13 Female Celebrities Who Prove That Toughness and Beauty Do Not Contradict Each Other

In the past, people would often associate strong, muscular bodies with bodybuilders and superheroes, with femininity being the last thing on their minds. Luckily, times have changed, and so has the perception of beauty. What’s more, there are quite a few gorgeous ladies who are living proof that having strong muscles doesn’t cancel out looking sophisticated and feminine. So to end doubts about lifting weights, kickboxing, doing martial arts, and get a bit of extra exercise inspiration, you can look up to these gorgeous female celebs who are equal parts ripped and hot.

1. Halle Berry

Halle Berry seems to be as tough and strong as her on-screen characters. Thanks to her love of fitness, the gorgeous 56-year-old actress still looks stunning and is ready to take on more physically demanding movie roles in the future. Her personal trainer was stunned by Berry’s vitality and said that she has ’’the discipline and athleticism of a 25-year-old.’’

2. Hilary Duff

Hilary Duff carries her muscular body with poise and elegance. Even though she works out diligently to stay fit and healthy, Duff admits that she’s proud of her body and that she made peace with all the changes it has gone through over the years. “I think that, at 34, I have just gained a lot of respect for my body,” the actress admits.

3. Jennifer Lopez

After decades of performing all those complex dance moves on stage, Jennifer Lopez surely knows how much endurance and muscle strength it takes to be able to effortlessly pull it off. The famous singer is no stranger to using all sorts of weight machines, and she proudly shares her amazing, toned figure with her fans, not only on stage but also on Instagram.

4. Blake Lively

The Gossip Girl star has a very healthy relationship with fitness and exercise. She sets realistic goals for herself, which means most of us can exercise just like her.

She usually practices 3-4 days a week but, according to her trainer, sometimes their schedule changes because of Lively’s parenting and work duties, which is perfectly normal. According to him, the aim is to focus on daily fitness goals and commit to them long-term. ’’Don’t feel like you have to get up off the couch and set this world record workout. Because if that’s the goal, no one’s ever going to be successful,’’ he advises.

5. Emily Blunt

Emily Blunt knows that shooting an action-packed movie megahit is no walk in the park. It requires grueling training and dedication, which was obviously not a problem for her. When she prepared for her role in The Edge of Tomorrow, the talented actress worked out 6 days a week, for 2+ hours, over 3 months. She did a wide variety of exercises, including weightlifting and a special martial art technique called Krav Maga.

6. Rosamund Pike

The Gone Girl star is an avid fitness enthusiast who has worked incredibly hard to achieve her dream physique. Her workout sessions include the basics like squats, lunges, curls, and heavy weightlifting. She recently shared her excitement on Instagram in a video showing her lifting 100 lbs.

7. Khloé Kardashian

Kardashians are known for their love of fitness, and Khloé is no exception. She sticks to a workout routine that involves exercises like squats, push-ups, endurance training, and walking on a treadmill among others with the aim of keeping her body in the desired shape.

8. Brie Larson

The Captain Marvel star keeps fit and strong thanks to her intense training regime. Larson admitted that she used to not be in such good shape and would end up out of breath when walking up a hill, but now she is constantly amazed by what her body is capable of. “Being able to hip thrust 400 pounds, deadlift 200 pounds, push my trainer’s Jeep, I mean, it’s an incredible experience to realize that what’s inside of you is well beyond what you knew was possible,” Larson shared.

9. Gal Gadot

To convincingly portray Wonder Woman, Gadot spent hours in the gym practicing kickboxing, kung fu, and jiujitsu. When you take into account that she also served in the Israeli Defense Forces as a combat instructor in the past, you get a good idea of how tough she is.

10. Angela Bassett

For the stunning 64-year-old actress, keeping things interesting in the gym is key to staying motivated. To achieve a lean, muscular physique, Bassett exercises 4 or 5 times a week with a personal trainer. Even when she travels, she makes sure to get to a hotel gym and practice for at least 30 minutes whenever she can.

But the actress admits, it’s not just about the exercise. It’s her eating habits that really make the difference: ’’You have to keep it interesting. Your diet and exercise,’’ Bassett emphasizes.

11. Gina Carano

Even after she became a Hollywood star, the mixed martial arts fighter Gina Carano still manages to maintain her busy fitness schedule. As you would imagine, her fitness routine is not for the faint-hearted. It includes things like Muay Thai, jiujitsu, weight training, and lots of outdoor activities.

Her incredible physique and her acting talent earned Gina the Chuck Norris award for Best Female Action Star in 2012 and the hottest women in America award in 2008. She is a true example of how beautiful strong muscles can be.

12. Hilary Swank

Known for incredible on-screen transformations and for giving her all when portraying tough, badass characters, Hilary Swank is not afraid to push her limits in the gym as well. Challenging exercises that she does require some serious mental and physical strength. Hilary usually combines several challenging exercises, including weightlifting, that give her a proper full-body workout.

13. Natalie Portman

Everyone talked about the workout routine that she followed for her amazing physical transformation in Thor, Love, and Thunder. But Natalie Portman has taken on another interesting challenge — she’s changing the landscape of female soccer, proving that women can still be feminine while playing a sport that is usually considered male. ’’Watching my son idolize players like Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan the same way he did Lionel Messi or Karim Benzema, I realized that amplifying female athletes could rapidly shift culture,’’ the actress says.

Can you think of any other muscular ladies that deserve to be on this list?