I tried working out like Jennifer Garner for a week, and it made my abs look great but I almost didn't make it

• I tried following Jennifer Garner's grueling "Peppermint" (2018) action-movie workout for a week.
• Garner trained using a mix of combat, upper-body strength training, dance cardio, and ab workouts, according to videos the actress posted on Instagram and interviews from her trainer Simone De La Rue.
• Garner's training schedule apparently included working out seven days a week for three months.
• I found this workout regimen to be pretty grueling and questioned how a normal person would be able to keep this up for three months.
• But after a week of following this workout, I noticed my abs and arms looked pretty toned.
• Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

A few years ago, Jennifer Garner got in fighting shape for her role in the action film "Peppermint" (2018).

She did so under the guidance of celebrity trainer Simone De La Rue, who has trained stars such as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Emily Blunt, Sandra Bullock, and Anne Hathaway.

De La Rue told Women's Health that her goal was to make Garner "look like an action figure" for her leading role in "Peppermint" — so I decided to try this routine for myself to see if it made me feel like an action star, too.

Here's what it was like working out like Garner for a week.

Keep in mind that just because a certain routine works for a celebrity doesn't mean it will work for you (or me).

Day one: I start the week off with upper-body work, and I'm already mentally bracing myself for a challenge.

De La Rue said she recommends that beginners should do her upper-body workout routine once a week as part of a three-day workout program, and those who are more advanced can do it twice a week as part of a six-day program.

To warm up, I take inspiration from De La Rue's October 2018 interview with Women's Health and several of Garner's Instagram posts by starting with a few sets of star jumps, jumping jacks, and jump ropes. My heart is pounding and I'm already starting to sweat by the time I'm done.

Because I don't own De La Rue's custom resistance bands, I decide to do the triceps extensions, triceps dips, bicep curls, chest flyes, lateral raises, overhead presses, and wide pulls with 5-pound weights in each hand.

It's just as hard as I expect, and I'm only able to do between five and 10 reps of each for two sets. Garner apparently does these moves with 15-pound dumbbells, something I cannot even imagine attempting.

My pecs, triceps, biceps, and back are basically crying out for me to stop at this point, but I make an effort to conclude with wall pushes, regular push-ups, and a one-minute plank. Because my upper-body strength is minimal, I do my push-ups on my knees and call it a win when I'm able to do five in a row.

Sadly, I don't have a dance partner like De La Rue to psyche me up for the freestyle Zumba-inspired workout that Garner does, but after I get back from the gym I do about five minutes of it alone in my apartment.

Garner also supposedly finished each workout with some cryotherapy — a therapy technique where the body is exposed to extremely cold temperatures for several minutes — to help her muscles recover post-workout, but I settle for a hot shower and a smoothie instead.

Day two: I try to replicate Garner's combat training with a boxing class.

My arms and chest are on fire all day, and I try to avoid using them as much as possible before my boxing class.

This is my third boxing class ever, and I'm excited but nervous about it. I'm definitely still getting the different punches down, and I feel like the instructor has to come over to show me the combination a few times.

I love how quickly the hour-long class seems to go and how toned my upper body looks the next day.

It's a far cry from the Krav Maga (a type of military-level self-defense training), artillery training with Navy SEALs, and stunt training with her double that Garner reportedly used to prepare for her action-movie role, but it's the best I can do.

Day three: I break things up with a lower-body and ab workout.

My arms are thanking me as I hit the gym for my first lower-body routine of the week.

Judging from the routines that De La Rue has shared as well as Garner's Instagram workout videos, a lot of the actress's lower-body workouts seem to revolve around building balance, mobility, and flexibility instead of leg strength.

To replicate her leg workout, I do three sets of 15 skaters, one-leg jumps, curtsy squats, and jump squats, which I fly through pretty quickly.

For the ab workout, I do Russian twists with a 10-pound medicine ball, medicine-ball sit-ups (which are really tough when my arms are this sore), alternating Wonder Woman poses, heel taps, side raises, and side-plank dips.

I am sore and tired ao I lie in child's pose for 20 minutes afterward.

Day four: Getting through my boxing class is a struggle at this point in the week.

I'm feeling frustrated that the instructor tonight seems more advanced than my previous one, and he spends a lot of time having us do partner training.

My partner is clearly more experienced, and it takes all the arm strength I have to hold the bag at a 45-degree angle and squat with it while she's punching it.

The high-intensity interval training rounds also seem tougher than usual. My abs are on fire by the time the instructor has us finish up with 15 minutes of core-centric moves including Russian twists, bicycles, medicine-ball sit-ups, planks, and heel taps.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I can only do about half of them because I'm so tired, and I end the class feeling pretty disappointed in myself and frustrated by my efforts.

Day five: I attended a happy hour the night before, and I'm really struggling with today's workout.

It's already felt like the longest week, but I manage to grab my 5-pound weights and get into my triceps extensions, triceps dips, bicep curls, chest flyes, lateral raises, overhead presses, and wide pulls once again.

I have to stop frequently as I'm feeling pretty light-headed after only a few reps (possibly from being dehydrated), and it takes me a long time to finish the workout.

I have to remind myself halfway through not to push myself too hard and just go at my own pace.

I feel guilty slacking on my push-ups and only do 30 seconds of planks, but I call it a day and lie down for an hour once I'm finished. A cryotherapy session would be pretty perfect right now.

Day six: My abs are burning, but they're looking so defined that it's almost worth it.

Even with slacking the night before, I'm excited to wake up and see my abs starting to look defined. It makes me almost forget about how sore my body is, and I feel a renewed sense of determination when I head to my boxing class that night.

I'm starting to finally catch on to the different kinds of punches and the full-body form for each move, which means I'm able to focus on giving the bag my full force during each round instead of focusing on which punch I'm throwing next.

It feels really good to do some lower-body exercises like jump squats, lunges, and Russian twists, but my abs are burning. I struggle through the whole section and take breaks when I can no longer do it.

Day seven: My body is feeling beat, and my workout is half-hearted — I don't see how anyone could do this consistently for three months.

I'm feeling pretty worn out, and I don't know if I could do another day of this challenge.

Again, I do three sets of 15 skaters, one-leg jumps, curtsy squats, and jump squats and try to ignore the fact that my thighs are burning.

It takes every ounce of self-control to do the ab portion of the routine, so I put on my best playlist and hunker down to do alternating Wonder Woman poses, side raises, side-plank dips, and Russian twists.

I do 20 reps of each and call it a day after just one set.

Ultimately, Garner's workout seems intense enough to get someone in incredible fighting shape, but it doesn't seem sustainable.

Garner told Entertainment Weekly that the process of preparing for her role in "Peppermint" was the "greatest fun," which is not something I relate to after this experience.

There's no denying that Garner's biceps in "Peppermint" were impressive, but I don't think the level of combat workout, upper-body strength, and resistance training would be doable for a regular person to do for a long period of time.

It just wasn't possible to completely imitate her routine without having the celebrity trainers, premade dance routines, and equipment that Garner has access to.

That being said, I'm definitely happy with the toned arms and abs that I think I got as a result of this grueling routine.

Read more:

• I worked out like Angelina Jolie for a week, and it was tough but I want to steal her workout
• I tried workout fads from the '80s and early '90s for a month, and they're actually great for beginners
• I worked out like Beyoncé for a week, and I fell on my face, almost threw up, and have never felt more sore in my life
• I exercised like Khloe Kardashian for a week — and I realized you don't need a gym to get a killer workout

Read the original article on Insider