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In order to play a fierce, fearless KGB agent on her hit FX series The Americans, actress Keri Russell trained with Avital Zeisler, a self-defense and hand-to-hand combat expert who consults for private security companies. Zeisler is also the founder of the Soteria Method™, an exclusive method of self defense for women. And her expertise in krav maga—the skill Russell learned to perfect her super-tough character—made her the perfect trainer for the job.

Zeisler worked with the star three days a week for a few hours a session for a month, focusing on the fundamentals of self defense. As a survivor of sexual assault in her teens, Zeisler is on a mission to empower women everywhere, in and out of Hollywood. “I’m working really hard to redefine self defense and shine a positive light on it. It’s about letting your emotional guard down to create the best life possible but still learning how to defend yourself,” she says. “I figured out a way to get the body I want as a woman while being able to fight like a man.”

And Russell can attest to the workouts: “I did get a bloody lip, which I am sort of proud about, in the training. You should see the other guy though,” she has joked. “Working out this way makes you feel fierce. I tend to be internal—getting on the subway and keeping my eyes down. But I would leave those workouts looking people in the eye like, ‘sup?'” Continue reading How Keri Russell Got in Fighting Shape for The Americans