clay Burwell:

“Most people who are just getting into working out need to do less rather than more. Their bodies need to adjust to the new demands. Usually that calls for two or three workouts the first three to four weeks.”

This is great advice. Anyone who has not been working out at all will always be sore and tired for the first few days or even couple weeks. If you overdo it, you will be too sore to train and this is the point at which many beginners simply drop exercising altogether. Instead, focus on committing to doing your workout 2-3 times per week for a month. This will help you develop new habits. After four weeks, working out will feel normal and not working out will actually feel weird. This is the point at which you want to add additional intensity.