There are three things most people are very opinionated about: religion, politics and who has the finest, fittest female body in film.
For those of you who read my blog last week, I presented a list of the fittest male physiques in movie history. Some agreed, some didn’t. But my list of women must be handled with a bit more finesse.
First, what defines the “best” female film body?
She has to be fit. Just plain skinny doesn’t cut it. She has to look like she’s got some muscle tone – not necessarily Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 – and she shouldn’t have a physique that looks lean but feels like marshmallow.
On the other hand, she needs to be feminine. The natural curves of a woman are a prerequisite. Female bodybuilders are a little too extreme to make this list.
There is not one ideal female body type. As you can see from the list, there are many different types of bodies that impress.
Armed with my criteria and votes that many of you have Tweeted (thanks Twitter followers!), I combined your votes with those of my clients and added in a few of my own personal choices to create the list below.
Halle Berry in Catwoman
Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider
Jessica Simpson in The Dukes of Hazzard
Milla Jovovich in The Fifth Element
Jessica Biel in Blade: Trinity
Eva Green in Casino Royale
Kate Beckinsale in Underworld
Megan Fox in Transformers
Eva Mendes in Ghost Rider
Jessica Alba in Sin City
Ashley Greene in Twilight
Jordana Brewster in The Fast and the Furious
Think I missed someone? Feel free to Tweet me your vote for best female film body @harleypasternak.
In the interest of full disclosure, I must say that I’ve actually trained eight of these 12 ladies, and I can assure you, they work their butts off (literally) and eat very well to look the way they do.
If you want to make your body red-carpet ready, aside from a good diet and regular cardio, the following workout will surely help.
1. Start with a 5-minute cardio warm-up. Try speed walking, jogging, jump rope, jumping jacks, or climbing stairs.
2. Then it’s time for walk lunges. From the standing position, step forward into a lunge, then swing your trailing leg ahead of you as you move upwards and alternate legs as you move across the room. Do three sets of 20 reps.
3. Next is shoulder lateral raise. Standing with a light weight (or bottle of smartwater) in each hand, slowly raise your arms away from each other out towards the wall, then return down. Do three sets of 30 reps.
4. Then the seated trunk twist. Sitting on the ground and leaning back 30 degrees, hold your arms in front of you like a boxer. As you twist your torso to the left, reach towards the left wall with your right hand, then immediately do the same in the opposite direction. Try three sets of 50 reps.
5. End with a 5-minute cardio cool down. Try speed walking, jogging, jump rope, jumping jacks, or climbing stairs.
Try phases 2, 3 and 4 as a continuous non-stop circuit.
Check back every Wednesday for more insider tips on Hollywood’s hottest bodies – and learn how to get one yourself! Plus: follow Harley on Twitter at @harleypasternak
RELATED: Harley Pasternak Blogs: How Jessica Simpson Works Out