The cast of “Fifty Shades Darker” didn’t just need to look good naked. They needed to dominate in the buff.
Enter Ramona Braganza: the celebrity fitness guru who whipped stars Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson into shape for the second installment of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy, out in theaters Thursday.
Braganza, a former Oakland Raiders cheerleader who has worked with stars such as Anne Hathaway, Jessica Alba and Halle Berry, readied Johnson and Dornan for the dramatic sexcapades of Anastasia Steele and Christian Grey, the BDSM-ing couple central to the book-turned-film series.
“When you think about a movie like ‘Fifty Shades of Grey,’ you have an idea of [Johnson] being graceful and lean,” says Braganza, 54. For Dornan, shown in the movie trailer breezing through shirtless pull-ups under the smitten gaze of Johnson’s character, “I focused on an athletic muscular frame for him — not too bulky … but strong in appearance.”
Braganza typically works on the sets of action movies such as “Warcraft,” in which her client Paula Patton is a scantily clad half-human, half-orc, or more PG shows like “Bull,” in which star Michael Weatherly plays an aggressive, three-piece-suit-wearing trial consultant.
The cast of “Fifty Shades Darker,” however, would be wearing far fewer clothes than her other celebrity clients. The sequel has Christian and Anastasia exploring the more romantic side of their, ahem, arrangement (the characters famously sign a contract in the first book and movie, with Anastasia agreeing to be the submissive and Christian the dominant). The film, which UK newspaper the Sun says is even kinkier than the first flick, reportedly includes a racy bit in which Anastasia draws lipstick on Christian’s chest and sex scenes that are “too graphic to describe.”
For her role, Johnson needed a lean and graceful physique. Dornan, on the other hand, needed to be able to hoist up that lean and graceful body during the steamy shower-sex scene the trailers keep teasing.
With Dornan, Braganza focused almost entirely on legs, although he worked out his arms and other parts on his own. Dornan usually does pushups before their steamier scenes, Johnson told Entertainment Tonight. Men often forget about “leg days,” or workouts in which they strengthen their quads, hamstrings and glutes, Braganza says — these muscles are rarely seen outside the bedroom (unless, of course, you’re the star of the “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy).
But focusing on those muscles helps speed up metabolism, burn fat and, most importantly for anyone hoping for Christian Grey-esque confidence, release more testosterone.
“Legs are the biggest muscle in the body,” Braganza says. “They require more energy from the body to move them … thereby burning more calories and stressing hormonal systems, which in turn releases more testosterone.”
Braganza had Dornan do several squat variations, often with weights. At the top of every squat, Braganza advises her clients to squeeze their glutes tightly to make the workout even more effective. They worked together about twice a week for around 30 minutes each day inside Braganza’s mobile gym, Mobile Physique. The RV-like gym rolled onto the Vancouver set for the duration of filming in the spring of 2016.
With Johnson, Braganza focused on lengthening and toning exercises, such as leg-lifting floor routines, and plenty of ab workouts. She also had Johnson complete tons of plank exercises to tone her arms and further define her core. The two worked together about four times a week for around 30 to 40 minutes each day.
“We wouldn’t have [Johnson] doing the heavy squats that Jamie would do, because we wouldn’t want her to look that muscular,” Braganza says of the bookish Steele. “That’s just not what Anastasia Steele would look like.”
On top of Braganza’s workout routines, Johnson also practiced hot yoga and the “Ballet Beautiful” dance-inspired fitness regimen — her next role is as a ballerina in Luca Guadagnino’s remake of the horror flick “Suspiria.” But Braganza tried to stay focused on Johnson and Dornan’s “Fifty Shades” roles. The actors received a customized workout plan designed to fit their respective characters.
Filming for “Fifty Shades Darker” also lasted longer than usual because the cast began shooting the trilogy’s third installment, “Fifty Shades Freed,” immediately after the second. The lengthy shoot meant Braganza had to work extra hard to keep the cast energized.
She employed one of her favorite tactics for motivating her celebrity clients: Called the “catsuit” trick, it involves putting on that one outfit we all have in our closet that makes us feel particularly sexy, as long as we’re in the right shape. (For Braganza, it’s her old Raiders cheerleading uniform.)
[Legs] require more energy from the body to move … which in turn releases more testosterone.
For Johnson and Dornan, “their catsuits were who they were on camera,” Braganza says with a laugh. The movie will feature two bondage scenes. They have to feel confident in them, she says, “otherwise, we’re not gonna buy it.”
But for those of us who don’t anticipate a steamy, naked close-up anytime soon, Braganza advises monitoring fitness using something like a bathing suit or sexy lingerie.
“If you know you’re gonna wear a bathing suit on a vacation, put it on a month before and see where you’re at,” she says. That alone could be all the gym motivation you need.
But any look-good-naked workout regime is pointless if you’re not mentally prepared for the action.
“If you want to feel comfortable naked, it’s really more important for you to feel comfortable deep down inside, and then the other parts just sort of happen,” she says. “Sure, you can fix your anatomy and go on a healthy food plan. But we all gotta have that confidence level.”
Stand with feet hip-width apart, with arms extended in front of you. Squat down and back, chest up and head facing forward. Use a chair (or stability ball) as a benchmark. Press into heels to stand, squeezing glutes at the top. Repeat 20 reps and three sets.
Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding 15- to 20-pound dumbbells at your sides. Sit down and back, sliding the weights down your legs, chest lifted and head forward, eyes looking up. Only squat as low as you’re comfortable with, then return to standing position, pressing into your heels and contracting your glutes at the top. Repeat 15 reps for three sets, increasing weights if comfortable.