FitSugar

Rulon Does a Handstand on The Biggest Loser

PopSugar LivingTV — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:45:00 PDT

Bob Harper tries to get Rulon to do a handstand even though he weighs over 300 pounds. See how a celebrity trainer motivates a former Olympian!

DVD Review: Bob Harper's Ultimate Cardio Body

Susi May — Wed, 23 Feb 2011 03:05:46 PST

Bob Harper has been reshaping bodies for 11 seasons now on The Biggest Loser, and now he's focusing his baby blues on you. His latest DVD, Ultimate Cardio Body ($15), subtitled "Extreme Weight Loss Workout," makes me think of the show, but Bob seems kinder in this video even though the workout is relentless.

Inside a brightly lit modern studio, Bob and a cast of four, with two women confusingly both named Leah (I kept thinking Bob was getting the gals mixed up), lead you through an hour-long workout combining old-school strength training with old-fashioned cardio moves. Get ready for high-knee marching, running in place, and jumping jacks. These bouts of cardio alternate with basic strength training moves for the lower and upper body, sometimes combining the two. Be prepared to do squats and and plenty of them. You will add a little jumping action to both squats and lunges, and making these moves air borne knocks your heart rate out of the fat burning zone straight into the cardio training. Bob does offer variations if you're not quite up to jumping, but if you're having knee troubles, this workout is not for you. It's heavy on the lunges, squats, hopping, and jumping.

Learn my likes and dislikes of the workout when you

read more. This is definitely a hard workout, and I appreciated the challenge. But the challenge comes from reps upon reps of the same exercises, so it can get a little dull. You do however, bring your quads and hamstrings to the point of exhaustion many times during the workout, which means your legs are only going to get stronger. I did love all the jumping and hoping. At the end of the workout, just when you start to believe you're on the home stretch, Bob has you start hopping. You're on one foot for what feels like a minute, then the other foot hopping for a minute, and then you keep alternating. The rest move is mimicking a jump shot, which means you're trying to defy gravity when you're really tired. I loved the intensity. I also appreciated that the only prop you need is a set of dumbbells. I used five pounders (although for some moves I could have used 8 pounders) and burned 460 calories in an hour - love that. Bob also begins the workout with some static stretching, it's not too deep, but I didn't feel ready to stretch my cold desk bound body after pressing play on the remote control. I wish the warm-up was slightly more dynamic, and that warm-up stretches were actually part of the cooldown, when my worked muscles were ready for the sweet relief of flexibility training. I must say, this is a total body workout, including your heart. This workout is perfect for small spaces, but if you live in an apartment, your downstairs neighbors might not appreciate all the jumping. You can buy the DVD directly from Bob's website or Amazon. Here's a taste of the workout:

The Biggest Loser Gang Covers Ladies' Home Journal

FitSugar — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:20:36 PST

Last night's premiere of The Biggest Loser Season 11 seems perfectly timed to help us all maintain those healthy living resolutions we made just days ago. The show's team of three covers Ladies' Home Journal this month, and here's a taste of the tips they have to share.

Gradually Rehab Your Eating Habits
"Try a recipe that uses leafy vegetables like kale, or switch to filling, high fiber grains like whole-wheat pasta." - Bob Harper

Steer Clear of Temptation
"If you always pass your favorite fast food restaurant on the way home from work, find an alternate route or pop some gum in your mouth when you drive by." - Jillian Michaels

Put Exercise on Your Schedule
"Just as you plan out when you're going to see friends, write down the days on your calendar when you're going to exercise." - Jillian Michaels

"Exercise is hard. It's sweaty. But it's also a chance to get out of your comfort zone and see what you're made of." -Bob Harper

There are more great tips from the whole gang, so keep on reading.

The Ultimate Slimming Tool You May Not Be Using!

Self — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 08:00:27 PST

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Ring in 2011 with a kettlebell. It's one of the ultimate toning tools; an at-home or at the gym superhero of sorts. Kettlebell workouts can blast up to 300 calories in just 15 minutes all while sculpting sexy strong muscles. Get swinging with this total-body toning move from The Biggest Loser's, Bob Harper.

Move: Single Leg, One Arm Pull

You'll need: A Bob Harper/GoFit Contour Kettlebell. Beginners try a 7-10 pound bell, more advanced 15 pound for $39.99 (shown in picture)

How To Do It:

Stand up tall. Hinge at hips with chest coming down, lift back foot off ground and hold out parallel to the floor.
Perform a one arm row. Keep elbow tucked and close to body

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Complete 10 reps on each side. This works your abs, lower back, and arms.

The New Biggest Loser Trainers: Brett Hoebel and Cara Castronova

Michele Foley — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 17:27:26 PST

If you watched The Biggest Loser last night like me, you saw the reveal of the show's two newest trainers - well, sort of. The producers showed a quick glimpse of the trainers' silhouettes while playing a small snippet of their voices. Here's what I learned: it takes two trainers to replace Jillian, the guy trainer looks like he knows his Capoeira, and the female trainer is a former boxing champion. And even though I have no real clue who these new trainers are, it won't stop me from guessing!

Anyone that knows Beachbody fitness or has seen the RevAbs infomercial will probably agree that the new male trainer is most likely celebrity trainer Brett Hoebel. From what I saw on The Biggest Loser last night, the new male trainer moves, looks, and sounds just like Brett. Like Bob, Brett is easy on the eyes, but from what I can tell, his approach tends to be a bit softer than team Jillian and Bob. Brett is sure to deliver the goods, though - he's spent his life on a holistic approach to health with his fitness focus being in Capoeira and Muay Thai kickboxing.

As for the new female trainer, I'm pretty stumped, though I have a few guesses. What we know is that she seems to take on a boot-camp-style approach and is a former boxing champion. After watching the limited clip of her from The Biggest Loser, my top three choices are female boxers Monica Rumler, Mikaela Mayer, and Maureen Shea. All of these women will look good on TV, are media savvy, and definitely have the skills to pull it off. Maureen Shea seems a likely choice, having appeared on the MTV show Made, where she trained and transformed a high school ballerina into an amateur boxer.

Updated on 12/16/2010: After getting a tip from Lisa Johnson, I'm putting my money towards Cara Castronova as the new female trainer. She sounds and looks exactly like the new female trainer in The Biggest Loser preview clip and has been trying to break into TV and film for the last several years. She's also a two-time Golden Gloves champ, which is one of the clues that was given towards the identity of the new Biggest Loser female trainer.

Updated on 1/6/2011: Jillian Michaels confirms the new trainers' identities. Find out what Jillian said by reading more!

Updated on 1/18/2011: On tonight's episode of The Biggest Loser, Brett Hoebel and Cara Castronova were revealed as the show's "unknown" trainers. We had it right all along!

Jillian Michaels on Mommyhood, Quitting TV, and the Kettlebell Critics

Michele Foley — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 13:15:40 PST

There is a reason I follow celebrity trainers who tweet: it's often the best place to find the latest breaking news in their lives. And, it's often uncensored, honest, and timely. If you follow trainer Jillian Michaels on Twitter, then I'm sure you've been glued to all her recent developments:

She's having a baby! Jillian is taking the next year off to focus on becoming a "mommy." The trainer is looking to adopt - not one, but two children! - and she's currently in a home study process with an adoption agency. While she says that it "doesn't matter to me" if they're boys or girls, she is planning to adopt from Africa. This decision has nothing to do with the Women's Health article from earlier this year, which quoted the trainer as saying she, "can't handle doing that [pregnancy] to my body." Jillian told the Los Angeles Times that she was misquoted and that she can't have children because of medical issues.
Season 11 of The Biggest Loser will be her last. We've got one more season to see Jillian whip individuals into shape, since next year's season will be her last. FitSugar favorite Bob Harper will stay on the show, and will be joined by two new trainers. NBC is keeping the new trainers' identity a secret, but we do know from Jillian that one is definitely a female. Contestants on season 11 will have the option of working out with Jillian and Bob or the newbies.
She slams her kettlebell critics for good. Jillian has taken a lot of flak for her kettlebell techniques, which reached a climax in a controversial LA Times op-ed piece calling her a fraud. Via Twitter, Jillian's bud Bob Harper tweeted: "we're officially kettlebell certified. Tell all those A$$&$@"@ to suck it." Both Bob and Jillian worked with "kettlebell master" Paul Katami, who is affiliated with the Kettlebell Concepts certification program.

Fit For October: Must Haves

FitSugar — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:50:16 PDT

I can't believe that it's already October - where did the year go? No doubt about it, October spells Fall: cooler temps, Halloween, and squash aplenty mean that Winter is around the corner. But before we welcome in snowy skies, Kris Kringle, and chestnuts, let's celebrate October with some choice gear. Keep reading for products to warm you up, keep you buff, and shine the light on.

Source: Thinkstock

Bob Harper's Inside Out DVD Series

FitSugar — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 20:32:19 PDT

When asked which trainer from The Biggest Loser you would want to work out with, Bob Harper edged out Jillian Micheals; he's the nice one, right? With his new four-disc DVD series Inside Out Method, it looks like he is trying to change his rep. From yoga to intense cardio, Bob is ready to make you sweat, grimace, and shake - the more you complain, the harder he will make you work. Yes, it's as if he can see you slack off through the TV, so he ups the ante to keep you and your core engaged.

The DVDs are not about eye candy and loud pumping music; the aesthetic is simple (almost somber) with occasional arty camera work to spice things up. I appreciate that in one yoga pose, Bob acknowledges that you can't see the TV screen, so he tells you to focus on his voice as he tells you what to do next. However, he does seem to take maniacal pleasure in pushing you and his studio clients to the limit. The workouts are intense and great for both men and women - this is not your Jane Fonda fitness routine. My hubby did all four workouts too, even warning me that Bob was crazy when he previewed a DVD before I could get to it first.

For a description of each DVD and to take a gander at the series trailer, continue reading.

PETA Names Its Sexiest Celeb Vegetarians of 2010

FitSugar — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 03:47:33 PDT

Drumroll, please: actress Olivia Wilde and Biggest Loser trainer Bob Harper have been named PETA's sexiest celeb vegetarians of 2010. The pair - who are both vegans - beat out other sexy notables like Joaquin Phoenix, Hayden Panettiere, and Ellen DeGeneres.

Here's what Olivia and Bob told PETA about living a vegan lifestyle.

Olivia on being vegan: "Beyond my desire to boycott the torture factories, I am also way happier when I eat a plant based diet, and I feel about a thousand times more energetic."
Bob on being vegan: "I enjoy living a plant-based diet because it makes me feel clear headed and strong, not to mention my genetically high cholesterol dropped more than 100 points . . . That was all the motivation I needed."

Past sexy PETA celebrity vegetarians include Leona Lewis, Kristen Bell, and Josh Hartnett.

What Celebrity Trainers Are Tweeting

FitSugar — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 08:00:28 PDT

It's time for another edition of Celebrity Trainers Who Tweet - the free way to get fitness advice from Hollywood's most sought after trainers. Read on to see workouts from Kristin Cavalleri's and Jennifer Hudson's trainers, and what Heidi Klum's trainer says about meeting goals. And make sure you check out the awesome TweetPhoto we found on Bob Harper's Twitter page - it's adorable!

Source: WireImage