Paging Andrea Orbeck, Celebrity Fitness Trainer: Secrets of the Supermodels…

Andrea Orbeck is the go-to trainer for oodles of  celebs (she was responsible for getting Heidi Klum runway-ready just weeks after giving birth) and is always my first call for fitness-related questions.  After all of the press surrounding post-baby celebrity bodies, I asked Andrea to share some of her tips for how to achieve similar results at home.

A Guest Post: Secrets of the Supermodels

Being a ‘celebrity trainer”, I’m always asked the secrets to the Hollywood body.  I can sense the anticipation that one would have if asking a wizard to grant the answer to a magical question.

Although the celebs and models I work with do have some luxuries that make life (and maintaining a fabulous figure) a bit easier such as a nanny, an assistant and, in some cases, even a full time cook, the secret (unlike the one held by the lingerie sorcerer Victoria) is the same whether you rock the runway or rock the isles at the grocery store:

It’s work.

What I love so much about my job is that, unlike most employees, I am not the employee that can just be told what to do.  I am actually hired for an inversion of the typical role for most celebrity clients, where I’m the one in charge, which is a rare context for most celebrity clients.

Specifically, they have to show up on time, do as I ask and then pay for that experience.  They will be pushed out of their comfort level, they will reveal their weaknesses, and they will finish looking less than their usual sexy image.

No one is allowed to do it for them. Not the assistant, the stylist, the manager, and certainly not the agent.

The work it takes to be lean and fit lies solely on the individual, no matter who you are.  Fat loss and muscle tone doesn’t care about the latest magazine cover or someone’s level of fame.  Metabolism only understands commitment, consistency and good choices.

So although you may feel you have very little in common with a Hollywood celebrity, the secrets to a fit figure are the same here are some ‘not so secret’ things you can use to be red carpet ready, even if the paparazzi doesn’t follow you out of the grocery store:

Think of the acronym FITT (Frequency, Intensity, Type and Time)

Frequency. You have to move and move often. Once a week is not enough!

For significant change or to maintain an already good fitness level, I ask my clients to commit to working out at least 4 times per week – even if that one time is as little as 20 minutes.

Whether stuck on a movie set or in the playroom with your toddler, 20 minutes can provide you enough time for squats, ab work, sit ups and glute work. You’ll even have enough time for a couple sets of jump rope or jumping jacks thrown in between each move. It will raise your heart rate, feeling the burn in your muscles and improve your daily metabolism.

Intensity. Research has shown time and time again that even though we burn a high percentage of calories from fat in the ‘fat burning zone’ or at lower intensities, the higher intensities (70-90% of your maximum heart rate) actually burn a greater number of overall calories, which is important when you want to lose weight.

Two times per week, opt for incline sprints, jump rope or kettlebells at a higher intensity for one minute coupled with weights in between. You will see your overall conditioning improve and even compliment the strength of your longer cardio days.

Higher intensity training literally incinerates the calories and gives you very fast results.

Type. What you do matters. Variety is important so you are constantly breaking plateaus and working on different types of conditioning. Not only does variety give you a new challenge (Spin class, Boot camp, Crossfit, Pilates) it will also break the boredom and ensure you do not fall into the monotonous gloom of the everyday ‘dreadmill’.

Your body was designed to adapt to a workload. Change up that workload and you will continue to see results and progress.

Time. When Tennessee Williams said it was the longest distance between two places, he may have been referring to your fitness goals.

If you like to measure the duration of a workout, commit to at least 50 minutes. Plan ahead with a circuit that has at least 5 moves in it and aim to complete at least 5 rounds.

You can start your circuit with a 15 minute warm up to start that metabolic fire!

If you prefer something with a more competitive edge, download an app that you can set your work intervals and your rest times too.  Doing as many reps as you can while timing your rests will give you the incentive to push yourself and help track your progress.

If you follow these tips, the results of all your hard work will definitely be recognizable, even if it’s not featured TMZ.

Tags: andrea orbeck, fitness, supermodel secrets