“ENERGY AND PERSISTANCE CONQUER ALL THINGS. – Ben Franklin.”
Joe Dowdell
Personal Trainer
Website: www.joedowdell.com
Joe Dowdell is massively popular, and one of the top trainers of celebrities, high-power CEOs and others. He maintains a blog at www.joedowdell.com, and has over 14,000 followers on Twitter. This active, NYC-based fitness guru keeps the tweets coming and the workouts going, while recommending some quick routines to spice up your daily trip to the Gym. One of the more interesting ones we’ve found is this: the Drop Step Lunge:
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, head back, chest out.
Take your right foot and move it behind the other foot and away from the body. Allow your back foot to make contact with the ground.
Square your chest, hips and feet so they are all facing forward.
Finally, sit back slowly and lower your back knee toward the ground. You’ll get a great stretch on the outside of your thigh and glutes! You should keep your entire upper body squared off and facing forward for the duration of the exercise.
Switch legs and repeat until your workout is complete.
Jeff Halevy
Star of “Workout from Within”, Fitness Guru for ABC and FOX News
Website: www.jeffhalevy.com
“Muscles are dumb.” Jeff writes. “They’ll contract from a small electric shock. Movement, conversely, is a symphony of the central nervous system.” Jeff Halevy has accrued quite a twitter following; over 100,000 followers can’t be wrong. This active, inspirational fitness expert hails from NYC and runs “Halevy Life”, a boutique fitness on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Jeff recommends a whole-body fitness program designed scientifically for each clients. One of his keys is small group training where each member of the team encourages and reinforces each other during the workout. Check out Jeff’s YouTube video to keep those New Year’s Resolutions, the only two exercises you’ll ever need: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdqRCsHkG4Y
John Spencer Ellis
#1 Amazon bestseller “The Wellness Code”, Founder of Endurance Plus
Website: johnspencerellis.com
Most of us played some sports when we were younger, or perhaps just played video games featuring sports. John Ellis got a gym membership for his 12th birthday, and it’s been a lifelong passion for him ever since. A strong competitor in the U.S. National Run/Bike Championships and the Ironman triathlon, John’s dedication to personal development is rarely equaled.
He has many workout routines that work, including a fat-busting series of workouts and diet called Isagenix Cleanse and Fat-Burning system. Details are available on John’s website, but this “Real Housewives” workout routine is quick and simple, and at 20 minutes, anyone can find time for it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47RcIXq74YE
Gunnar Peterson
14 to Lean program, Personal trainer of the stars
Website: www.gunnarpeterson.com
In the words of US magazine, “Behind almost every Hollywood hardbody there’s a great trainer, and it’s usually Gunar Peterson.” Many personal trainers can give you advice at the gym, but Gunnar is everywhere. From featured articles in Allure, Elle, In Style, InTouch, and other magazines, Gunner makes sure the word is out about fitness. He’s a certified national strength and conditioning associate is a graduate of Duke University. It’s no wonder that he works with superstars from the NBA, NFL and Hollywood from his businesses based in Beverly Hills.
Gunnar Peterson says that there are four very important things to remember when working out.
First, the times of day you work out is important, but try to train at different times to see how you respond best.
Alter your rest periods between sets based on your goals and objectives. If you want to increase your calorie expenditure reduce your rest time between sets. If you want to gain more, take a little more time between sets to conserve your energy.
Pre-exhaust your muscles with exercises you would normally use as finishing moves.
Finally, he recommends extending the exercise movements through the entire range of motion. Small adjustments can lead to big differences later on, with only a few degrees more movement in the range of motion of your exercise.
Harley Pasternak
Author of “The Body Reset Diet”
Website: www.harleypasternak.com
With the list of clientele that includes Lady Gaga and Robert Downey Junior, Harley Pasternak is one of Hollywood’s top trainers. He’s been featured everywhere from the Oprah Winfrey show, VH1, to Rachel Ray, and US Weekly. His books have been published in 12 languages, and he holds a Master’s of Science in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto. Any way you look at it, this guy knows his stuff!
Harley recommends this really simple no-equipment workout, which uses only a convenient wall and your own body weight. Check out the whole no equipment workout here: http://www.self.com/fitness/workouts/2012/11/the-no-equipment-workout-slideshow#slide=4
Lou Ferrigno
Actor, champion bodybuilder
Website: www.louferrigno.com
“Consistency is the most important thing in my life,” says actor and bodybuilder Lou Ferrigno. As possibly the most recognizable name on this list, Lou still looks as good at 62 as he did in his 20s during the original “Incredible Hulk” TV show. His secret is something that is echoed by many of the trainers on this list, which is keeping up with your workout consistently. Lou recommends hitting the gym 5 to 6 times a week, alternating weights and cardio for whole-body fitness. The only way to get and keep it, he says is to make the workout a priority. “Most people who are consistent are very successful in life,” says Lou about his training routine. So whatever you do, wherever you go, get the workout in, and you’ll get the results you’re looking for.
Bob Greene
Website: www.bobgreene.com
Bob Greene has been working with Oprah Winfrey for nearly 20 years. Through all of her ups and downs, Bob has kept her in shape, and looking good in front of the cameras. Among other bits of advice he might offer, one of most important ones is sleep. “You’re less likely to make it to that morning workout if you spend the night tossing and turning, and lack of a good night sleep can even cause you to gain weight,” says Greene.
The best ways to get good sleep are pretty simple. First, invest in a good mattress. “I have a Tempur-Pedic, and it has completely changed the way I sleep,” the exercise guru says. He also recommends getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night to give your muscles and body a chance to recover between workouts. Studies also show that people sleep better after exercising that day. Finally, try to observe a consistent bedtime. “A set schedule will increase your chances of getting better sleep,” Greene says.
David Buer
Website: www.davidbuerfitness.com
Named one of the top 20 most influential personal trainers of all time, David Buer is an Atlanta-based personal trainer used by world-class athletes and models. 10 years ago, David teamed up with New York Times best-selling author David “Scooter” Honig to form SX-FITNESS LLC. He also maintains a blog on the Huffington Post, covering everything from exercises to diet.
One of the exercises covered in his blog is the squat curl and press. Start by holding two dumb bells over your head then lower them down through an overhead press all the way into a bicep curl. Continue the motion downwards with a squat, and then reverse the movement, ending with the weights over your head. Do 15-20 in a set to really work out the thighs, arms, and glutes!
Mark Jenkins
Website: www.infitness.com
“I believe everybody should be responsible for their own training,” says Mark Jenkins. “I train people for transformation!” The personal trainer of Mary J. Blige and Busta Rhymes is also an activist, doing many outreach programs for children.
Even after a stint in the Navy, Mark struggled with his weight until he learned how to work with his physiology. One of the tricks he uses to stay in shape is doing “drop sets”. This should build muscle density quickly, and really burn off the fat! Start off with a weight heavy enough to make you fatigued in about 10 reps. Continue on a second set with lighter weights, and then a third set with even lighter weights. This technique could eventually lead to a lot of muscle mass, but he only recommends doing it once per month, as it can cause significant muscle soreness afterwards. Mark offers other easy tricks to spice up your workout here: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/tips/quick-tricks/strength-training-workout-tips/
Michael George
Author “Body Express Makeover”
Website: www.michaelgeorge.com
Another successful personal trainer, Michael George outlines getting the most out of a workout with resistance bands. “The nice thing about bands is that they are highly portable, and you can travel with them easily.” Bands can allow for resistance training either outdoors or in limited space, and Michael recommends them for those people who are on the road a lot. Band training also offers the same weak-point workout that free weights do, while allowing for a full range of motion and a dynamically adjustable level of resistance. Michael recommends 5 exercises for building “Basketball Shoulders”. These include shoulder presses; side, front, and rear laterals; and upright rows.
Tracy Anderson
Website: tracyandersonmethod.com
There have been many workout routines that focus on whole body fitness, but Tracy Anderson has created four separate workouts for women that tone and tighten the smaller in-between muscles to pull everything in and really give them the shape they want. This leads to the title of the program, “Metamorphosis”. The moves in her signature videos look a little strange, but the results are all over Tracy’s blog: beautiful women with slimmer thighs and flat bellies.
“With my system, I am always coming up with new sequencing and new choreography that keeps the accessory muscles really awake and alert and pulls the larger muscle groups in so that the muscle structure is teeny tiny but strong, and with lots of sexy definition.” A great example of these slightly awkward but intensely effective exercises can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=It0dVnZiEwo
Bernardo Coppola
Website: www.bodybybernardo.com
Growing up in Argentina and enjoying a sports career as a professional rugby player enabled Bernardo to move to the United States to study at California State University, Long Beach. After college, he created a personal training program called Boot Camp, which has helped thousands of people get into shape including the handicapped and those recovering from life-threatening injuries. This international fitness guru has worked with such clients as Jane Lynch, Ryan Murphy, and Glee Executive Producer Brad Falchuck.
Bernardo recommends a great standing ab workout using a 5 pound dumbbell. Holding the weight out in front of you at chin height, slowly rotate to the right and left as far as you can, first turning your body 90° one direction, and then 180° back the other direction, and then back to center. Alternate the direction you turn first each time. Do 15 to 20 reps of this to strengthen upper ab and other core muscles. A complete video of this exercise can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6H7z4D_Y1M
Mike Chang
Website: mikechangfitness.com
Back in 2005, Mike Chang was out of shape in Houston, Texas. But instead of giving up, Chang decided to find out why every program that he used did not work for him. Over the next 10 years, Mike Chang developed a system for chiseled abs and earned quite a name locally through this method. Since March of 2010, Mike has gone on to become the number one fitness instructor on YouTube! With videos boasting well over 1 million hits, Mike Chang looks like we all want to look: great shoulders and six-pack abs.
As far as exercise goes, Mike means *intense*, high heart rate, feeling-the-burn, pushing yourself to your limits… but only for short, powerful bursts lasting only a few minutes each time. This leaves your muscles to “afterburn” a lot of calories replacing that which was lost during workout. The results on him are impressive: the afterburner effect burns almost twice as many calories as a regular workout over a 48 hour period. For a good example of what I mean. Check out this YouTube video for an intense ab and cardio workout: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRB6c1cd_I4
Arnel Ricafranca
Website: www.iwantsixpackabs.com
Arnel is a real up-and-comer in the fitness world. After achieving a bachelor’s degree in Health and Exercise Science, Arnel began his fitness career helping other people lose weight and get into better shape. He got very busy with his new clients, and had less time for himself, which gave him, in his own words, “a beer keg” instead of a six pack. Arnel has been featured in New Jersey Life magazine, interviewed on 101.5 FM, and was also featured in Morris Health and Life magazine.
He recommends an explosive workout routine to get ripped fast. These exercises include rotational burpees, a fast set of 20 pull-ups, and explosive ab blasts, which consists of 20 quick and intense crunches. An entire video of this workout can be found on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WVfL8IU6nyI
Leigh Peele
Author “The Fat Loss Troubleshoot”
Website: www.leighpeele.com
“The tricky thing is, you need to set aside all emotion in order to achieve your goals, but you have to change your emotional response in order to set aside your emotion.” Leigh Peele has many dreams and aspirations, and she’s had most of them without the benefit of a formal education. She has two books out, “The Fat Loss Troubleshoot”, and “Starve Mode”. She was a co-host on “The Fit Cast”, as well as a smaller podcast she did on her own, “Ask Leigh”. She is currently producing another podcast called “The Clutch Society”, which is dedicated to those who aspire to achieve the most you can achieve in life. She has contributed to websites and magazines ranging from Men’s Health to the Washington Times to On Fitness.
Tony Gentilcore
Website: www.tonygentilcore.com
For those with serious weight to gain, one should “Lift Big” according to Tony Gentilcore. Tony specializes in serious weightlifters who really want to develop mass. “There’s one rule of big arms training: you must focus on getting stronger at compound exercises. And when we say compound movements, we mean exactly that; exercises that involve multiple joints.” Using Tony’s proven methods, anyone dedicated enough to get arms like Arnold in a surprisingly short amount of time.
If you want big arms, Tony recommends staying away from the traditional Nautilus machines and do the following: push-ups, bench press, two-board press, military press, and weighted dips. He also recommends pulls with weighted chains, weighted pull-ups, various seated rows, and inverted rows. Make sure you’re getting a full range of upper body exercises, with good form and posture, and you’ll see results.
Ross Enamait
Website: www.rosstraining.com
“Each athlete deserves to be evaluated as unique individual. There is no single movement or group of movements that will work for all. Instead, the training menu must be created specifically for the individual. To suggest that there is only one right way signifies both ignorance and arrogance.” With these words on the front page of Ross training.com, Ross Enamait approaches working out with a holistic attitude that says that anyone can lose weight, anyone can get fit, and he’s here to help them do it. From beginners to 65-year-olds who feel stronger now than they were at 18, Ross’s training has been effective for hundreds of people. With a focus on body weight exercises, and common training techniques used by boxers and fighters, Ross uses it all and encourages everyone else to do so to. Check out his website for inspirational videos, tips, and some extremely interesting exercises that include flipping over truck tires.
Ben Bruno
Author, “21 Practical Ways to Improve Your Training, Today”
Website: www.benbruno.com
Ben recommends the chin up/push-up countdown challenge! “This is a good one to do when you’re looking to blast your upper body in a hurry,” he states. “It’s also good workout for your on the road and don’t have access to a well-equipped gym because all you need is a chin up bar.” The ladder routine is as follows:
10 chin-ups, 20 push-ups
Eight chin-ups, 16 push-ups
Six chin-ups, 12 push-ups
Four chin-ups, Eight push-ups
Two chin-ups, Four push-ups.
There are no dedicated rest periods, but take everything in proportion. This is a good upper body workout, and can even get some cardio going when you speed it up.
Jason Ferrugia
Author, “The 10 Biggest Mistakes That Prevent Muscle Growth”
Website: www.jasonferrugia.com
Jason is another star on the rise in the fitness world. He’s been featured in Muscle and Fitness, MMA Sports, and ESPN magazines. With a no holds-barred, take-no-prisoners attitude, he WILL get you in shape. Jason’s favorite strength training exercise is the log clean-and-press, although he states that body weight training with rings is the best upper body exercise. He also recommends sprints for endurance, and flexibility training. “As you age, flexibility is the first go.” The log clean-and-press is a combination of several exercises using bar weights: a row-lift to the hips, a pelvic thrust to push the weight forward, and then a final curl up to the chin, allowing the weight to rest across the chest at shoulder height. A video of this impressive lift can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-qoZPmWt-c
Eric Cressey
Creator “The Show and Go system”, founder “Cressey Performance.
Website: http://www.ericcressey.com/
“After personally coaching thousands of people ranging from elite level professional athletes, I’ve developed a breakthrough solution and put it into a format that you can use to guarantee the same type of incredible results yourself.” Eric isn’t shy about his accomplishments, and a list of testimonials for his Show and Go system are full of satisfied customers.
Hailing from Boston MA, Eric is a competitive lifter and consistently holds a position in the top 100 powerlifters in the country. He’s a dedicated sports coach, and has been featured everywhere from Baseball America, to Perform Better, the Boston Globe and Triathlete Magazine.
To improve the leg and hip muscles for Baseball pitchers, Eric recommends dumbbell goblet lateral lunges. This exercise is accomplished by holding a dumbbell in front of you at chin level, and performing deep sideways lunges to either side. A video of this can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PYbR3d-DFw
Martin Rooney
Founder “Training for Warriors”
Website www.trainingforwarriors.com
“We’re going to give you the tools to build your physical strength, but were also going to build a mental fortitude, and what I call that is, ‘bringing up the warrior within’.” And that quote pretty much says everything you need to know about Training for Warriors, Martin Rooney’s intensive, all-inclusive training system. The exercises he recommends in his gym are brutal, straightforward, and extremely effective. These include everything from towing a weight sled across the gym floor, hurling truck tires, heavy endurance, and general calisthenics.
“There’s a warrior inside of you just waiting to get out… there’s a battle going on… inside you, at the breakfast table… everywhere.” It’s easy to see that the outcome of this program will have you looking like an extra from “300” in no time at all! You can check out the whole range of exercises available in Training for Warriors here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRSZi6qm3ss
Cassandra Forsythe
Fitness and nutrition specialist
Website: www.cassandraforsythe.com
Cassandra Forsythe is one of the most educated people on this list. With a PhD in Exercise Science and Nutrition from the University of Connecticut, and two books under her belt, “The New Rules of Lifting for Women”, and “Women’s Health Perfect Body Diet”, she has a lot to say about fitness and nutrition. She runs her own group fitness facility in Connecticut, and appeared in magazines such as Oxygen, Women’s Health, and Delta Sky Magazine.
Cassandra endorses exercising while pregnant with exercises like running 2 to 4 times per week at least 3 miles. Staying fit and flexible will benefit most women during childbirth, and will certainly make it easier to get back into shape after the baby is born. She also recommends what she calls the FODMAP diet, with foods like artichokes, asparagus, Brussels sprouts, honey, dried fruit, avocados, and mushrooms. These foods will cut down on cramps and gas, and will be overall healthier, especially for pregnant women. A complete FODMAP list is available here: http://cassandraforsythe.com/blog/Complete+FODMAP+List+For+a+Happy+Gut