Celebrity Trainer Hacks To Get Fit

How do the stars stay in shape? Celebrity trainer Teller the Deets

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When it comes to fit spirit, celebrities are a popular resource. They’re usually the ones on our screens, big and small, with enviable abs and bulging biceps. But they probably had a little help getting there.

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Whether athlete or entertainer, A-listers often have access to some of the best coaches in the business – who know the tools and tactics required to sculpt a strong and lean body. Fortunately, some of them are ready to reveal their secrets.

We recently caught up with some of our favorite celebrity trainers to discover their best hacks to get fit and stay in tip top shape.

Taking on a strenuous workout or sticking to a long-term fitness routine is a mental as well as a physical task. So don’t be afraid to shake things up while exercising to keep things interesting and enjoyable. Variety not only keeps your mind busy during exercise, but it also keeps your body from reaching a plateau.

“I’m a big fan of integrating different training methods into one training session,†says Joey Thurman CES, CPT, FNS, CSMC, CSSC, BLS, start trainer, on-air personality and host of the Fad or future Podcasts. “I often use a strength training block after or before a variable resistance workout that integrates balance with ligaments. Not only does the client’s body benefit from this, but also his mind. “

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Here, too, circuits can play a major role. Sergio Pedemonte, certified personal trainer and owner of Your House Fitness, often relies on circuit routines when training his clients (Gina Rodriguez of Jane the Virgin and OT Fagbenle by The story of the maid and Marvels Black widowto name a couple). Circuits serve as a way to train your cardiovascular system, muscle endurance, and strength in a quick workout, he says.

One of his main focuses is a shape-focused drill:

• B-skips (or power skips)

• Explosive moves that use the same skills (like a short sprint)

• Slow and controlled squats

• Finish with jumps in the opposite direction or squat holds

“A round like this goes back and forth from technical exercises to explosive activities,†he says. “In this way, the body can regain endurance for the next exercise in the circuit without a complete break, either by working on muscle endurance, strength, technique or cardio. The exercise selection also plays a role in the effectiveness of the circuit, as the first two exercises target more hamstrings and the last two exercises target more quadriceps, training the entire lower body in less than two minutes. “

Kupah James, start trainer, fitness director at Childish Gambino and AloMoves trainer, is also a big fan of circles. He suggests creating a circle of compound exercises (more on this below) with little pause in between so that things don’t get boring and routine. His favorites include medicine ball slams, battle ropes, weighted burpees, and kettlebell swings. “The intervals are 15 to 20 seconds for beginners and 20 to 45 seconds for fitter athletes,†he says.

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Sure, celebrities and their trainers often have an extensive selection of exercise equipment available, but you really can’t keep up with the simple strength of working against your own body weight.

“My favorite bodyweight exercise is a side plank because it tones the obliques (which are not typically exercised in ab exercises like crunches), legs, and shoulders, and is a killer core exercise,” said Jessica Mazzucco, NYC Certified Fitness Trainer and founder of The Glute Recruit, whose high profile clients include former MSNBC contributor, now Westchester District Attorney Mimi Rocah. “This exercise can also help prevent lower back pain as it strengthens the core muscles in your back. You will also build your coordination and balance during this exercise, and your stronger core will allow for easy movement. ”

Thurman is a big deal of anything eccentric training – the slow sink / negative element of movement. “This could be a split squat with a three to five second negative (down), followed by a two to three second hold at maximum contraction, and then a drive on the concentric part (up),†he says. He applies the same exercise to several bodyweight exercises, including pull-ups, push-ups, and squats.

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When it comes to strength training, compound movements are perfect. Exercises that require you to train more than one muscle at a time provide convenience in terms of the number of muscles you can train in a given amount of time and also improve your overall coordination.

Thurman likes to focus on combined upper and lower body movements when training with his clients. “That would be like doing a split squat with a bicep curl into a press,†he says. “This really challenges the torso and core and is a great addition to a traditional compound movement.”

Meanwhile, Mazzucco tends to favor deadlifts. “My point of contact [weighted] Exercise Move for clients is a one-legged deadlift because the exercise strengthens your legs, back, and core, â€she says. “It also improves the mobility of the back, legs and hips for better posture and mobility, strengthens the core loop system and develops one-legged strength and balance.”

Pedemonte agrees that the deadlift is a powerful exercise to add to any repertoire of exercises, adding that the hip joint movement required will help reduce back pain and also reduce the risk of future back injuries.

His other favorite hip movement / compound strength training exercise? The kettlebell swing. “The kettlebell swing is an explosive hip joint movement that is usually taught after the hip joint and knee flexion patterns have been practiced,†he says. “The kettlebell swings work with explosive power that helps stimulate fast-twitch muscle fibers that have a high tendency to grow. Kettlebell swings can also be a great way to incorporate cardio into a workout. “

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While tight muscles get all the praise in one picture, cardio shouldn’t be ignored. “Cardio and strength training target different areas of the body, but both have significant benefits,” notes Mazzucco. “Cardio gets the large muscle groups moving and increases the breathing rate, which increases the amount of oxygen in the blood. [It] It has also been shown to extend lifespan and improve overall health. “

Pedemonte shares that about 1/3 of your exercise program should be devoted to cardio. “This will help dynamically warm up the body and prepare the mind for the muscle-building parts of the workout,” he says.

Do you like the fast circuit training described above? HIIT counts as cardio. Remember to warm up your body with some low-level cardio first and keep your rest periods short. “This allows the cardiovascular system to continue working for the entire hour [you] move from one muscle group to the next throughout the body, â€says Pedemonte.

Alternatively, cardio can also be done on the days that you are not doing weight training. Pedemonte says this “can promote weight loss and active recovery from weight training”.

If you prefer to run, row, bike, or swim to work out your cardio minutes and relax your mind, look for stationary cardio. “Steady State Cardio is one of my favorite hacks for toning clients without tormenting them with HIIT,” says James. “The trick is to increase your heart rate moderately over long periods of time, 15 to 20 minutes for beginners and 20 to 90 minutes for fitter athletes.”

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You probably don’t see an actor in an action movie and think, “I wonder what he’s doing to improve his balance and breathing?” But these elements of a workout plan are just as important as the sexier parts.

Thurman begins each client’s session with balance exercises. “I like to add some balancing moves at the beginning of a session to get an introduction and focus your intent on the session,†he shares. “This could be a one-legged deadlift runner or even a raised alternating bird dog.”

For Pedemonte everything starts with the breath. It integrates diaphragmatic breathing into each warm-up and returns to it throughout the workout. “Diaphragmatic breathing is often overlooked during training, but it offers many advantages for training in that it connects the body with the breath and promotes mindful trunk stabilization in all exercises,” he says. “When special attention is paid to proper breathing through the diaphragm, the core pulls the spine into a neutral orientation so that other targeted muscles around the spine can function optimally if they have a stable core.”

Whether you incorporate any or all of these celebrity coach-inspired training tools into your workout routine, you are sure to see improvement over time.

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