FitSugar -- Healthy, happy you.

Circuit Workout by Celebrity Trainer Jason Walsh

FitSugar — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 04:00:00 -0800

Since you all chose Jessica Biel's trainer Jason Walsh as your favorite celebrity trainer, I asked him to share a workout with us.

Jason thought this three part circuit workout that he does with his clients would be fun for us too. It will get your heart rate up and strengthen your body at the same time. That is what I call a win-win workout. It is full of mutli-joint exercises that work more than one muscle group at a time and the more muscle you use in a movement the more oxygen you need for those working muscles.

Keep track of your rest times and weights, so you can decrease the rest time and increase the weights from week to week. If you are new to weight training, Jason recommends starting with no weights and 1 min rest between sets. On the flip side, decrease the rest time if it feels too easy, but remember you have a lot to do so don't get ahead of yourself.

To see the workout just

Favorite Celebrity Trainer: Jason Walsh

FitSugar — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 13:30:00 -0800

The year 2007 is officially over, but I need to tell you who won the FitSugar poll for fave celebrity trainer. Since Jessica Biel was voted favorite fit celebrity, it should come as no surprise that her trainer, Jason Walsh, was voted best celebrity trainer.

Jessica has gotten a lot of press for her fit bod and healthy lifestyle, but Walsh's impressive client list also includes Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, and Kate Beckinsale. He doesn't just work with Hollywood types: Jason also trains professional athletes, including football and baseball players, and he also trains women from the National Soccer League. All this work happens at Legacy, a private gym in West Los Angeles.

Just a few more stats on Jason:

He graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in Exercise and Sports Science.
He is sponsored by one of my favorite food companies, Kashi.
He is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) and Certified Personal Trainer through the National Strength and Conditioning Association, and those are some impressive credentials.

Tips From Jessica Biel's Trainer!

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 08:45:00 -0700

Jessica Biel continues to have one of the most wanted bodies in Hollywood. So when her trainer, Jason Walsh, tells Forbes a few things Jessica does to stay so fit, I am all ears.

Here's the deal:

Jason Walsh, the man responsible for Jessica Biel’s lingerie-clad body in this summer’s I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, says that maximizing any workout requires a mastery of the basics.

"Learn how to squat properly, crunch properly and how to do push-ups and pull-ups — two of the best upper-body exercises," he says. In addition to a weekly three-day cardio regimen, Biel spends three alternate days focusing on muscle development and toning by doing lunges, crunches, squats and core work.

Walsh suggests that beginners hire a trainer for a month or pick up a book like Core Performance by Mark Verstegen in order to learn the basics and understand how to avoid injuries.

Squats, crunches and push-ups might need to be added to my list of exercises I can't live without. Though I've got to say, I'm not sure pull-ups are in my cards, even if it means getting one step closer to getting Jess's bod.

Source

Celebrity Trainers Give US the Scoop...

FitSugar — Thu, 24 May 2007 12:30:00 -0700

People are always ~~begging~~ asking me what Jessica Biel does to look so fit, as if I know the girl personally or something. So when I come across anything related to what she does (or eats, or thinks about eating), I like to give you guys the scoop because, I'll admit it: That girl does look good in her jeans, but she looks killer in a bikini.

USMagazine.com has gotten inside information from Jason Walsh, Jessica's trainer, along with other notable celeb trainers on what the stars are doing these days:

Change is good! Jessica Biel's trainer, Jason Walsh, likes to keep his client mentally stimulated. "I'm a big advocate of recreational sports and stuff. If someone can get out there, even if it's a hike or something like that, just to break up the monotony of going to the gym...I really like that."
Hard work is even better. According to Walsh, Biel's workouts are intense. "We do full body movements. You are pretty much using as many muscles at once, which in turn will jack that heart rate up."
Food is not the enemy. If you're out and about as Walsh recommends, you need snacks and drinks to give you sustained energy. He suggests "really organic and clean foods, all natural, like nuts." Also, "an amino acid drink, so that you're not burning up a lot of your muscle, or protein."
Everything old is new again. Walsh loves to use medicine balls with his intermediate to advanced level clients. "Get a medicine ball and do a lunge with a twist while you are holding the ball. Those are great. You are activating so many muscles at once, and you are using those muscles over so many different plains."
Healthy meals can be tasty. Harley Pasternak, who works with Eva Mendes and Grey's Anatomy star Katherine Heigl, taught both of the actresses how to cook meals with some easy, healthy substitutions. "Breakfast would be whole grain bread French toast with egg whites and cinnamon. For a mid-morning snack, they'd do a mixed-berry protein shake. Lunch might be sweet potato tuna melt. An afternoon snack might be hummus with celery sticks. Dinner would be spaghetti and meatballs with spaghetti squash and meatballs made of turkey or chicken breast."
Just because it's trendy doesn't mean it works. Pasternak doesn't do yoga or pilates with his clients. "Those are great forms of exercise for stability and balance, but neither one of those is going to change your body dramatically like training with weights does."
The "F" word is not all bad. Rachel McAdams' trainer, Jerry Owen, says, "The biggest problem is that people are fat phobic. It¹s clinically proven that we need healthy fat in our diets. You need to eat a balanced diet but not be afraid of fat, like Omega 3 fatty acids like walnuts, olive oil and even coconut oil."
Focus on your whole body - not just problem areas. Owens tells Us the best way to lose weight and tone up is "to blend nutrition, exercise, and physical therapy. The body responds better. People get too wrapped up in doing isolated movement, like being very body part specific."
All cardio and no lifting makes for bad workouts. "People get too cardio-crazy and need to do more weight lifting," says Owens. He explains that for many people on elliptical machines, "their heart Rate is about the same as if they were shopping around a mall."
Everybody needs a break. Owens delivers the best news possible: working out for more than an hour is a "waste of time." He suggests gym-goers "take one to two days off a week: have a massage, make sure you get plenty of rest. The muscles actually change when they're recovering."

Flynet

Get the Bod: Jessica Biel

FitSugar — Thu, 25 Jan 2007 12:31:27 -0800

Jessica Biel's trainer, Jason Walsh has recently revealed to People what this starlet has been doing for the past 8 months to be looking so darn buff.

Jessica Biel’s Workout:

Stretch: One of her favorite warm-ups is the walking lunge. “This stretches the larger leg and glute muscles,” says Walsh. How-to: With feet together, lunge first with right leg. Bring left foot alongside right. Lunge with left. Do 8-10 per leg.
Cardio: “It’s the cardio that leans her out,” says Walsh. After a ½-mile jog, they hit the track for two 200-meter, 150-meter and 100-meter sprints.
Core: “Hanging leg raises don’t build a six-pack, but they flatten,” says Walsh. “Jessica hates them, but she powers through!” How-to: Hanging from a high bar or rings, pull knees up slightly above waist. Do three sets of 15 repetitions.
Plyometrics: “These hurt,” says Walsh of stair jumping. “Even athletes hate them. After Jessica did these the first time, she would’ve punched me if she had the energy.” How-to: Jump from the bottom step of a flight of at least 20 stairs to the third. Keep going, skipping a stair each jump.
Weight Training: “We tend to use lighter weights and do more reps,” he says. “We keep moving, so it becomes a cardio workout too.”
For the waist: They do the Russian Twist. Sit down and lean back slightly. Hold a 5-lb. medicine ball and twist from side to side, 15 twists per side, three reps.
For shoulders/biceps: Stand with knees slightly bent. Hold 10-lb. weights in each hand. Curl to chest. Rotate hands, palms face outward. Press overhead together. Do 3 sets of 10-12 reps.

Want to find out about Jessica's diet and new year's resolution too, then