Celebrity Workouts: Look Like a Star without Spending Like One

By Stephanie Saunders

Most of the Western world looks to the stars of Hollywood to set the standard for beauty. People clamor to know who they're dating, who they're wearing, and what brand of toothpaste they use. At the top of the celebrity gossip lists is often who gained and lost weight, and how they did it. Yes, Hollywood workout methods are some of the more effective options around, but they're designed for the idle rich, so they often come with a hefty price tag and a huge time commitment.

So, what is the average person to do when trying to squeeze into a Megan Fox-sized bikini? Let's look at some trendy celebrity workouts and some alternatives that might save your bank account from ruin.

1. Piloxing™

   Yes, it's the fusion of boxing and Pilates. As I wrote this, Joseph Pilates and Rocky Marciano both rolled over in their graves. The experience could be likened to Tae Bo® light and beginning ballet. It is a cardio-based workout, in a dance studio-type setting, where one alternates between punching the air and moving one's feet like a dancer. Classes can be strenuous, and most people will break a sweat, but the price tag is around $18 for every 60-minute class. Being that it's recommended that you do it three times a week, Piloxing can be a very expensive, and possibly ineffective, workout.

   Alternative choice: If you're looking for an aggressive martial arts workout, do a little of P90X®'s Kenpo X, followed up by P90X's Yoga X.

2. Tracy Anderson Method

   Tracy Anderson's various exercise systems have developed a cult-like following; by training celebrities like Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow, she became a celebrity herself. Her training includes Pilates-type reformer work, ballet barre work, mat classes, cardio dance workouts, and a rather interesting Thera-band® workout that involves lots of giant rubber bands that are attached to the ceiling. They suggest that clients work out for at least 2 hours a day, 6 days a week, and monthly memberships are required for many of the classes, at $575 a month. Should you opt for individual classes, mat and dance classes are $25 apiece, band classes are $40, and private training is $150. Should you have this kind of excess income, and an extra 2 hours a day, I'm fairly certain that your body would initially respond to the training. Because resistance is kept at a minimum (Tracy Anderson: "No woman should lift more than 3-pound dumbbells."), your body could eventually plateau.

   Alternative choice: Chalene Johnson (Turbo Jam®, ChaLEAN Extreme®) creates high-energy, dance-based workouts that'll keep you sweatin' for months—and you can buy her entire DVD collection for less than the cost of 2 weeks with Anderson.

3. Boot Camp

   Boot camp classes, camps, and retreats have been around for a long time, but still have a huge following in the Hollywood elite. They include calisthenics, plyometrics, push-ups, pull-ups, sit-ups, and usually a lot of squats, lunges, and running. Classes range in size, length, and the number of weeks they would like you to commit to attending. The least expensive I could find in the Los Angeles area was $300 for 1 month. An "average" priced option was $720 for 1 month, with personal boot camps going into the thousands of dollars.

   Alternative choice: You want a boot camp? We got your boot camp right here, Shaun T-style. It's called INSANITY®.

4. SPX Fitness, RockIt Body™ Pilates

   SPX is a workout created by fitness guru Sebastien Lagree—performed on a machine called the Proformer—which combines Pilates, cardio, and strength training. Exercises are very similar to traditional Pilates exercises, but are performed to failure, which means the muscle group you are utilizing will cease to work. Classes are 50 minutes in length, and up to 12 participants are engaged with one instructor. A single class will cost you $39, while a month of unlimited classes begins at $249. Should you require a private session, an hour with an instructor will cost you $89.

   Alternative choice: P90X provides effective core, cardiovascular, and strength training—all without a fancy machine.

5. Mixed Martial Arts/Kickboxing

   Martial arts-based workouts have been around forever, with new crazes appearing every few years. Kickboxing, Tae Bo, Muay Thai, and now Mixed Martial Arts classes continue to provide high-intensity workouts to the Hollywood elite. These classes tend to come in the form of a monthly gym membership, where for $150 to $200, you can kick, punch, and wrestle to your heart's content. If you are looking for individual attention, which most celebrities require, private coaching can cost you the same amount, per session.

   Alternative choice: See Piloxing.

6. Private Training

   Private training can be an incredibly effective tool for the beginner and the unmotivated. The goal of the trainer should be to educate the client, so that fitness becomes part of that person's everyday life. Celebrities are known to use trainers to prepare for upcoming roles, the red carpet, and their third marriages. For the average person, training can run anywhere from $50 to $150 a session. Prices are so inflated for the rich and famous that it makes the rest of us actually happy to be normal people. Paying $350 to $500 a session for on-location training is not uncommon, which can be overwhelmingly expensive if someone trains several days a week.

   Alternative choice: You're already motivated. You're a Beachbody® member with a plethora of resources at your fingertips. You may already have your Team Beachbody® Coach who believes in you, not to mention an arsenal of programs, gear, supplements, and online support. Take advantage of all that Beachbody has to offer, and go for it.

Acting is a job. Yes, it's one that comes with a lot of money and fame, but nonetheless, it's just like going to the office every day. Part of the job is maintaining a certain appearance, which for most people will require a lot of work. For many actors, 3 to 5 hours a day of monitored exercise and a nutritionist-controlled diet is often the norm. For those of us not walking the red carpet regularly, just squeezing in 45 to 60 minutes a day is often a stretch. Additionally, most of us don't have thousands of extra dollars lying around to waste every month.

That said, you do have all of the components for success right at your fingertips. P90X, INSANITY, and ChaLEAN Extreme can create faster, more sustainable results than even the most prestigious of Hollywood workouts. So Keep Pushing Play and, before you know it, those red carpet-walking stars will be envious of you.