Celebs' Slim-Down Secrets

From Forbes.com

Forbes

Celebrities are used to getting expedited entry into the best clubs, complimentary designer clothing and invites to all-expense-paid beachfront bashes.

But when it comes to slimming down and toning up, whether it's for a movie role, the playoffs or just looking good for the paparazzi, they have to pay to play.

Celebrity trainers charge from $120 to $300 and up for an average hour-long session, which usually comes in packages of 10 or 12. But their rates may balloon to $1,000 a day when a star is preparing for the big screen, which may involve creating an off-set gym and several hours worth of daily sessions.

In Pictures: Top Celebrity Fitness Moves

But money doesn’t buy time, and often the trick can be trying to fit a great workout into their busy schedules.

"With all of my clients time is always of the essence," says fitness and wellness expert David Kirsch, author of The Ultimate New York Diet and the trainer known for getting Heidi Klum ready for a Victoria's Secret fashion show months after giving birth. "It's always two weeks to the runway, two weeks to the red carpet for a movie premiere or set. They've got to do moves that are very effective and efficient."

Money Moves

But, while stars can easily afford the latest high-tech gym equipment and production companies often include a personal trainer in a film's budget, that doesn't mean their workouts are completely out of reach for the rest of us.

Celebrity trainers, like Kirsch, say they frequently teach their clients simple moves that they can do just about anywhere--from a hotel balcony in Milan, Italy, to the beaches of St. Bart's. No excuses.

Kirsch keeps Ellen Barkin's muscles looking long and lean with stability ball scissor lifts. And to get actress Kerry Washington ready for a racy scene in the movie The Last King of Scotland, Kirsch had her do reverse crossover lunges, which tone curves.

"There's a great scene where they do a pan of her heels to her head," Kirsch says. "I said, 'Oh my god! There's my butt. Nice!' "

Time-Tested Toning

Peak Performance trainer James Bowman, who works with Claire Danes, John Leguizamo and FOX News Channel's Laurie Dhue, says stars without a lot of time on their hands tend to like workouts that give them the biggest bang for their buck, like interval training.

Instead of having clients spend 30 minutes on the treadmill, Bowman has them run for 15 seconds as hard as they can and then walk slowly for 45 seconds with six to eight reps, or for the more advanced, 10 to 12. The result is a high-intensity workout, which unlike basic jogging, increases your resting metabolic rate.

Gregory Joujon-Roche, founder of the West Hollywood lifestyle center Holistic Fitness, will spend weeks to months getting stars like Tobey Maguire and Brad Pitt ready for movies such as Spider-Man 3 and Troy. Joujon-Roche, who is generally paid by studio production companies for his work, gets script access so he can help his clients with everything from stunt choreography to learning how to gracefully swing a sword.

Buff Basics

But when it comes to giving clients exercises that work the whole body, Joujon-Roche says basic moves can have a big impact. The roundhouse kick, for instance, not only works those spots in your stomach even a sit-up can't touch, but it also teaches coordination and instills self empowerment.

If you really want to change your body, Joujon-Roche says men should do 50 push-ups a day, rain or shine, sick or sore. Women should shoot for 30.

On top of their workouts, star athletes also make the most of their stretches. To help clients such as Los Angeles Dodgers' first baseman Nomar Garciaparra build pillar or core strength, Athletes' Performance Nick Anthony teaches a move called the world's greatest stretch. It involves lunges that stretch the glutes, quads and hamstrings.

Anthony, a performance specialist with the Arizona facility's executive program, says the stretch is just as important for people in the working world, who spend much of their days slumped over their desks.

"That's not how the body is meant to operate," he says.

Beyond specific exercises, people could stand to benefit by copying some stars' attitudes about working out, says Kacy Duke, a creative consultant for Equinox Fitness Clubs and trainer for Denzel Washington, Julianne Moore and Lenny Kravitz.

"People want to know what it is they have," Duke says. "They eat and sleep and drink like we do. They have families, kids and problems. But because the public is always scrutinizing everything that they do, they have a strong sense of self. They're thinking about what they can do to better themselves and enjoy the journey."