Training the Terminatrix: How Sci-fi Star Kristanna Loken got in Shape for a Killer Role

Jan. 15, 2003

Kristanna Loken is lean, muscular, and cat-like. But the leggy blond who plays the Terminatrix in the upcoming movie “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines“ didn‘t get that way overnight. She trained an average of three hours a day for five months to buff out for the role of Arnold Schwarzenegger‘s nemesis.
The man behind her training regimen is Philip Goglia, L.A.-based fitness guru to such stars as Kim Delaney, Gillian Anderson, John Cusak, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum and Owen Wilson.
With Loken, Goglia admits he had a good body to work with. At 5‘10“, the 24-year-old actress and supermodel weighs 115 pounds and is known for her skyscraper legs and statuesque physique. “Poor Kristanna had no trouble spots,“ jokes Goglia. “She doesn‘t have any predisposition to hoard fat in any particular areas, and her body changed easily from head to toe.“

The Regimen
Goglia‘s goal with Loken was to build lean, long muscles without a lot of bulk. That required attention to both exercise and nutrition. “Kristanna‘s got a lot of height, lots of leg, and a long torso, so she carries a lot of muscle on her frame naturally,“ he explains. “But we concentrated on shaping it through the use of proper nutrition, water intake, and correct exercise protocols that would make her lean and cat-like rather than big and bulky.“
Her training included aerobics such as riding a stationary bike, hiking, “anything to get her heart rate up,“ as well as a variety of strength-training exercises using both free weights and machines. But Goglia stresses that food is actually more important than exercise. “Ask any body builder or physique model what they focus on, and they‘ll always tell you it‘s at least 80 percent food. If you do a thousand sit-ups a day but you eat pizza, you‘re never going to see your abs. So it‘s always food first. Assess your food program, assess your water intake, establish correct caloric intake, and *then* decide what exercises you can do based on your lifestyle.“

The Food
To build muscle, Loken ate a high-protein diet with lots of chicken, fish and turkey. While she was still able to eat potatoes and white rice, her blood lipid profile indicated that she handled fats and
proteins much better than carbohydrates (as do 74 percent of us, notes Goglia). “Her family health
history and her lipid profile indicated that she had a high capacity to use fat and protein well,“ he
explains. “But her triglyceride levels were very high, which indicated that she couldn‘t manage
carbohydrates well without hoarding fat.“
He stresses that any health regimen should be based on a total package of food, water, exercise and
sleep. That was something Loken had to learn.
“When Kristanna came in, she was concerned about
dropping body fat, so she wasn‘t eating. But here‘s the myth in that: exercise breaks down muscle tissue
and creates an opportunity to change your physique. But your physique will only change for the good if
that muscle tissue is put back together with the proper foods. It‘s a total package. If you do not eat
enough calories to support your exercise, then your muscle tissue will decay, your physique will worsen,
and you‘ll probably get injured.“

You, Too, Can Be a Terminatrix!
Ok, so maybe not all of us can afford to hire a personal trainer and nutritionist. But Goglia says that
anyone can achieve a great body if they “train smart.“ “Don‘t expect that lifting weights or riding on a
stationary bike is going to make any change in you. You have to be smart about your exercise choices
and most importantly, you have to be consistent. Health is not an ATM machine. It‘s not going to spit it
out at you in five minutes. You didn‘t gain your 20 pounds overnight, and you‘re not going to lose it
overnight. Ultimately, you‘re trying to create a lifestyle for yourself that will give you a healthy, youthful
future.“

To learn more, check out Philip Goglia‘s recent book, “Turn Up the Heat,“ or log onto his Web sites,
www.turnuptheheat.com and www.pfcnutrition.com. “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines“ is scheduled
to hit theaters on July 2, 2003.

SIDEBAR

Tips from the Terminatrix Trainer

1) Get a blood lipid profile. Goglia says this is the best way to determine whether you need a high-protein or a high-carb diet. “It‘s just responsible nutrition,“ he notes. “I would never tell someone to go on an Atkins food program if their HDL‘s are low and their LDL‘s are high and their father died of a heart attack. But there are a gazillion people out there following the Atkins program who don‘t know what their lipid profile is.“
2) Eat what you want one day a week. That‘s what Goglia does (although after a career as a body builder, wrestler and trainer, his “cheat food“ is sushi!). But he swears that one “free“ day will help keep you on track.
3) Use the one fork-full rule. “If you‘re out to dinner and everybody is ordering chocolate cake and Tiramisu and you‘re salivating all over yourself, take a bite of the damn thing,“ he says. “If you don‘t, tomorrow you‘ll cheat like crazy. And you can‘t beat that first bite. That‘s the best bite on earth. After that, you‘re just chasing the dragon.“
4) Don‘t fall into “all or nothing“ thinking. So you ate a whole bag of M&M‘s after your boss yelled at you. That doesn‘t mean the whole day is shot, he says. “There will be days when a brownie wrestles you to the floor, but it‘s not the end-all of your food program. Get back on it, drink your water, have your fish and veggies for dinner, and you‘ll be fine. Don‘t blow the whole day.“
5) Eat animal-based proteins to build muscle. “Plant-based proteins are primarily carbohydrates first,“ says Goglia, but adds that soybeans are a good choice.
6) Eat your fruit fresh. Avoid both fruit juices and dried fruits, which contain too much sugar for their portion size. “Always eat your fruit, don‘t drink it,“ he says.
7) Pay attention to your own makeup. For us regular people, Goglia suggests exercising at least one hour a day four times a week. If dropping body fat is your goal, focus on aerobics. If you‘re more concerned about strength and posture, focus on strength-training.
8) Consider hiring a coach. “Most people fall off the wagon and don‘t get back on because they don‘t have coaching,“ he says. “But think about every other aspect of your life... if you get sick, you see a doctor. If you need your taxes done, you see a tax guy. But when it comes to food, we go to an article by Suzanne Sommers rather than consulting an expert! She‘s an actress, for crying out loud! We really believe her triple-chocolate low-fat cake is going to help us lose weight, but it‘s not.“
9) Keep it all in perspective. “I see 30 people a day, and I know changes can take place,“ says Goglia. “But it requires positive coaching, a sense of humor, and some patience. The world should be built around patience, not convenience.“


ANOTHER SIDEBAR:

She‘s a killing machine

In “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,“ Kristanna Loken plays a cyborg who goes up against Arnold Schwarzenegger. And she‘s even more sophisticated than Robert Patrick‘s liquid-metal T-1000 in 1991‘s “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.“ Loken‘s “energy-based“ character has the ability to take control of machines, including Schwarzenegger‘s T-800 cyborg model.
“T3“ picks up the story a decade after the sequel, when a 20-something John Connor re-teams with his cyborg protector to battle the Terminatrix. In recent interviews, Schwarzenegger has admitted to lobbying for Chyna, star of the World Wrestling Federation. But the film‘s producers wanted a more petite, young, and innocent-looking woman who, as Schwarzenegger puts it, “would create a certain drama when she walks innocently up to a woman in a car on Rodeo Drive and snaps her neck.“