If you’ve been wondering how Jessica Biel got her strong, defined back and arms, her personal trainer Ben Bruno has broken down the workout approach that helped the actress build her fit physique for The Better Sister, and it’s not the traditional “arm day/back day” split.
In a video posted in November, Jessica, Justin Timberlake's wife, shared a workout clip on Instagram, with Bruno narrating and explaining exactly what she was doing to achieve that level of muscle definition.
© GothamViewers of the thriller, which sees high-powered executive Chloe Taylor’s (Jessica’s) life change when her estranged sister Nicky (Elizabeth Banks) returns, quickly noticed the actress’ definition and wondered how she did it.
And Jessica’s training does not follow the traditional body-part split.
"Jess is an amazing ambassador of strength training for women because she consistently puts in the work, but what I love most about her is that in a world full of phonies, filters, and photoshop—she’s just real."
Watch the clip of her workout shared by Jessica Biel
Ben explained that while she definitely does plenty of work on her back and arms, her workouts aren’t divided into “back day,” “arm day,” and so on. Instead, he said, she does full-body workouts that combine upper-body exercises, lower-body exercises, core work, and a bunch of movements that work everything at once to maximize efficiency. He added that this is also a great way to do it if you don’t want to add loads of extra cardio.
In each session, Ben shared that Jessica did “one exercise for the back, which also works the biceps, one exercise for shoulders, and one exercise for triceps, plus some other moves for legs and abs sprinkled in.”
Although Jessica is “super strong and loves to push herself,” she is “not so interested in lifting super-heavy weights at this point in her life.”
© Starmax/The Grosby GroupThat said, she and Ben found ways to work around that, whilst keeping it “challenging and fresh,” to strengthen her back and arms. “There are lots of different moves here for you to try, and they're all great,” he said. “But it's important to know that we don’t do all these moves in the same workout, or even close, really.”
In the video, which got over 10 million views, Jessica did some of her favorite exercises, including single-arm lunges, ring pull-ups supported by a bench, L-sit ring chin-ups, and deep squats. Ben also offered a key tip for anyone who wished to replicate her approach. He said, “It’s also important to remember that it’s impossible to maintain peak physical condition all the time, and the super-toned physique that you see on screen isn’t maintainable all year round.”
Ben also clarified that the L-sit chin-ups clip was her last workout before The Better Sister began shooting, and that it is not a regular part of her regimen. “This was over a year and a half ago, and it’s absolutely insane and shows why her back looked how it did,” he said.
© Frazer Harrison“Jess knows that, so she spends most of the year working out consistently, but not crazy by any means. Let's call it seven-out-of-10 hard,” he continued. “And then if there's ever a time she needs to look her absolute best, she’ll ramp it up for a few weeks and then go back to normal afterward.”
The trainer also took to his own Instagram after the clip on the star’s account proved a hit, sharing more insight into Biel’s training style and what viewers are really seeing in the videos. He said Biel’s workouts are never “staged for the gram,” and shared a few key details about how she trains:
- She does three working sets of each move, building up in weight each set.
- Most sets are 8–12 reps, but some tougher exercises (like pull-ups and single-leg moves) are done for fewer reps.
- Any clip you see is her third set, meaning it’s the hardest one.
- Her form is usually strong, but not always perfect on the toughest set, which he says is what “real effort” looks like.
- Biel told him to share the moves she struggles with too, because she doesn’t want to portray a false image.
He added that her training is consistent but balanced:
- She also does Pilates and mobility work regularly.
- Her cardio is on-and-off, but he recently introduced her to the Norwegian 4×4 Protocol on the Airdyne bike, which she’s did that 5–6 times
- She often works out with her kids, keeping sessions light-hearted and fun.
- When she needs to look her best for a role, she’ll ramp up intensity for a few weeks, then return to more moderate workouts.
