There was a time in the not so distant past when you’d be more likely to see celebrities clutching a bottle of expensive champagne and stumbling of a night club than heading out of a gym with a
green smoothie in tow.
Not anymore. These days anyone who’s anyone is jumping on the healthy living bandwagon. Of course, staying in peak condition is paramount to all those whose careers rely on looking good. Indeed, the recent Oscars ceremony was a shop window for various workout routines and fitness fads.
Daniel Craig is currently filming the latest instalment of James Bond and continues to look ridiculously ripped in the quest of fulfilling the role of cinema’s ultimate spy. Ahead of Casino Royale, he was trained by one of the PTs to the stars, Simon Waterson – he has listed Halle Berry and Pierce Brosnan among his clients – and combined power lifting with compound exercises and cardio to the point where he was attaining athletic levels of performance. Jamie Foxx, Jake Gyllenhaal, Matthew McConaughey, Chris Pratt and Channing Tattum are among the some who have bulked up or got lean for specific roles, while DJ Calvin Harris recently revealed an incredible transformation during a photoshoot for Armani. They will all have done it in different ways, of course.
McConaughey lost a lot of weight for his role in Dallas Buyers Club but bulked up for Magic Mike. His PT, Chris Lockwood revealed the transformation for the latter was a result of high-intensity conditioning routines and insane abs workouts. Harris, in contrast, appears to have used pilates alongside his workouts with devastating effect.
A quick scroll through any social media platform will throw up more reality TV stars and Hollywood A-listers all showing off their clean eating plans and the latest fitness brand.
Take Calum Best, for example who appeared on these very pages before heading into the Big Brother house. He’s launched his own line of nutrition and health supplements, Best Life, and he’s not alone. Former TOWIE stars Lucy Mecklenberg and Sam Faiers launched their own membersonly fitness and nutrition websites, while Millie Mackintosh, Made in Chelsea star and heiress to the Quality Street fortune, has been gracing the cover of every health and fitness magazine going in recent months after undergoing a strict program to get her body in athlete worthy condition. And her online followers are lapping it up, clinging to every piece of fitness advice she throws their way.
So where has this trend of celebrity fitness come from and what’s it like to train the A-list? A personal Trainer to the stars, Jason Dogett from Muddy Plimsolls says: “Over the past year I’ve had the most unlikely celebrities come through my door in the hope of not only losing weight but also gaining some serious muscle.
“There was a time when celebrities mainly cared about having red-carpet and photo shoot-worthy bodies, but now more and more of them actually care about getting themselves in peak physical condition.”
And it’s not just celebrities who can get themselves in the best shape of their lives. You can too. Jason explains how… “TRX workouts are very popular with celebrities. It’s a fullbody workout when used correctly and is kind of fun to learn,” Jason says. If that’s not for you Jason suggests giving these combinations a try.
So what’s it really like to be put through your paces like a celebrity? BESTFIT writer Laura Hills visited a boot camp to find out…
“When I signed up for a four-day stay at Slimmeria in East Sussex I was completely unprepared for the challenge ahead. From cellulite-busting ‘honey slapping’ spa treatments to treks through the rolling (and very muddy) countryside, the retreat puts everyone from TOWIE stars to TV actors through their paces in the name of losing weight, improving fitness and detoxing the mind and body.
“Every morning an 7:15am bell signals the start of the day and after a lemon tonic it’s off for a two-hour walk through the surrounding countryside before heading back to the house for a quick juice-based breakfast.
“The rest of the morning is occupied with a fitness class – think boxercise, circuits and legs bums and tums – and an hour of yoga, the celebrities’ favourite.
“At 12:30pm it’s time to eat the first bit of solid food for the day. At Slimmeria they offer only vegan meals, so lunch is usually a crunchy salad followed by a herbal tea. In the evening guests are treated to their only warm meal of the day, which usually consists of warm al dente vegetables in some kind of a broth. “After dinner it’s either a motivational workshop/nutrition lesson or a dance class – during my stay I worked up a prebedtime sweat trying my hand at both Zumba and dancercise. So what was the experience like? One thing’s for sure, boot camps are not for the faint hearted, but if you can stick with it it’s well worth the constant hunger pangs and detox headaches.
“After pushing through the first few days I felt more energised than I’ve ever felt from my regular doses of espresso or hours spent training on my own at the gym.
“Furthermore, I lost nearly half a stone and 2.5 inches from my waist. No wonder retreat owner Galia Grainger tells me they’ve already got a whole host of different celebrities booked in before the summer months kick in.”
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