When Florence Pugh steps onto the screen as Yelena Belova in Thunderbolts, she doesn’t just look like she can take down a villain—she’s trained to do it.
For her third turn as the Marvel spy-assassin, the 29-year-old actor worked with Brendan Johnston, a former U.S. Marine and head U.S. personal trainer for Marvel Studios.
Johnston has prepped stars like Scarlett Johansson and Elizabeth Olsen, but this was his first collaboration with Pugh—and he came in with a clear mission.
His priorities? Keep her injury-free during long, stunt-heavy shoot days. Build the endurance needed for grueling 14-hour schedules.
And, as he puts it, create the “base of aesthetics” so she’d look every bit as powerful as she performed.
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Assessing Her Starting Point
Before filming began, Johnston put Pugh through a full-body strength and endurance assessment. Thanks to her dance background and the work she’d already done with London-based trainer James Shields, she aced every category.
With no major weaknesses to address, Johnston focused on fine-tuning her body for the demands of the role—emphasizing safe stunt execution and the energy reserves to keep moving through back-to-back action scenes.
The Two-Plan System: Heavy and Light Days
Filming schedules can be unpredictable, so Johnston built flexibility into every workout. Each day came with two plans—one for heavy lifting and one for lighter conditioning—so Pugh could train effectively no matter how she felt after a day on set.
Heavy Lift Days
A heavy day began with a treadmill warm-up and band mobility drills for hips, glutes, and shoulders. Then came the main circuit, performed six times with one-minute rests between rounds:
- Dumbbell squats
- Dumbbell shoulder press
- Dumbbell shoulder fly
- Biceps curls
- Triceps exercises
- Core work
- Ball slams
Sometimes reps were fixed, while other sessions used timed intervals, like 30-second Tabata rounds. Johnston adjusted the volume on the fly to keep form sharp without sacrificing intensity.
Boxing also made frequent appearances—Pugh’s a fan of the mitts, and Johnston would absorb her punches using pads, even encouraging body shots to keep training fun and stress-relieving.
Light Lift Days
On lighter days, training shifted to a thousand-meter row at a self-selected pace, followed by conditioning and balance work. BOSU ball exercises and band mobility drills kept her moving without draining her energy stores.
The emphasis was on “feeling the work, but not running out of gas,” Johnston explains.
Recovery as a Priority
While the workouts were intense, recovery was just as important. Sports massages and acupuncture with electrical stimulation helped Pugh stay fresh and mobile. This balance allowed her to push hard without accumulating the kind of fatigue that could sideline her during filming.
What You Can Learn from Pugh’s Program
You don’t have to be a Marvel hero to train like one. Johnston’s approach offers a few key takeaways for anyone juggling training with a demanding schedule:
- Assess before you progress – Knowing your baseline helps you train smarter, not just harder.
- Program flexibility – Have both intense and lighter options ready so you can adapt to your energy level.
- Mobility before load – Warming up with band work primes your body for better performance.
- Include variety – Mixing boxing, weights, and conditioning keeps training engaging.
- Prioritize recovery – Massage, mobility work, and active rest are essential to stay injury-free.
Florence Pugh may have been training to throw bad guys around on screen, but the principles behind her Thunderbolts prep can help anyone build strength, resilience, and staying power—whether the mission is saving the world or just surviving a long workday.
