Celebrity Trainer Reveals His Essential Trick for Rapid Weight Loss
If you want the scale to tip in your favor, you have to vary your workouts and do exercises that you're not particularly good at so your body stays challenged, explains celebrity trainer and creator of Methodology X, Dan Roberts. And, despite what you may have heard, it doesn't take long to get into shape and lose weight. "If you spend a week working hard, exercising intelligently and truly challenging yourself, you can lose several pounds of body fat quite quickly, and feel stronger and tighter overall," explains Roberts, who specializes in whipping A-listers into shape for photo shoots, movies and appearances under extremely short deadlines—sometimes in just a week's time!
To help you sculpt your best body ever—in just a week—we asked Roberts to recommend rapid weight loss training regimens for every type of gym-goer. Whether you're a treadmill devotee or a hardcore weight lifter, these customized workouts will have you looking lean and trim in seven days flat.
If You Typically Lift Weights…
If pumping iron is your workout of choice, adding cardio, HIIT and compound body weight movements—exercises you're not typically doing— will help build functional strength and shock your body into shedding pesky fat
The Details: Roberts recommends doing five sets of 20 plyometrics exercises like skater jumps and burpees, walking lunges, dips, push ups and pistol squats five times a week, and completing an hour of cycling, running or rowing the other three days of the week. To maximize fat burning even further—and mix things up a bit—hit the park or beach over the weekend with a friend for a leisurely two to three hour stroll.
Download your personalized workout guide here.
If You Can't Get Enough Cardio…
If you have your favorite SoulCycle instructor's entire class schedule memorized or you run so often that you have a go-to treadmill at your gym, adding some weight lifting and body weight training to your routine can challenge your body in new ways and boost your testosterone levels—the hormone that plays a key role in muscle building and fat loss—explains Roberts.
The Details: During Robert's week-long rapid weight loss athletic retreats, clients perform classic compound strength training moves like squats, deadlifts, bent over rows and bench presses. Because these movements work all the biggest muscles in the body, they stimulate metabolism and maximize fat loss more effectively than, say, a bicep curl. Go through the circuit three times a week and aim to complete six sets of 12. On the other four days of the week, complete five sets of 20 walking lunges, dips, push ups, pistol squats and plyometrics exercises like skater jumps and burpees.
Download your personalized workout guides here and here.
If You're a Boot Camp or HIIT Enthusiast…
There's no denying that boot camp-style interval classes and solo high-intensity interval training (HIIT) sessions are some the best ways to maximize your workout time, but after a while, as your body adjusts to the constant exercise bouts, your sweat sessions become less effective. Adding distance training and heavier weight training to your regimen can help rev your metabolism and fry stubborn flab.
The Details: To whip clients into shape at his retreats, Roberts has them perform classic compound strength training moves like squats, deadlifts, bent over rows and bench presses. These movements work all the biggest muscles in the body so they stimulate metabolism and fry fat extremely effectively. Three times a week, complete six sets and 12 reps of each exercise. Complete an hour of cycling, running or rowing the other four days of the week.
Download your personalized workout guide here.
If You Typically Take Yoga and Pilates Classes…
While yoga and Pilates can improve your core strength, posture, balance and flexibility, these forms of exercise don't offer much of a cardio or resistance workout. Adding HIIT, strength training and distance training to your routine will challenge your body in new ways and help you torch flab quickly and effectively.
The Details: Roberts recommends completing five sets of 20 walking lunges, dips, push ups, pistol squats and plyometrics exercises like burpees and skater jumps three times a week. Plan to log an hour of cycling, running or rowing two days week and perform classic compound strength training moves like squats, deadlifts, bent over rows and bench presses twice a week. Six sets of 12 is ideal for optimal results.
Download your personalized workout guides here and here.
A note on nutrition: No matter which regimen you follow, Roberts recommends eating three healthy, low-sugar meals daily, comprised of a wide variety of whole foods and healthy fats. He suggests eliminating snacks, smoothies and fruit juices to see the most dramatic results. If you're trying to lean out for a particular event, Roberts suggests nixing the salt, too. "I work with a lot of swimwear models, and when you are walking the runway in your bikini, you really don't want to feel or look bloated!" explains Roberts. "Cutting out salt three days before your big event is key. Downing at least seven 8-ounce glasses of water a day and adding unsweetened coconut water and potassium-rich produce like papaya and celery to your diet can also help to flush out excess salt that can make you look puffy."
