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    5 Workout Secrets from Celebrity Trainers

    By | Healthy Living – Tue, Jul 12, 2011 4:32 PM EDT

    By: Myatt Murphy

    Wanna know how celebs like Reese Witherspoon and Eva Mendes earn their PG (Perfect Glutes) rating? Time and money help, but the real payoff comes from working out with trainers who know all the body-shaping tricks. Here, top pros help you sculpt an A-list body.

    Related: Best Celeb Bodies After a Breakup

    Take a Breath

    Celebrity Trainer: Mark Blanchard, creator of The Sedona Experience DVD and trainer to Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Aniston

    Even if you're not in yoga class, being mindful of your breath can pay off. Inhaling and exhaling evenly and completely makes any workout more effective by bringing extra oxygen to your muscles. Aim for about 12 inhalations and exhalations per minute.

    Related: Jennifer Aniston's Yoga Routine


    Go for the Glutes

    Celebrity Trainer: David Kirsch, author of The Ultimate New York Body Plan (McGraw-Hill, 2005) and trainer to Heidi Klum and Naomi Campbell

    To sculpt your own box-office butt, try this move that's touted as the ultimate celebrity secret to a better backside: stability ball prone scissors.

    • Lie facedown with your hips resting on a stability ball, hands and feet on the floor for balance.
    • Walk your feet out behind you so your legs form a wide V.
    • Slowly lift both of your feet about 12 inches off the floor and squeeze them together.
    • Lower your toes back down to the floor, spreading them into a V shape at the bottom of the move, and repeat for a total of 15 to 20 reps.
    Related: Cameron Diaz's Superhero Workout


    Beat the Clock

    Celebrity Trainer:     Joe Dowdell, president of Peak Performance Strength & Conditioning Center in New York City, and trainer to Anne Hathaway and Claire Danes

    Spend less time (about 20 to 30 seconds) resting between sets at the beginning of your workout when your muscles aren't exhausted, and more time (40 to 60 seconds) as they become fatigued. This method, known as density training, can cut the time you spend working out by as much as 15 to 20 percent. It also forces your muscles to work harder while improving your endurance at the same time.

    Related: Madonna's Top 5 Workout Secrets




    Play Favorites

    Celebrity Trainer:     Harley Pasternak, author of Five Factor Fitness (G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2004) and trainer to Alicia Keys, Eva Mendes, and Halle Berry

    Work with only one arm or one leg at a time when strength training with dumbbells. This way, while you're resting one side of your body you'll keep the other side going strong. Your heart will also have to keep pumping hard through your entire workout, which means that you'll actually burn more calories overall.

    Related: Alicia Keys' Butt Exercises


    Treadmill Tactics

    Celebrity Trainer:     Gregory Joujon-Roche, trainer to Rachel Weisz and Demi Moore

    • After warming up on the treadmill by walking for 3 minutes, increase the incline to level 8, hold on to the handles, and pretend that you're trudging through the mud.
    • Bend your knees and dig into the treadmill with your heels for one to two minutes, then lower the incline back to 1 for one to two minutes to recover.


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