The much-hyped Barbie movie is finally upon us and so too is Ryan Gosling‘s performance as real-life fashion doll Ken. According to early reviews, the actor knocked this one out of the park, shutting up all the naysayers who said he was too old for the role. It was also obvious as early as the trailers that Ryan Gosling’s workouts had cultivated a near-perfect physique as if his body was moulded by Mattel themselves. Here’s a closer look at everything the actor did to prepare for the part.
Who is Ryan Gosling?
Height: 6 foot 0 inches
Weight: typically 168 pounds
Age: 42 years old
Occupation: actor
Before tackling the role of Ken, Ryan Gosling blazed one of the most enduring and versatile trails in modern entertainment. On YouTube, one can find the Canadian actor performing an impressive dance routine in 1992, a year before he debuted on The Mickey Mouse Club (alongside future superstars such as Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and Justin Timberlake).
Throughout his teen years, Gosling starred in a number of TV shows before setting his sights on the big screen. He followed a supporting role in the blockbuster sports biopic Remember the Titans with a breakout performance in the indie drama The Believer, playing Jewish neo-Nazi Daniel Balint. So began a formidable film career that’s still going strong to this day.
No stranger to a solid workout, Ryan Gosling trained in Muay Thai when preparing for the violent revenge drama Only God Forgives in 2013. Other films such as The Gray Man, Blade Runner 2049, and even the Oscar-winning La La Land likewise came with their own physical demands. It’s also important to stay in tip-top shape when partnered up with actress Eva Mendes, with whom he shares two children.
With the live-action role of fashion doll Ken, Ryan Gosling is once again proving himself a versatile talent of prime physicality and an open mind. The abs alone are worth a million bucks though it’s been reported that he brings genuine hilarity and charisma to the role. And so an already distinguished and unpredictable career continues to unfold.
Related: Miles Teller’s ‘Top Gun’ Workout & Diet Plan
Ryan Gosling Diet and Nutrition Plan
All it takes is one look at Ryan Gosling’s body at any point in his career to know that he maintains a fairly healthy lifestyle. That is to say, the actor always appears to be in great shape. When preparing for roles in films such as 2011’s Crazy Stupid Love and 2016’s The Nice Guys, it was reported that he practised a balanced diet of fish, veggies, whole grains, and other natural foods and proteins.
But what about his Barbie workout and diet, which required a lean physique, exacting muscle definition, and killer six-pack abs? In preparation for the role, Gosling reportedly maintained his strict and balanced diet rich in natural foods, though he does have a weakness for Twizzlers (“Ryan can eat more Twizzlers than anyone you’ve ever met,” Emma Stone once said in a Vanity Fair interview). He also had an additional secret up his sleeve…
Intermittent Fasting
As another part of Ryan Gosling’s workout and diet plan, he was reported to practice the somewhat controversial method of intermittent fasting. This is when someone doesn’t eat anything for a specific amount of time and then consumes meals during the remaining window. Sources report that Gosling tends to follow a 16:8 intermittent fasting routine, whereby he fasts for 16 hours a day and eats four evenly spaced-out meals during the remaining 8-hour timeframe.
We ourselves previously reported on the benefits of intermittent fasting back in 2020, but the diet plan has come under more scrutiny in recent years. Some experts say that the method is no more effective than a standard healthy diet whilst others maintain that it helps reduce body fat, improve energy, and optimise anabolic hormone levels.
Putting debates and opinions aside, intermittent fasting appears to work for Ryan Gosling’s body. As part of the regimen, he reportedly ate between the hours of 11AM and 7PM and didn’t consume any calories outside of that window. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and in this case the pudding is a Ken doll brought to life, complete with the aforementioned six-pack!
Ryan Gosling Workout Regime
Intermittent fasting and a careful diet plan can only get you so far, which is exactly why Ryan Gosling also practiced a dedicated workout routine before starring in the new Barbie movie. His resulting abs were so lean and mean that some people thought promotional images of his body were photoshopped. Yet by all accounts, they’re the real deal. So how did he do it?
Before we dive into the details, it’s important to note that the actor is a private individual who doesn’t share a lot of personal information. Hence, to scavenge the Internet in search of a faithful Ryan Gosling workout plan is to touch down on a lot of secondhand accounts and anecdotes. Speaking of anecdotes, Barbie co-star Simu Liu (who also boasts a pretty impressive physique) told Entertainment Weekly that Gosling is “definitely, like, a gym in the morning, gym after work kinda guy.”
Then we have words that came straight from the actor’s mouth. During a 2011 interview, for instance, he said, “I like to exercise, but I don’t like to work out or go to the gym. I like to do ballet and gymnastics.” He then added, “Making muscles is boring and they don’t do anything—they are just like pets eventually. You have to feed them, take care of them, and they are useless. Gym muscles are useless. And they look stupid; you can’t do anything with them. You can only lift a lot of weight on that machine that you built them on. They have no practical use.”
Based on what Simu Liu told Entertainment Weekly, we’re going to assume that Gosling had a change of heart between 2011 and now since he appears to hit the gym on a regular basis. He also trained in the art of Muay Thai boxing for 2013’s Only God Forgives and took up Pilates (with help from personal trainer Arin Babaian) and other core-based workouts for 2016’s La La Land.
So where does that leave us? Well, with a fair amount of speculation. However, we did find an article that went the extra mile when putting together a Ryan Gosling Barbie workout plan, drawing upon previous fitness routines and known information about the actor’s personal trainers. Here’s how it goes.
Ab Workout
Under the tutelage of Muay Thai master Vohn Thonaphan, Ryan Gosling learned an effective ab routine back in 2013 (though anyone who’s seen Crazy Stupid Love knows that he was working a solid core as early as 2011). It consists of the following exercises:
- Knee Strike Bridges – Lie on your back with both feet on the ground. Keeping one foot grounded, raise the other foot in the air (this is the starting position). Use the grounded foot to press into the floor and raise your hips, all while keeping the other foot as high in the air as you can. Return to the starting position and repeat.
- Crunch and Punch – Sit on the ground and assume the crunch position, with your back raised, your knees bent, and your hands by your chin. Take one hand and throw a punch toward the opposite knee, then do the same with the other hand and knee, all while holding the core position. Raise the ante by using resistance bands or dumbbells.
- Ab Scissor Kicks – Lie on your back and put your hands behind your head. Keep your legs straight and raise both feet into the air. Kick one leg high and the other low in the scissor style, alternating with each rep. Don’t stop until you’ve executed at least 20 reps.
General Workout
What, you thought Gosling pumped out some ab exercises and then called it a day? Presumably, the actor practised a well-rounded fitness regimen when turning himself into Barbie material. Exact details are slim to non-existent and so we’ve drawn from various sources to provide a rundown of workouts that Gosling and his personal trainers have been known to employ:
- Traditional Bodybuilding Split Program – Hit the gym five days a week for about an hour and a half of strength-building, with two non-consecutive days of rest.
- Pilates and Core-Based Workouts – This mind-body exercise routine improves muscle mass, flexibility, posture, stability, muscle longevity, core strength, and more.
- Squats and Pull-Ups – Gosling reportedly performed these exercises under personal trainer Arin Babaian (who also introduced the actor to Pilates) as a natural way to build strength.
- Ballet and Gymnastics – These routines improve balance, flexibility, posture, strength, and more.
- Muay Thai Training – This style of fighting mixes martial arts and kickboxing and requires extreme strength, balance, and agility.
Ryan Gosling Workout FAQ
Actor Ryan Gosling reportedly maintains a very healthy and balanced diet that’s rich in protein, whole grains, vegetables, and other natural foods. It’s been said that he’s very strict about what he eats and has also practised intermittent fasting when preparing for certain roles.
According to recent reports, actor Ryan Gosling weighs approximately 168 pounds.
It’s not entirely known how Ryan Gosling achieved his washboard abs for films such as Crazy Stupid Love and Barbie. However, he has been reported to practice lots of functional workout routines such as gymnastics, ballet, Pilates, and Muay Thai training.
