The secret behind Lily James’s transformation into Pamela Anderson

Earlier this year, Lily James and Sebastian Stan impressed everyone with their portrayals of Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee in Pam & Tommy, which premiered on Hulu in February 2022.

Apart from the dramatic storyline, what made everyone raise an eyebrow was Lily James’s transformation into a Pam Anderson doppelgänger. Apart from the obvious makeup, wigs, and prosthetics, her fitness regimen also played a huge role in this metamorphosis.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Matt Bevan, Lily James’s personal trainer for the project, reported that he and James “meticulously studied Pam” in order to have a clear visual of what was to be achieved. Together, they began to work on features that couldn’t be fixed with simple makeup or prosthetics, chief among them being Pam’s extremely desirable 1990s beach babe physique.

What was most surprising about Lily James’s transformation was that, unlike other celeb transformations to fit movie roles, hers was from the comfort of her own home, owing to the pandemic and limited access to fitness facilities.

The four-month program was split into numerous phases of mobility, cardio, and resistance workouts. Despite being challenging to get accustomed to, James thought the program was quite the experience, and reportedly even began to enjoy working out and was rehearsing her lines whilst walking on the treadmill.

So, did she need any equipment? Apparently, only some resistance bands, mini loop bands, a couple pairs of dumbbells, three kettlebells, a Swiss ball, some sliders, and a whole lot of consistency.

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The routine that transformed Lily James

In an interview with Women’s Health, Bevan reported that Lily James worked out five times a week, with two recovery days (one active recovery day, and one day of complete rest).

In this article, we will explain the phases of her training routine.

Phase 1: Building the base

As with any program, one must always have a solid base to grow on. This first phase was to aid Lily James in figuring out movement patterns and learning to stabilize herself before taking on the pressure of lifting weights.

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Phase 2: Full body resistance training

This stage was all about full body movement with light weights two to three times a week, alongside lower-intensity sessions on the other days. It involved 8-10 exercises per session, including Goblet/kettlebell squats, Romanian deadlifts, press-ups, and bent-over rows.

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Phase 3: Unilateral (single-side) movements

This is where James started movements that isolated muscles important to Pam’s role. These were performed HIIT-style, with short bursts of exercise (10-20 seconds) followed by longer periods of rest (30-50 seconds)

Some of these exercises included:

• Lateral lunges
• Single-leg Romanian deadlifts
• Press-ups
• Rows
• Split squats
• VersaClimber sessions

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Phase 4: Upper/Lower-body splits

The most crucial part of her transformation was isolating muscles, bodybuilder style - what Bevan described as “lightweight, high-rep workouts,” using resistance bands. This involved hitting their goal of 15 full range press-ups followed by a minute on the assault bike.

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Of course, these four phases were not the only efforts James put into this transformation. She and Bevan worked well together to come up with routines that didn’t seem monotonous but were very goal-specific. Certain exercises were switched up throughout the week, and given Lily James’s history with dancing, Bevan made sure to incorporate a few dance-based workouts here and there.

James was also always encouraged to play her favorite playlists during their sessions, keeping herself lively and motivated. But despite always giving her workouts her all, Bevan ensured she got just enough rest and recovery, tracking her sleep and nutrition. Her rest days were all about breathwork, sometimes with a massage, sauna, or light therapy session.

Lily James's transformation into Pam Anderson was no mean feat, and she certainly awed everyone with her determination to push on during a pandemic with minimal equipment and home-cooked food. So, it is hardly surprising that her story is one of America’s hottest topics right now.

The takeaway from this is that all our goals are attainable, despite obvious setbacks. We can all still give it everything we’ve got with the right home workouts and ingredients in our kitchen.