Chelsea Handler is leaning into two leg exercises designed to help her ski harder while protecting knees that have already taken a beating. In a video shared on Instagram, Ben Bruno showed the 51-year-old comedian and actor doing a banded Bulgarian split squat and single-leg squats, both aimed at building leg and glute strength while improving knee stability.
The details matter because Bruno said Handler completed six reps on each side in both moves, using two 25lb dumbbells for the split squat and two 5lb dumbbells for the single-leg squats. That is not casual gym footage. It is a narrow, repeated strength plan built around one body part that has had to hold up through skiing-related injuries and surgeries over the years.
Handler’s trainer said the goal is not just to shape her legs. He said she still wants to ski hard, and that means keeping health and performance front and center even if her main training goals are probably aesthetic. The banded split squat is meant to ease pressure at the bottom of the movement and drive the quad harder at the top, while the single-leg squat is his preferred exercise for knee stability and a real burn for the thighs and glutes.
That is the part that makes the workout more than another celebrity fitness clip. A strong look can come from plenty of routines, but a knee that can stay aligned under load has to be trained with patience, especially when the athlete has a history of ski injuries. Bruno said Handler has improved a ton at the single-leg movement over the years, and that they started with a very small range of motion before building it up.
The unresolved question is not whether Handler can do the work. She already is. It is how far that training carries her when skiing season demands more than toned legs and a good camera angle. For now, the answer on display is simple: she is building toward the mountain by keeping the knee at the center of everything.
