Look, like you know, every single body is different. And what works for your sister, best pal or even a younger version of yourself, exercise-wise, may not be what serves your needs or goals the best, right now. Plus, a focus on the non-aesthetic benefits of exercise, from more energy to a clearer mind, is likely what will keep you coming back to sweat sessions, month in, month out.
At the same time, there's no harm in taking a little inspiration from the trainers to some of the most famous faces in celebrity land–these people are at the top of their game, after all. On that subject, you may have wondered precisely what Jennifer Lopez's fitness regime looks like.
And, specifically, if there are any exercises that her PT uses to keep her famous glues in such tip top shape? Sure, the 52-year-old didn't do too badly in the ol' genetic lottery - but glutes this strong? Jennifer Lopez's bum clearly took work.
We caught up with celeb PT Jay Cardiello, who previously helped J Lo sculpt her glutes, for the full down low, including how often to train, what to eat, and a unique approach to rest.
1. Always Include Glutes
Chances are you’re familiar with the idea of dedicating each workout to a specific body area for better results (so say, ‘leg day’), but Jay is rewriting the rulebook. Every session he crafted for J Lo included glute moves, along with other parts of the body.
‘We trained this area of the body in every workout,’ he says.
The duo didn’t, however, work out every day. ‘I prescribe a program to be done four times a week for optimal results,’ he adds. ‘J Lo and I rested two to three days a week depending on her schedule and what her workout week looked like.’
So there is rest for the wicked.
2. Max Out Your Muscles
Jay swears by one particular technique for results: rapid muscle response. It’s a form of training that means you change exercises every 30 seconds, to stimulate your muscles, raise metabolism and burn fat. A triple threat, of sorts.
‘My workouts are backed by science,’ Jay says. ‘They’re designed to give you maximum results in a short space of time, and rapid muscle response does just that.’
When asked how, he explained: ‘Rapid muscle response (RMR) works by forcing the brain to signal neurons to fire more quickly, resulting in faster muscle activation patterns to stabilise the body. It’s extremely effective for building lean muscle mass because the brain tells muscles to contract at an increased rate.
‘J Lo’s training plan was a hybrid of cardio, strength, agility and core balance exercises – all based on rapid muscle response with 30 second blasts.’ Noted.
3. Balance Out Weights With Rest
When it comes to breaks in between said 30 second blasts, they’re only permissible with weighted moves.
‘With bodyweight exercises, we did not rest so as to burn more fat and sculpt more lean muscle,’ Jay says. ‘But when performing weighted exercises, we would rest between 30 and 60 seconds, so that we could focus on form.’
Hex Dumbbell 10kg
SONGMICS Hex Dumbbells Set
Anchor's Adjustable 20kg Dumbbells
Umi Neoprene 1kg Dumbbells
4. Get Solid Sleep
We’ve told you before and we’ll tell you again: sleep is everything. Jay knows the deal.
‘One thing I always reinforce with my clients is sleep. They must sleep six or more hours prior to the day of the workout,’ he explains. If not, he’ll know about it.
5. Give It All You’ve Got
When asked for his non-negotiables, one thing is clear: Jay won’t cut you any slack.
‘I ask all my clients to give their workouts everything they can,’ he says. ‘Let’s face it, everyone experiences times where they don’t feel like working out, but when you enter the gym, you give it your all.’ Sir, yes sir.
6. Switch Up Workouts In A Cycle System
There’s method behind everything Jay does, and that includes how and when he and J Lo would mix up moves.
He explains that their workouts were first designed according to a macrocycle, with J Lo going on tour marking the end, in which they would identify certain phases such as preparation (the start, using J Lo’s base fitness level) and competitive (the end, when they’d go hard and J Lo was at peak fitness).
Within the macrocycle, Jay broke down J Lo’s workouts into microcycles, ranging from 1-3 weeks.
An example of this might be an endurance block, if Jay decided J Lo was in a position to progressively increase training volume, or a block of heavy lifting days, if she needed to build strength but had spent the previous week caning cardio.
It’s basically about looking at your goals and working out how to get there, then using your time wisely.
7. Follow A Fast Flow
You know how sometimes you end up wasting 10 seconds of a set because you’ve been faffing about getting into position? A fast flow routine is about making sure that doesn’t happen.
Jay explains: ‘Workouts are sequenced according to a fast flow, to allow the body to move seamlessly and efficiently between exercises, so that no time or energy is wasted.’
For example, you'll do all mat moves in one block, then move onto standing moves as one segment. Clever, eh?
8. Eat Everything
By everything, we mean every food group, and Jay has a *ahem* handy way of working out proportions.
‘I always say to measure your food by hand: Your palm represents protein, a fist is carbs, two fists for vegetables, and a thumb for fats/oils.’
On it.
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