Here's How Scarlett Johansson Trained For Black Widow

Black Widow training: Black Widow the much-awaited film starring Scarlett Johansson and Florence Pugh released on July 9, 2021, in theatres and Disney Plus Premiere in the US. It was originally dated to release in May 2020 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the release got delayed.

The superhero film, Black Widow is a part of Marvel Cinematic Universe's Phase Four release slate. Sang-chi and Legend of the Ten Rings are also a part of this slate release. The Scarlett Johansson starrer film is the first theatrical release from Marvel Cinematic Universe after Spider-Man: Far From Home hit the theatres in July 2019.

Black Widow Training:

Eric Johnson is a  celebrity personal trainer to stars like Scarlett Johansson, Andrew Garfield, Jonathan Groff.  He shared the story with Entertainment Insider, of how he helped Scarlett to get in shape for her role as Black Widow. Scarlett Johansson first got the role of Black Widow in the year 2009.

During that time she said that she never had set foot in a gym before. It took almost her a year to get trained for the character. Her personal trainer Eric Johnson took Scarlett Johansson from never lifting to deadlifting 245 pounds. The basic philosophy that they followed was to focus on strength and functional movements and not on looks.

After years of anticipation, Black Widow is finally getting her own breakout film.

But what does it take for Scarlett Johansson to transform into the role?

Personal trainer Eric Johnson shares how he helped Scarlett get in shape to play #BlackWidow.pic.twitter.com/pJZFZRzfO0

— Entertainment Insider (@EntInsider) July 9, 2021

Eric's aim was to prepare the actor for anything that's thrown at them so that they can do what they do best and that's to act. Scarlett Johansson had to do some of the stunt scenes in the film herself and therefore having practical strength was important.

Her trainer further said that confidence is going to be the biggest thing that is going to translate over to her becoming a superhero. In order to achieve desired levels of fitness and strength, it took Scarlett a year to train.

Different Phases of Training

The training before the filming was divided into three phases: Mobility, Power and Peak. Each of the phases lasting for approximately 3-12 weeks. Eric says that for the first phase their aim was to try resetting Scarlett's body and building her mobility. It was important to build a mind-body connection first. This phase sharpens her reflexes and the agility she needs for performing stunts.

The second phase focuses on strength training and building muscles. Pull-ups were increased so that body gets more resilient. In this phase, Scarlett was able to complete a 245 -pound deadlift and pistol squats.

The third phase included getting lean before shooting focusing on explosive cardio.  Their aim was to increase her peak conditioning and trying to becoming lean and really fit. This final phase was focused on giving finishing touches to her character. Scarlett Johansson has to move with ease and fluidity while being as fresh and powerful in the first take as in the 20th take says Eric.

Diet and Nutrition are a vital part of any training. When asked about how was Scarlett's diet planned, Eric said that their goal was to keep it natural and also they were trying to focus from a recovery standpoint that is she getting enough calories? They made it more flexible, like eating chocolate cake, doughnuts and dark chocolate because Eric says it's more than filming or looking great.

Black Widow released in the theatres on July 9, 2021,  in North America and several other countries. It already got big thumbs up from the critics and fans. The film will be releasing in India in few months.