One Trendy Celeb Exercise Trick You Can Try at Home, Says Trainer
Now, I don't claim to be an expert in all things celebrity, but I am a personal trainer based in Los Angeles, where have spent a lot of time in the most popular fitness studios in town—the type that exist on the razor's edge of cool-Hollywood chic, frequented by actors, models, and top stuntpeople—and I know a thing or two about how A-Listers train. If your body goals include things such as getting fitter, building strength and muscle endurance, burning calories, and building some lean muscle, and there's at least one exercise trick that I'm seeing taught that you can definitely use at home. In fact, I recommend it.
It's a unique blend that draws on HIIT, Pilates, and resistance training. (As far as I know, it has no name. Call it re-hiit-tes. Or pil-hiit-resist. Or anything you like. In any case, I'll just explain here how you can do it.)
This type of training relies on strength-training that utilizes different resistances, combined with HIIT-style exercises that also test your flexibility and stability. For instance, in the case of the former, imagine lifting a dumbbell that is also attached to a rubber band. In the case of the latter, imagine doing a plank while you're also sliding on the ground with your torso.
When you do the former, you're recruiting your muscles to work under different types of tension—more than it would if you were lifting the weight alone—and this allows your muscles to grow and get stronger. In the case of the latter, you're getting the intensity and muscle burn of HIIT combined with some of the benefits of Pilates, a low-impact exercise that focuses on body alignment and flexibility.
What follow are four great moves that use this type of training. To do them—and to train like a Hollywood starlet—all you need are some dumbbells, a resistance band, and also some sliders that will help you build stability, as well. If you don't have any sliders, you can sub in paper plates, frisbees, or simply some hand towels—anything you can slide between your feet and the ground that will reduce friction. Read on, and for more great exercise advice, don't miss these Lean-Body Secrets from Exercise Experts Over 50.
Band + Dumbbell Curl
Step on a resistance band and grab both the handles and a pair of dumbbells. Keeping your chest tall and core tight, curl the weight towards you. Squeeze your biceps hard at the top, then resist all the way down until your arms are fully extended before performing another rep. And for some great strength-training moves to try, see here for the Secret Exercise Tricks for a Better Body After 40.
Band + Dumbbell Lateral Raise
Start by stepping on the band holding both a pair of dumbbells and the handles. With your arms out to the side, soft your elbows and raise the weights up laterally to just about parallel to the ground, flexing the sides of your shoulders. Squeeze hard, then lower under control, maintaining tension in your delts. Return to starting position before performing another rep. And for more great exercise advice, check out the Essential Yoga Stretches for People Over 40.
Glider Bodysaw (10-15 reps)
Get into a plank position with both of your feet on the gliders. Keeping your core tight and glutes squeezed, slide forward and back with your torso, leading with your forearms. As you move forward and back, maintain a neutral spine and tension in your core the entire time.
Glider Reverse Lunges (12 reps each leg)
Grab a pair of dumbbells and place one foot on a glider. Slide your leg all the way back, until your back knee touches the ground and you get a good hip flexor stretch at the bottom. Drive through your front heel, flexing your quad and glute as you finish. Complete all prescribed reps on one leg before moving to the other.
There you have it. These are a few ways in which you can incorporate celebrity fitness tricks into your routine. Give em a shot and you'll feel those muscles working! And for more great exercise advice, check out The 15-Second Exercise Trick That Can Change Your Life.
