Actor Rayna Vallandingham has been kicking and punching since the age of 2, when her parents enrolled her in martial arts classes. She went on to earn her first black belt at the age of 6, and by 15, had won an impressive 13 world titles in Taekwondo! So playing the role of Juli in Street Fighter (out now) was hardly a stretch for the 23-year-old.
That's been a driving force in my life—my North Star,” Rayna says of her career ambitions. With acting, there's so much play involved,” she says. She no longer spends 10 hours a day at the gym, pushing her body to extremes.
Nowadays, she spends an hour or two and then gives her body plenty of time to rest. In the latest episode of Strong Like, Rayna shows Women’s Health what a typical workout looks like so she can stay fight ready. Before Rayna even steps onto to the training mat, she bows, explaining, “It's ceremonial—it's one of my favorite parts.” Rayna starts every workout with five to 10 minutes of stretching.
She typically rolls through various sets of combinations—whether it be a jab-cross or hooks. Kicks on the bag follow, and one of her favorite sequences to “burn out” is a pyramid kick, in which she works from one rep up to five and then back down to one again. Next up is kicks with BOB, otherwise known as a body opponent bag.
This guy conditions you to it.” After going a few rounds with BOB, Rayna finishes with weapons training. Here, she shows us her moves with the bo staff, which her character wields in Street Fighter. I told security she was a walking cane, so I wouldn't get in trouble.” To see Rayna’s lightning-quick bo staff moves—and hear more about her training philosophy—click play on the latest episode of Strong Like above.
Video Executive Producer Dorenna NewtonDirector of Photography Ryan MurphySet Producer Lauren HamptonVideo Editor Josh Archer Amy Wilkinson is a contributing entertainment editor at Women's Health, where she edits the magazine's celebrity cover stories and writes health features. She has previously held editor titles at Entertainment Weekly and MTV News. In 2021, Amy completed her 600-hour teacher-training at Core Pilates NYC to become a comprehensively trained Pilates instructor.
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