How to get a body like Sydney Sweeney: Celebrity trainer reveals the 12-week method anyone can follow to achieve the star’s perfect physique – including workouts, meal plans and a detailed nutrition guide

Sydney Sweeney might be known for her famous curves, but she floored fans when she unveiled her muscular look to play boxer Christy Martin in a new biopic.

The Hollywood sex symbol, 27, has undergone quite the fitness overhaul to build up muscle mass in order to convincingly portray the famed super welterweight boxer.

In photos shared to her Instagram, the actress looked worlds away from her Euphoria days when she was known for her blonde hair, buxom figure and revealing clothes. Now she’s all ripped biceps, ’90s workout gear and a tough, fringed haircut.

Her transformation from vixen to She-Hulk has sparked speculation about exactly how she has managed to achieve such results so quickly.

While Hollywood stars generally have armies of nutritionists and personal trainers on hand to assist them, Australian fitness guru Jono Castano says her dramatic new look isn’t actually that far out of reach for the average person.

The Acero Gym founder, who has trained the likes of Sir Richard Branson, Rebel Wilson and Rita Ora, has shared with Mail+ readers his diet and workout plan that will help you achieve Sydney’s physique in just 12 weeks – and the best part is it’s suitable for everyone from beginners to gym lovers.

From which machines to master to the foods you need in your daily diet and whether you really need to cut out alcohol, Jono answers all of your burning questions in his easy beginner’s guide.

EXERCISE: THE FULL 12-WEEK PLAN

It goes without saying that finding the right workout plan and sticking to it week in, week out is the first and most important step to achieving your fitness goals.

Though it might seem like a daunting task for beginners who don’t know where to start, Jono’s step-by-step 12-week guide covers all the bases.

To build muscle, he swears by a range of popular strength-based movements and weightlifting exercises which will have you going from a novice to a gym bunny in no time.

Jono, who has been a personal trainer for more than 15 years, busted the myth that you need to train six or seven days a week to achieve your goals, and instead recommends an achievable four-day workout plan.

Generally he discourages clients from setting unrealistic short-term goals – like ‘get abs in four weeks’ – and instead finds 12 weeks to be a good time frame for a beginner to start to really see results in terms of muscle gain.

‘I’ve had clients that have achieved Sydney’s look before and it takes about 12 weeks,’ he tells me. 

‘You want to give people a fair amount of time to achieve these results, you don’t want to make it impossible, so I would definitely recommend a 12-week span.’

While Jono acknowledges Sydney was almost certainly working with a full-time trainer during filming, he believes her look is still attainable for someone following his regimen in the gym four days a week.

But he warns that slowing down your routine to three or two days a week will seriously affect the outcome.

See below tables for the full workout plan, divided into two six-week blocks…  

‘In the past, when I’ve had clients train twice a week, that’s definitely not enough to build a foundation of having that strong muscle that Sydney has these days,’ he says.

He divides his workout plan into two easy-to-follow six-week blocks that encourage you to scale up your movements as you get to grips with the technique, while also preventing you from growing tired of the same repeated movements.

Recommending exercise at the start of the day, Jono’s plan includes a different workout cycle for every day of training to keep things varied. The workouts include about eight different exercises, grouped into circuits, meaning they can be done in a quick rotation for easy efficiency.

Jono incorporates a range of strength-training movements – such as squats, deadlifts, leg presses and chin-ups – into his plan, which he says are the key starting blocks to bulking up.

‘In terms of workouts, [Sydney has] gone for that boxer approach. She has incorporated that weight-resistance type of training,’ he says.

‘When you’re trying to build muscle it’s all about eccentric – when we’re trying to load the muscle – and concentric – which is when we push. Those types of exercises need to be done under control.’

Jono adds that body weight movements – e.g. lunges, push-ups, planks and glute bridges – are the perfect way to ‘not only increase your heart rate but also put the body under tension at the same time’.

Though it might seem intimidating for a beginner, each exercise can be easily tailored based on ability, and they can be done without any added weight – just with your body weight – to start off with while you master the technique, before amping up the difficulty.

‘A lot of people don’t understand the fundamentals of what basic movements are,’ Jono adds. 

‘A basic body weight squat, a lot of people can’t get that mobility and right position to get into a squat properly. 

‘And push-ups, people really struggle with a basic push-up with the right technique without hurting their shoulder and putting tension on their chest. 

‘One thing I always tell people is understand the basics and then build from that.’

Noting that women may find it harder to build muscle compared to men, Jono stresses that Sydney’s look is still quite achievable for beginners, adding that her muscular yet feminine appearance is actually very popular among his clients.

‘If you think about the way a male’s body works in terms of the amount of testosterone they produce versus a female’s estrogen, it’s very, very different. I’d definitely say it’s harder [for a woman] but it isn’t impossible,’ he tells me.

‘For me personally, the look of Sydney Sweeney versus someone who is a bodybuilder, I’d definitely choose someone like Sydney’s body. In 2024, that is definitely the look everyone is going for these days.’

SHOULD I ADD CARDIO TO MY WORKOUT?  

Jono’s 12-week workout plan focuses heavily on strength-based movements – which will certainly get your heart rate climbing – rather than traditional cardio exercises.

Long gone are the days of running for hours on a treadmill or sweating on a bike; Jono instead recommends cardio as an ‘extra’ to his training plan rather than an essential component.

Instead of making it a focus of the workout, cardio is instead incorporated into the warm-up and cool-down sessions. He personally advises clients to do five to ten minutes of skipping before starting every workout.

In the second six weeks of the plan, Jono has added walking on the treadmill into the fourth and final day of your training week, which he says provides you with the perfect cool-down exercise after that last challenging session in the gym.

He even advises cutting back on cardio if you feel as though you aren’t eating enough or are failing to hit the ideal protein intake. But if you are eating enough of the right foods, you can incorporate more cardio if you so desire. 

‘For someone like Sydney Sweeney and the way she looks now, I definitely would incorporate cardio,’ he tells me.

‘That goes with nutrition as well. The way you have to think is calories in versus calories out: if you’re going to smash out cardio but you’re undereating then I would definitely say no. 

‘But if you are taking in enough calories then 100 per cent go for it! Cardio is a good thing – but it’s not a good thing if you’re undereating.’ 

DO I NEED A PERSONAL TRAINER?  

While you may not have the same Hollywood budget as Sydney, Jono says hiring a personal trainer can be a good way to make sure you stay on track of your fitness your goals.

Jono, who is a trainer himself at his gym in Sydney’s Kensington, says even he finds himself willing to go that extra mile when working with another trainer, and that having someone else observe the workout keeps him focused.

But for those who can’t afford it, Jono says the lower-budget fitness apps – such as his app Acero Drip, which costs $24.99 for one month – can also provide that little bit of extra help and assistance.

‘We are not all going to have the same budget that Sydney does,’ he says.

‘But don’t forget there are so many apps out there – I have an app that really focuses on creating a proper program. But it can’t always compare to that person yelling in their ear, “Give me 10 more!”

‘Sometimes I say that I even need a trainer.’

NUTRITION: WHAT TO EAT AND WHAT TO CUT OUT

While you might think spending hours pumping iron is the only way to achieve a perfect body, Jono stresses you won’t get far unless you also follow a healthy and balanced diet filled with the right nutrients.

Though people are advised to eat three meals a day, Jono says it can actually be more beneficial to eat smaller meals every two to four hours.

Rather than overindulging and stuffing yourself until you’re full to bursting, Jono’s meal plan features a range of smaller meals and healthy snacks throughout the day to bust sugary cravings.

‘You need to be satisfied, not full. When you are full, you feel sluggish and slow. Really that feeling is when you have eaten too much,’ Jono explains.

‘You have to think about regular meals every two to four hours. Don’t just have three big meals – I think that’s the wrong way to go.’

While there is heated debate over whether breakfast is the most important meal of the day – and practitioners of intermittent fasting routinely avoid it – Jono does not recommend skipping it.

Either before or after a training session, Jono advises eating one whole egg, three egg whites and a banana for a healthy energy boost.

He’s a believer that supplements play an important role too, and recommends whey protein as a mid-morning snack, followed by a turkey salad with rice for lunch.

For a mid-afternoon snack and dinner, repeat these steps (whey protein followed by a light meal) but add a sprinkling of cayenne pepper or chilli for flavour and to speed up metabolism.

See below for Jono’s meal plan and in-depth nutrition guide… 

While snacking can be the downfall for many with a sweet tooth, Jono adds an evening snack of two teaspoons of peanut butter to the menu to put a stop to those late night cravings.

The fitness expert notes how women in particular often fall short when trying to build muscle because they fail to get enough protein into their diet. So he has given some go-to foods to incorporate into meals to hit your protein target.

‘Nutrition plays such a key part and I think a lot of women when they try to go for this kind of look, where they go wrong is they don’t take in enough protein,’ he shares.

‘The way we grow muscle is by taking in protein, it is what fuels muscle growth, so Sydney has clearly gone for a high-protein approach.

‘It’s all about protein, like meat, fish or tofu if you’re a vegan.’

Jono also busts the myth that people should steer clear of carbohydrates altogether because it will make them gain weight, urging people to get their energy from foods such as brown rice, sweet potatoes, oats and beans, among others.

‘I find a lot of women are put off by the word “carb” because they think, “Oh god, I’m going to put on weight,”‘ he says.

‘But when we think about energy, carbohydrates are what fuels our workouts and without glycogen, there is no energy.’

‘In terms of carbohydrates, think sweet potatoes, pumpkins and quinoa as great options. But I’d stay away from “bad carbs” and don’t have too much carbohydrates because then you will feel bloated.’

As for what constitutes ‘bad’ carbs, Jono advises against eating processed foods containing sugar, such as breakfast cereal, as well as crisps and white bread.

DO I REALLY NEED TO CUT OUT ALCOHOL?… YES!  

Though they may be the words nobody wants to hear, Jono says it is actually very important to cut out alcohol in order to more easily achieve your fitness goals.

‘Anyone that wants to achieve this kind of look, you’ve got to be willing to cut alcohol,’ he tells me firmly.

Describing alcohol as ’empty calories’, he says eliminating booze is as essential as cutting out sugary snacks if you want to see those much-desired results. 

‘We all try to live a balanced lifestyle but if you’re trying to achieve this amazing look, you’ve got to really restrict a lot of stuff as well,’ he says.

‘Whether you’re determined to get in shape or preparing for a film role like Sydney, you have to have that focused mindset of training, good sleep and nutrition, and that includes no alcohol for the 12 weeks.’

SUPPLEMENTS: ARE THEY WORTH IT? 

Supplements are big business and many gym-goers swear by them – but are they worth the cost? And when is the best time to use them? Jono has the answers. 

Though they are not a substitute for a balanced and healthy diet, Jono says they can be a helpful tool for those who are struggling to meet their daily protein goals.

‘Supplements are an addition, they are that one per cent,’ he explained.

‘If you’re lacking to intake enough protein, then one scoop of protein is about 20g every serve and that is going to help you out. 

‘They are great for recovery and fuelling your workouts. There are so many supplements out there that are going to be that extra one per cent to help you achieve your goals.’ 

Jono recommends whey protein powder for daily snacks to give your body an extra protein boost to aid muscle growth.

COMMON PITFALLS

Kickstarting a new workout plan can seem like a daunting task, but Jono has shared some of the common pitfalls he has seen his clients fall into during his 15 years as a trainer so you can avoid them.

Though it may seem surprising, he says it’s rarely mistakes with form or technique that hinder progress but rather a client’s mindset when it comes to exercise.

He says clients often set ‘unrealistic’ short-term goals which they are unable to meet, which leaves them disappointed. Instead, he advises people to think long-term when setting their expectations and to have faith in themselves.

Looking specifically at some of the more practical missteps, Jono urges people to listen to their bodies and not push themselves too far because over-training can lead to injuries.

‘I always say listen to your body, we all want to do more and more, and then we end up getting injured,’ he says.

Though stressing the importance of a balanced lifestyle, Jono also advises against splurging on the weekend, which can undo five days of good work. Instead try to stick to the plan every day of the week.

‘In terms of good nutrition, it can’t be four days on and three days off; that just doesn’t work,’ he says. ‘People get to the weekend and it’s just like their whole plan goes down the drain.’