How to get in action-star shape

Forget about Angelina Jolie’s toned, svelte figure or Taye Diggs’ awesome abs. The most enviable bodies on a movie set may belong to people who perform stunts. To perform a variety of ultra-cool, demanding moves, it is essential to be in tip-top shape is essential. “The Stuntwoman’s Workout” (Quirk Books, 2005) offers a comprehensive fitness plan for the aspiring stuntperson -- or wannabe.

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The Stuntwoman’s Workout: Author Danielle Burgio has been a stuntwoman for eight years; before that, she was a dancer. Add some martial arts and gymnastics training, and you have a well-rounded athlete who can do everything from skydive to kickbox.

The book’s subtitle is “Get Your Body Ready for Anything,” and Burgio takes a smorgasbord approach to working out that includes warm-ups, strength and cardio exercises, yoga poses and flexibility training. She also includes interesting tips and tricks of the trade, such as juggling exercises for coordination, first-aid kit musts, and what’s in the stuntwoman’s Rolodex (dance studio, massage therapist, spas and sporting goods stores). Beginners should note that although many of the exercises are geared to newbies, others have a high degree of difficulty, such as back flips, roundhouse kicks and ab-strengthening exercises done while hanging onto a horizontal bar.

The L.A.-based Burgio, who worked on the two “Matrix” sequels as well as “Pearl Harbor,” says she wanted to include “different elements of being a good athlete -- strength, endurance, focus and coordination. I’m encouraging people to get in touch with their bodies and figure out what works for them,” she says.

“We’re capable of so much more than we think we are.”

Price: $19.95; available at bookstores.

-- Jeannine Stein