Callina Liang’s Chun-Li Training Routine Proves She Took ‘Street Fighter’ Deadly Seriously

Few video game heroines carry the weight of expectation that comes with Chun-Li, which is exactly why Callina Liang’s Chun-Li training has become such a talking point. The character debuted in 1991’s ‘Street Fighter II’ and quickly became known as fighting games’ first leading woman, a legacy any live-action portrayal has to live up to.

That pressure only grew as Legendary’s ‘Street Fighter’ took shape. Directed by Kitao Sakurai, the film is set in 1993 and follows estranged fighters Ryu (Andrew Koji) and Ken Masters (Noah Centineo), who are pulled back into combat when Chun-Li recruits them for the next World Warrior Tournament. Paramount released it in theaters on October 16.

Now that the movie is out, Liang is pulling back the curtain on how she built her version of the iconic fighter. In a clip from Women’s Health’s ‘Strong Like’ series shared by gaming account Closed Build, she explains that she actually started strength training for the role, something she had never done before. Before landing the part, she described herself as someone who mostly stuck to Pilates and cardio.

That has clearly changed. Liang now takes pride in pushing herself in the gym, saying she finds it deeply satisfying to watch her lifts climb as she progressively overloads, and admitting she simply wants to keep building more muscle.

Callina Liang training for Chun-Li. #StreetFighter #ChunLi https://t.co/m4YomswvcM

— Closed Build (@ClosedBuild) October 16, 2026

Her routine is not for the faint of heart. While preparing for the film, she lifted on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on top of 2 hours of daily stunt training. The hip thrust is the move that makes her feel strongest, and she says she can lift double her body weight, pairing it with hip abductions before moving on to sumo deadlifts.

Callina Liang did not come to play when it came to her ‘Street Fighter’ training! 💪 https://t.co/j5JyVPrYcx

— Entertainment Tonight (@etnow) October 16, 2026

The gym work built on a foundation Liang had already described months earlier. Speaking to Empire, she explained that because Chun-Li’s fighting style revolves around kicks, her preparation centered on Taekwondo, Muay Thai and wushu for 2 hours a day, along with dedicated leg strengthening.

Callina Liang says she was eating 12 eggs a day while training to play Chun-Li in ‘StreetFighter’ movie. “I had to hit 4,000 calories a day” [🎬 @ProjBigScreen] https://t.co/BRIygr6F9w

— FlixCenter (@flixcenter) October 15, 2026

The diet was just as demanding. During her bulk, she ate 12 eggs a day and had a meal every 2 hours, admitting she came close to throwing up from the sheer volume. The payoff was significant, as she said each of her thighs had grown by 6.5 centimeters by the end of the shoot.

Liang also studied the source material obsessively. She downloaded every version of ‘Street Fighter’ onto a PS5 and recorded Chun-Li’s moves in slow motion on her phone so she could replay and learn them.

PERFECT! Watch the New Trailer for Street Fighter, hitting theaters everywhere October 16. https://t.co/jAAPf1k9jf

— Street Fighter Movie (@Street_Fighter) September 1, 2026

She wasn’t sweating alone, either. According to Centineo, he, Liang, and Koji trained together 6 days a week for 6 weeks. The dedication showed up on screen in ways fans questioned, prompting Liang to share a behind-the-scenes clip in full costume on her Instagram story, joking that she didn’t have time to photoshop.

All of that work matters for a franchise with a rocky big-screen history. The 1994 adaptation is widely considered one of the worst video game movies ever made, and Chun-Li was previously played by Ming-Na Wen in that film. The new version, by contrast, was tracking toward a domestic opening of $25 to $35 million.

Liang’s transformation is a reminder of how much physical commitment goes into making a game character feel real, and fans who grew up mashing kick buttons now have a Chun-Li built with the same intensity.

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