Madonna is one fit woman. From injecting vitamins to building a gym 20 yards from her home, she's got her eye on health. To be Madonna's personal trainer must not be an easy task since I am guessing it takes a lot to keep ahead of Madge in the gym. Her current trainer, Tracy Anderson (who also trains Madonna's pal Gwyneth Paltrow), has recently disclosed to the Daily Mail some of the tricks she has up her sleeve for keeping A-listers fit.
For highlights on what Tracy suggests her clients do in the gym then read more.
How to start: First make sure you have 30 minutes of your favorite songs on your iPod. Then find yourself a treadmill. Sprint for one song, skip for one song, and gallop for one song. Work up to a 30-minute work-out. Then move on to toning (below). Start with 10 repetitions and work up to 100 - these should be done every day. If in any doubt about your health, always check with a doctor.
Toning Exercises:
Arm Raise: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly move arms together straight up into a V above your head. Elbows and wrists are bent slightly. Then gently lower your arms back down to your sides and without pausing go straight back up again. Work up to 100 reps.Single arm overhead pulse: Using 3lb weights, stand with feet shoulder-width apart, arms at your sides. Raise one arm above your head with your elbow slightly bent and then straighten your arm completely over your head. Pulse like that, up and down. Work up to 100 reps on one side and then the other.
Ballet Grand Plies: Stand with heels together, toes slightly apart. With a straight back, bend at the knee as low as you can, then go back up again. Work up to 100 reps.
Abdominal Crunches: Lie on the floor with arms at your side, your legs in front of you. Raise yourself slightly until you feel a "crunch" in your abs and then lie back down. The key here is to do it with your legs straight out in front of you, as that will really work your stomach without bulking it up. Work up to 100 reps.
Piking: Lie flat on the floor, arms at your sides. Lift straight legs up to ceiling to 90 degrees and then gently lower. Without pausing, lift them back up again. Your upper body should remain flat on the ground. Both arms and legs should be straight with your toes pointed. Work up to 100 reps.
Advanced Piking: Lie on the floor, legs straight out in front of you with your arms on the floor stretched out over your head. Hold onto a 3lb weight and bring your hands up to meet your legs when you raise them to a 90-degree angle and lower your arms and legs back down to the floor at the same time. Both arms and legs should be straight with your toes pointed. Work up to 100 reps.
Ultimo
Cosmence
melissa
100 reps! That seems like it'd take forever! I wish there was included which muscle groups all these worked on...
I am having a hard time visualizing the single arm overhead pulse... I need pictures!
1I'm having trouble visualizing both arm exercises too! I can certainly see how these keep Madonna looking so lean though. Thanks Fit!
2I don't know why I continue to get excited about tips from celebrity trainers that magazines, etc always publish. It's always the same thing, like "For great abs, do a lot of crunches." You think?!?! I'm pretty sure the 18-34 female population has figured that one out by now.
3100 reps? for reals?
4Why does this seem to go against everything you read elsewhere? I mean honestly, there are so many conflicting opinions out there, how do we know which is right or wrong? I have read in TONS of articles that less reps with a heavier weight is better than more reps with a teeny tiny weight, and that you won't actually BULK UP by exercising that way. How are we supposed to know who is right?!
5i think that i'll have to find a treadmill to try that out during off peak hours at the gym. i'd be a little embarrassed to try that while there were so many other people there. i like the flow of the workout though. it seems like it would be a good toning/endurance type workout.
6If Madonna's arms are examples of not 'bulking up'...I don't know what to say.
I agree with sundaygreen, the information put forth by these trainers is always so contradictory.
7every day? i'm not sure about that. i think the toning exercises are interesting and i will surely give them a shot (at least its making my muscles do something different) but 100 reps everyday seems like it might not be good for my body.
8She also says on her blog, "you should never run! Running bulks the legs."
sheesh....
9Gah. And the word 'tone' or any variation thereof just aggravates me.
10LOL, where are those pics of Madonna RUNNING with her OTHER trainer now?!
11sunday - I'd trust information about exercise in peer-reviewed scientific journals over what some trainer says. As far as bulk/tone etc I hate those words too! If you want to be strong you will have MUSCLES that will SHOW!
shocking! It's nothing to be afraid of - in fact
I think it's the sexiest thing!
12I can honestly say I don't want to look anything like Madonna, no thank you!
13You should never be embarrassed to do anything that has to do with working out. I think everyone watching is jealous not making fun of you.
14I think people who watch are more intrigued that anything. I honestly don't think that people who see you exercising outside or in a gym (no matter what you're doing) are going to think you're 'lame'. 99% of them are probably thinking, mmm, i should do that too.
15I agree, ElissaM. I figure it this way, I may look stupid doing a particular move, but i would look a lot less appealing as a sloppy overweight, unfit gal. So, if you want to laugh, go ahead. I'll be smiling at myself in the mirror and laughing at the scale. Besides, half the time when you see someone doing a move at the gym that looks odd, you can't help but wonder if they know something about fitness that you don't - and then you want to try it for yourself. That's how I ended up integrating running backwards and side-to-side into my treadmill routine. It may look crazy, but I have great legs!
16Hmmm seems very weird...
173lbs?! Pfft. Who wants to spend their time doing 100 reps of each exercise, when you can just pick a heavy weight and do 6-8 reps for quicker results.
18BLECH who wants to look like Madonna anyway? And seriously? SKIPPING on the treadmill? I would kill myself, I'm sure of it. While everyone seems to have differing opinions on what is best, my advice is to try different things and do what feels and works best. I choose a bit heavier weight, but obviously what Madonna is doing is working for her. Everyone is different though!
19I want to look like Madonna. Well, I want her arms! I think her arms would look hot on my 6'1 male body. =) I'm having a hard time visualizing the arm exercises. You KNOW Madonna does like a million OTHER things on top of this. She's at the gym for three hours a day. She always comes out without a drop of sweat on her, so I wonder how much cooling down she does???
Madonna's workout will always be a bigger mystery to me than life on other planets! I just want to be a freaking fly on the wall during her workouts. For realz.
20That's all just pilates...
21What do they mean by skip and gallop on the treadmill?? Sorry, english is not my first language.
22While i usually love trainers tips....i do NOT want to look like Madonna. Her arms and legs are too muscly with no female curves left. Its not attractive. I plan to tone up and keep my curves!
23Seriously...skipping and galloping on the treadmill?? People will think you're insane!
24Yeah, skipping on the treadmill would NOT be a good thing for me. I have zero coordination anyways...I would fall on my behind right off the bat. Plus, I disagree with doing 100 reps with 3 lb weights. Isn't that sort of a waste of time? I get decent results doing 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps and using 10-15 lb weights.
25I find her gym workout questionable. Treadmill everyday? 3lbs weights for 100 reps? That's laughable.
Is she a CERTIFIED fitness trainer??
I'm afraid to ask what she advises her client to eat.
To me, she looks thin and scrawny, not womanly.
Personally, I love weight-training major muscle groups. They truly sculpt a woman's body - shapely calves, thighs, and butt, tight core for a cinched waist, tight pectorals for lifted breasts, etc. Need I say more?? What this trainer says is truly lost on me.
26I completely agree GlowingMoon. It looks like she's not a certified fitness trainer. Madonna's body? No, thank you. I like mine way better.
27Ya know, after reading these carefuly it became clear on how they want you to perform each movement to get the best results. I can't wait to take this home and try it out for myself!
28She sounds like a fruit cake to me. . . always a gimmick (nothing over 3 lbs, give me a break!). . . nothing really new here though. . work out and watch what you eat. I mean whatever it takes. . . and BTW what's "galloping" Cardio, toning, and good food. If celebrities have enough money to buy inspiration. . . or to buy someones attention to make them do it then good for them. I do weights, cardio, and try to eat right, and I don't need a cheerleader or someone to walk 10 steps behind me to get me to do it!
29BTW English is my 1st language and I don't get the galloping either. But I do hop on one foot (not at the gym) because I read hopping is really good to engage muscle fibers. It's HARD! I do it on the dirt trail that I run on when no cars or people are around because I would feel silly. Only my faithful running companion, my dog, sees me hopping. . . and I'm not sure he knows what to think of it!
30I would really like to see Madge galloping and skipping on the treadmill. I love doing that around my neighborhood, even though it embarrasses the heck out of my hubby!
And a gallop is like what you do when you're pretending to be a horse -- one foot in front of the other, and bring your back foot to meet the front at the same time you're sending your front foot out again, same pace as skipping (which is a hop on one foot as you raise the opposite knee, then do the same on the other foot). I know that's not a great description, but that's the best I can do without a demonstration.
31i was intruiged by this instructor... so i looked at her website - lots of photos of her in skimpy outfits. then i googled her - and found some angry former customers! interesting...
personally, i do a side crab-walk on the treadmill after my jog - so you could say that i'm not afraid to look stupid!
32LOL Levi!!!!!!!!!!
33I work out at night, to do the same thing.
I feel silly when I have to do lunges and squats at the park when people are around........
Interesting.
34PEOPLE THATS MADONNA THE IRON WOMAN!!!
35God I just love her strength and her will to commit. Anyways why doesn't this trainer have a video out yet? Oh did you know she (the trainer) is being sued in the States for deserting her customers, thats what I read somewhere. You'll have to check online to be really sure.
Anyway I think a video would be marvelous!
The main difference between doing lots of reps with a lighter weight and fewer reps with more weight is that the former builds mass whereas the latter tones muscle. If you want to build bigger arms, then you should do fewer reps with more weight, but if you just want more muscle to show without getting bigger arms then you should do more reps with a small amount of weight.
36yeah whats wrong with girls having muscle instead of being tooth pick thin weak models ? i hate how everyone complains about bulking up. people need to understand in order to "bulk up" like a body builder you have to lift a lot more weight than 3 friggin lbs.
37This isn't a routine for everyone. in fact, it won't suffice for most people under the age of 50 who are fairly active.
Madonna is genetically a fairly muscular woman, so she uses very light weights and high reps to tone without bulking.
Thing is, Madonna has her own gym, a dedicated trainer and all the time in the world to work out. Most people don't have 2-3 hours a day to spend at the gym, so....... thanks Madonna!
38I want my own personal trainer. I dont think this stuff would work for me, too time consuming. But, Madonna looks great!
39My theory lately is to watch work out videos, read articles, etc.... yet I never get around to actually DOING any of them, lol. These seem easy enough. My grandmother bought me free weights (per my request) for Christmas one year... but they are currently beign used to weight the bottom of my kitty tower. I'm the queen of the cop-out exercise program. I've been thinking about buying those Walk-Fit flip flops that exercise your legs.
Madonna is inspiring, though. She's the same age as my mother and she looks a hell of a lot better in a bikini than I do! I'm 27 and she kicks my butt!
40not one us REAL women will probably look like Madonna no matter what we do in the gym! She has been dedicated to her body since the late '70's!!! That's 40 years of focus.
41Eat well, live well, and stay as fit and as happy and balanced as you are willing.
i love madonnas bod she is supa sexy for her age im def gona give these exercises a shot hope i can keep up wit thm
42Well, if you are 5'9 like me, lifting weights definitely makes me alot bigger, and that is something I want to avoid. Maybe all you little petite chicks can lift larger weights without it "bulking" you up but in my personal experience, even when i do 15-20 reps of relatively light weights,unless I eat very little, I always bulk up. I think 3lb weights w/lots of reps is a great idea for me. And Madonna should definitely know what she is doing- I think she has tried about everything-and she is a superwoman!
43HI Lattegoodness! The over head pule is for your triceps. I believe you set up as if you were doing a standing 1 arm overhead tricep extension, but instead of doing the full range of motion, you leave only a slight bend in the elbow instead of a fully 90 degree bend. ;o)
44I am reading these comments thinking"WTF!??" Ladies and gents, you really don't understand the terms 'bulk' and 'tone'? This is a fitness website and you can't grasp the abc's of working out. And as far as all the bashing on Madonna's body, what about Gwyneth's body? She's long and and slendor. Madonna has specific genetics that she works the best she can. She doesn't naturally have long legs or curves, so she has to work harder at keeping a good shape. There are millions of dancers out there and there is different body for each one. As far as being healthy and fit, Madonna knows what she's talking about. As far as nutrition, flexibility, strength, balance, coordination, attitude, she's got it all covered. And she's consistantly been this way. What do you have?
45And it's like in one day you will turn into Madonna. If you see your body as being a bit much, take a day off. Its common sense,
Another thing, most women love to dance. Dance is a fun, feminine way to exercise. It comes from the soul and you can really let yourself go in any direction with it. Tracy Anderson's dvds are amazing. I feel like a real, modern woman dancing her ass off on stage or in my favourite music video, sassy and in control. I feel younger, more free and confidant, and I look forward to doing the workouts! Yes there is burning, but it feels soo good.
46Tracy doesn't BS which is yet another great trait of her character. She's like "Do my workout, see results". I love it
I'm sorry, but I would feel ridiculous skipping and galloping on a tredmile (If i could even do it!) And I don't think the whole "you can't lift more than three lbs." thing is ridiculous. It is good to confuse your muscles to keep them alert, but you can definently get muscle mass. More muscles, more calories burned, more fat burned. And I don't necessarily understand the single arm overhead pulse.
I tried this workout yesterday, and I could feel my muscles burning. It's hard to do such high reps. Especially on the advanced pike. I could do endless plie's though. I will keep a few of the moves, discard some others.
I don't really trust this lady because her diet lets you eat 500 calories per day. While you burn 500 calories exercising. Totaly not ok. Be warned
47Doing hundreds of reps is a waste of time. Doing more then 12-15 reps does nothing for muscle definition and development. If you really want to get tone you should do serious strength training. Here is an excerpt from a great book Practical Programming for Strength Training By Mark Rippetoe. “The modern fitness industry's concept of "toning" Muscles is specious-- it might sound cool, but it lacks any tangible and definable meaning. The term muscle tone or tonus describes electrophysiological phenomenon, a measure of ionic flow across muscle cell membranes. It can be thought of as the muscle's readiness to do anaerobic work. The more fit the muscle, the more electrophysiological activity it exhibits at rest. Lack of exercise leads to poor tone, aerobic exercise (exercise that can be sustained for more than 2 min) improves tone a little bit, low-intensity weight training (100 reps @ 3lbs ) improves tone more, High intensity* training( 8 or fewer reps @ heavy weight) improves tone the fastest. As a test go poke the traps or quads of an elite weightlifter at rest, they will be hard as a rock. Now poke the same muscles of an elite cyclist, they will be firm but not hard. Most exercise programs that claim to be toning programs are actually low intensity hypertrophy programs and are only moderately effective for improving muscle tone. It tone is the goal strength is the method.”
*Just as a side note intensity is defined as: force x distance / time, I.E. Power. Intensity is not heart rate, how much you sweat, or how red your face gets.
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