Sydelle Noel is no stranger to getting physical for a worthy project. The former track and athlete, whose credits include Black Panther, and Arrow,learned how to wrestler for GLOW and is now battling the bad guys alongside Alan Ritchson in Reacher Season 4. Between explosions, Noel sat down with M&F Hers to discuss the role of Tamara Green, and how she packed on around eight pounds of muscle to hulk-up the character, thanks to some solid nutrition, and sweat inducing sessions with her gym’s landmine attachment.
Noel was between projects when she got the exciting call telling her that she would be number two on the call sheet for Reacher season four. “I was ecstatic. I dropped to my knees,” shares the star. “I’d been trying to join the show since it started!” But by the time Noel finally booking the gig, this strong female was between projects and actively recovering from a serious Achilles injury. Fortunately, having been a runner at the University of Georgia, Sydelle understood the importance of recovery, and followed her doctor’s orders to stay active, but not too active, accelerating her progress with water aerobics, red light saunas, and cold plunges. Ready to go once again, and with around two months to prepare for Reacher, Noel wanted to take her character, the homicide detective Tamara Green, and hulk her up.
How Did Sydelle Noel Gain 8 Pounds of Plant-Based Muscle for ‘Reacher’?
“After reading the script, I knew I was going to be running a lot, in intense situations, so I knew I needed to put on a little bit more muscle,” explains Noel. In the show her character works along side Reacher to crack a conspiracy after a subway bombing and finds herself drawn into some dramatic situations that required the execution of some exhilarating stunts. “I did 99% of my stunts,” shares Noel. To ready her body for the rigors of Reacher, Noel enlisted the help of her friend and trainer, Christian, who was able to help her modify her meat-free diet to make sure Noel got enough protein. To that end, walnuts became a staple, because they contain plant protein, in addition to omega-3 fats, and essential minerals like magnesium, copper, and iron. Noel also ate more beans because they are rich in calcium phosphorous and potassium.
To strengthen her lower body, Noel ramped up her track running. “And then we started to do squats,” she explains, noting that the key was to go heavy, completing eight to 12 reps for four sets per session. And, while the star loves to sweat it out in the squat cage, she found that the landmine attachment opened up a whole new world for muscle building.
“I’m addicted to landmine exercises,” enthuses Noel of this functional way to forge muscle. Landmine exercises combine the concept of a plyometric exercise, where the muscle is required to stretch with explosive power, while containing the principles of Olympics lifting, because they require powerful pulling and pressing efforts.
Noel says that with landmine exercises, she can work the whole body on one station. The star says that she can row the bar in all directions, including lateral raises for the shoulder and core, and the T-bar row for building her back. The actor makes sure to maintain a landmine session at least once per week and has become excited about what this new approach to her workouts. And while Noel has become enthusiastic about landmine workouts, she’s dealing with actual explosions on set. “I probably gained seven to 10 pounds of muscle”, shares the star. “Just for this role.”
Sydelle Noel Put Alan Ritchson on Ice Between Reacher Takes
When the subject of discussion turned to Noel’s favored recovery method of cold plunging, on the set of Reacher, Alan Ritchson was impressed that the fit female was sitting through sessions of 10 to 15 minutes. New to the concept himself, and with only a few minutes under his belt at this point, the duo decided to hit the cold plunge together and recite lines while seeing who could last the longest. Three minutes would be enough for Ritchson, however. “He was trying to recite his lines, and he was like, ‘I can’t, I can’t, I gotta get out,’” shares Noel. “It was so funny. He told everybody the next day, ‘there’s something wrong with Sydelle!”
