Want J. Lo’s body? 8 tips from her trainer, Gunnar Peterson

* by Margarita Bertsos, Margarita Shapes Up, Glamour, on Thu Dec 18, 2008 7:50am

1217-gunnar_margarita_workout2_mu.jpgThink Gunnar Peterson—the man who keeps Hollywood buff—doesn’t know what it’s like to have a belly roll? “I used to be a fat kid,” he told me. “In basketball, when we played “shirts” vs. “skins,” I would sooner knock out the kid in front of me than be a “skin.” My mom sent me to Weight Watchers meetings in Houston, Texas, when I was 10 years old.” I had the chance to work out with Gunnar (nicest guy ever!) last week and pick his brain about what it takes to really shape up. Here’s what he wants you to know.


1. It isn’t about what you’re doing, it’s about how hard you’re working! Always ask yourself: Am I working as hard as I can be? There’s a guy at the gym who gets on the StairMaster every day, and I can always tell when he gets to the financial section—he slows down. If you’re able to read the paper, you probably aren’t working hard enough. People think, for example, that the elliptical machine isn’t an effective form of cardio, but it can be—anything can be. When you’re on the elliptical machine, the key is to look at your strides per minute, find a strides-per-minute marker that makes you really push yourself (it’ll be different for everyone, but most people should try not to go under 100), and then work to stay within five strides more or less than that for the duration of your workout.

2. Set the bar at 100%. When it comes to your fitness goals, if you say to yourself, “I’m going to aim for an average body,” you’re setting the bar low, so the results may be even lower. Shoot for a “perfect” body, and you’ll be pretty darn happy when you get a pretty rockin’ one. (Check out the best celebrity body transformations of 2008 for inspiration!)

3. When you’re building a house, you have to take the time to step outside of it and look at what you’ve done. It’s important to stop from time to time to acknowledge what an amazing thing you’re doing for yourself and how far you’ve come—however far you’ve come. Don’t wait until you’ve reached your final goal to pat yourself on the back—or to take a break! Everyone deserves one.

4. When it comes to food, don’t always trade down. Constant deprivation is no way to live. Don’t always skip the delicious stuff for raw carrots and brown rice. (Eat so much more with these delicious alternatives to your favorite high-calorie treats!)

5. The scale causes more injuries than any other piece of equipment in the gym. When I opened my gym, I got rid of the scales! Stepping on a scale empowers an inanimate object—every time you get on it, you turn over the helm of your emotional well being to something that doesn’t care about you. Just think about how you feel when you’re working hard and loving your body, and then the numbers on the scale tell you you’ve gained four pounds! Want to know if you’ve gained or lost weight? Put on your favorite pair of jeans.

6. Squats are the king of all exercises. They’re a multijoint compound move that work the biggest muscle group of the body—the gluts. Metabolically, consider squats your BFF.

7. Go to bed. Pick up a copy of Power Sleep, by James Mass, and I swear you’re going to say to everything that’s causing your sleep deprivation, “Screw you, I’m going to bed!” (Tossing and Turning? The Surprising Reasons Why You're Not Sleeping.)

8. You can’t “blow it” in a week. Even if you’ve had a week of holiday parties and eggnog overload, don’t give up. You don’t have to start from scratch! I once ate a jar (a whole jar!) of peanut butter every night for a month (just to see how it would affect my body), and I gained eight pounds that month. A little weight gain is reversible—just don’t let eight pounds turn into 40!