Celebrity trainer Magnus Lygdback isn’t just trying to get his A-list clientele six-packs.
“I get hired to do these movies, so it’s always about building a character and is different every time,” the Swedish health expert tells Page Six Style.
“I don’t get hired as a celebrity trainer just to train someone to get a better body. I train people to get makeovers for movies or to work with artists to really enhance their performance on stage.”
His credits include “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Wonder Woman 1984,” “Terminator: Dark Fate” and Alexander Skarsgård’s latest action epic, “The Northman.”
“It’s almost always about building the character,” Lygdback says of working with Hollywood stars. “It could be making someone more toned or making someone move like Wonder Woman … overall it’s the whole body.”
Adds the fitness pro, who has pumped up actors from Ben Affleck to Gal Gadot: “Men like to have a wider upper body, bigger chest, more of a six-pack. And for females, it’s many times the lower body — the legs and the butt.”
He’s particularly proud of what he and client Alicia Vikander have accomplished together.
“I would love to see someone try to put their hands on [her]. It would be like MMA meets ballerina, and that’s a bad combo,” he quips.
“I compare ballerinas to male wrestlers because of the work ethic they are used to. Grinding for eight hours a day, putting their bodies on the line. Whenever I get to work for a ballerina, I already know that this is gonna be good.”
Lygdback’s also trained Jason Momoa, whom he calls “a beast.”
“I would love for him to have my back if I was walking down a dark alley,” the trainer says. “He’s one of the largest men. Have you seen his arms? They’re bigger than my head. That’s a good start. He is strong on top of that, but at the end of the day he’s a teddy bear.”
With 21 years of experience, Lygdback says he sometimes encounters stars who want to get in fighting form via diet alone.
“When it comes to training actors, or signing artists … I have a hard time with all these ‘magical diets’ that are out there [which] have people looking for a shortcut,” he says.
“People need to understand that a diet is a strategy of controlling the amount of calories. All diets do not work; you just need to figure out what works for you and what strategy you can stick to and which ones are healthy for you long-term.”
And proper nutrition is key when it comes to achieving clients’ desired results.
“Overall, for me, it’s about eating enough protein, avoiding sugar and carbs and alcohol as much as possible, depending on where are you starting from, and what do you want to achieve when prepping for a movie,” he says. “It’s an extremely structured balance.”
His upcoming credits include “Dungeons & Dragons” with Chris Pine and Regé-Jean Page.
