by Valerie Waters and Chad Waterbury
Some people say, “I don’t want to look like Arnold, I just want to tone up.” Or, “I don’t want to get bulky. I want long lean muscles.”
Do either of those statements nauseate you? Well, they shouldn’t as this is the language most women speak. It doesn’t matter if there’s no such thing as “toning,” per se. And of course, we trainers know that muscles won’t actually become longer. What she’s saying is she doesn’t want to overdevelop her muscles, especially in the wrong areas.
In Hollywood movies, a specific look is portrayed by most females: lean and tight but without the salient vein-popping muscles that you see on Ms. Olympia types. No eight-pack abs. No huge quads. Just a delicate and precise balance of curves in all the right places.
Some girls want to look like a Ms. Olympia competitor. Other girls want a little less muscle and aim for a title in a figure competition. Those are admirable goals but they don’t represent the look that most female beach-goers strive for.
Think about newsstand fitness magazines. How many are devoted solely to female bodybuilding? Zero. How many are devoted to Figure competitors? A couple. Now, think about this: how many magazines use the bodies of female celebrities as their ideal? Dozens and dozens!
Why? Because most women favor the Jennifer Garner look over anything else. Were it not true, Hollywood would cast Iris Kyle in a New York minute.
Iris Kyle.
No judgment, however, is being laid on anyone. If you want to be a soccer player, you must train like one. If you want to be a bodybuilder, you must train like one. The same goes for those who want to develop the female body that Hollywood embraces.
Of course, genetics are at play when it comes to achieving the body you want, but you also must realize the programming is specific to this look. You can’t just follow any type of program and expect to get the same results as Jennifer Garner or Rachel Nichols, nor, might I add, as Monica Brant or Mia Hamm. But regardless who you admire, if you follow their protocol you have a greater chance of achieving a similar result.
Electra, a.k.a. Jennifer Garner
I recently had lunch with celebrity fitness trainer, Valerie Waters. I get a kick out of chatting with Valerie because I always learn a thing or two that surprises me. She does know how to build muscle and strength. And she really knows how to melt fat off her clients. Most of all, she can meet those demands while making a girl excited to get into a bikini.
Here are two reasons why I wanted to bring her to the world of MWA. First, her clients get results — fast. Second, she’s probably the most misunderstood trainer in hard-core fitness circles.
If you think Valerie is just another pink-dumbbell-trainer, you don’t know her training principles the way many of my colleagues and I do. Alwyn Cosgrove, Mark Verstegen, Mike Boyle, and Jason Ferruggia, just to name a few, all respect the system she follows. And we really respect the kind of results Valerie gets with her clients.
The primary difference between Valerie’s programming principles and many other renowned strength coaches is simply loading. Since her clients don’t want to get big, she favors progression plans that focus on adding reps or creating instability such as, going from a squat to a single leg squat to a single leg squat on an Airex pad.
Have you seen Jennifer Garner’s body in Elektra? Yowser! That’s the work of Valerie. And when Rachel Nichols landed the role as Scarlett in the upcoming film G.I. Joe, Valerie changed her program from “Sexy Starlette Training” to “Hollywood Action Babe Training.”
When Valerie and I had lunch she handed me the program that she has Rachel on to prepare her role in
G.I. Joe. I read through the parameters and was impressed, to say the least. Rachel’s program consists of four total body circuits, 24 different exercises, 43 total sets, and virtually no rest between exercises.
I thought, “Wow, this is definitely a well-rounded program.” Then I realized the parameters I was looking at were for only one training session! It’s no wonder Valerie’s the trainer who agents call when Hollywood needs to portray a curvy action babe.
I convinced Valerie to share a total body, butt-kicking “Rachel Nichols Workout” for MWA. There’s a definite difference between this program and the Red Carpet Ready program. “A” is a strength workout probably more familiar to MWA readers than either the Red Carpet Ready workout or workout “B” of this program.
“B” is a high intensity, fat busting, high rep, light weight workout, and there’s no mistaking this from workout “A” when you’re doing it. It is the combination of A and B together that makes this program so successful. Not only will it build strength and endurance, but it will create shape and muscle definition. Do 3 workouts per week, alternating between A & B with 48 hours rest in between. If you train on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, your first week will be ABA. The next week will be BAB, and so on.
Give these workouts a try and you’ll quickly understand why she’s a top body transformation expert!
This is your strength workout to stimulate muscle mass and create a metabolic disturbance with full body workouts. You should be familiar with most of these exercises. The difficulty lies in the lack of rest between exercises. The suggested weight is merely a guide, but these are big circuits so don’t go as heavy as usual your first time through.
A1) Straight leg swings for 10 reps.
A2) Plie squat for 10 reps.
A3) Reverse lunge with arms overhead (a.k.a. Warrior lunge) for 10 reps.
Rest 60 seconds and move to Circuit 1.
Do this movement prep circuit once.
B1) Single leg squat to flat bench for 10 reps w/ 5 lbs in each hand.
Note: stand facing away from a flat bench while holding a dumbbell in each hand and push your hips back until your glutes touch the bench and stand up.
B2) Chin ups for 6-8 reps (or 10-12 reps with assistance).
B3) Romanian dead Lift for 12 reps w/ 25-30 lb bar.
B4) Bench press for 12 reps w/ 55-65 lbs.
B5) Stability ball crunch for 15-20 reps w/ 10 lb plate
Rest 60-90 seconds between circuits.
Do circuit 3 times.
C1) Valslide reverse lunge with weight on 1 side for 10 reps w/ 10-12 lbs (holding a weight on just one side forces the core to stabilize).
C2) Seated cable row for 10 reps w/ 45 lbs.
C3) Forward lunge with 1 arm shoulder press for 10 reps w/ 8-10 lbs.
C4) Roman chair knee ups for 15-20 reps.
Rest 60-90 seconds between circuits.
Do circuit 3 times.
D1) Plie squat with dumbbell for 12 reps w/ 15-20 lb kettlebell.
D2) Triceps extension with rope for 12 reps w/ 45 lbs.
D3) Biceps curl for 12 reps w/ EZ curl bar + 10 lbs.
D4) Valslide mountain climber on medicine ball for 15 reps, each side.
Rest 60-90 seconds between circuits.
Do circuit 3 times.
Workout B: Burn
(48 hours later)
This is your high intensity, metabolically challenging endurance workout to force your body to feed off your fat reserves for energy. It moves very fast with little to no rest. More of these moves may be unfamiliar to you, so we’ve provided pictures to help you out.
Movement prep
Same as workout A, do exercises A1-A3.
B1) Step-ups to high step for 15 reps (rt. leg up, rt. leg down).
B2) Forward lunge with floor touch for 12 reps, then switch legs.
B3) Valslide reverse lunge for 20 reps, then switch legs.
B4) Kayaker on ball for 15 reps, each side.
B5) Modified Turkish get-up for 15 reps.
Rest 60 seconds between circuits.
Do circuit 2-3 times.
C1) Valband side steps for 15 steps each way.
C2) Valslide side lunge for 20 reps each way.
C3) Bent over row for 15-20 reps X 8 lbs in each hand.
C4) Valslide modified push up fly for 8 reps each side.
(Note: the hand over the Valslide pushes out to the side as you lower and pulls back in as you push up. Repeat with opposite side.)
C5) Valslide painful push-away for 15 reps.
(Note: push your hips up and push your arms forward as far as your strength allows.)
Rest 60 seconds between circuits
Do circuit 2-3 times.
D1) Shoulder press for 15-20 reps, each side X 5-8 lbs in each hand.
D2) Alternating biceps curl for 20 reps, each side X 8 lbs in each hand.
D3) Dips for 15-20 reps.
D4) Single straight-arm crunch to opposite side for 12 reps.
D5) Ball roll-away for 25 reps.
Rest 60 seconds between circuits
Do circuit 2-3 times.
These workouts will transform and the Hollywood program has the track record to prove it. If you’re a girl who can build too much muscle mass, or if you know a girl who wants to get ready for bikini season, these are the workouts that will do it!
For more information, contact Valerie at www.valeriewaters.com
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