In the very particular universe of reality TV weight-loss and workout show personalities, superstar trainer Jackie Warner is neither the most punishing nor the most manic. Her past shows for Bravo -- Work Out and Thintervention -- were, of course, edited for maximum drama. With her clients themselves, though, Warner never resulted to yelling, boot camp-style, nor got too touchy-feely -- it was mostly no-nonsense toughness, a get-down-to it attitude that you could take or leave.
This was also the case with the real-life Warner, who arrived in Miami
this past weekend for a free workout at the Raleigh Hotel sponsored by
Evian. The partnership made sense. Anyone who's read Warner's books or
seen her on TV will know she borders on water-obsessed, claiming that
three liters of water a day will boost the metabolism.
Following Evian's theme of "Live Young," Warner led a few dozen media
types and fitness fanatics through an intense hour-long circuit workout
of the kind she promotes in her shows and books, the most recent
being the, err, ambitiously titled 10 Pounds in 10 Days. Think
simple but tough bodyweight moves, working complex muscle groups, done
back to back to back to back to back to back to back....
We've got a Q&A with Warner after the jump, as well as her full routine, just in case anyone out there is crazy brave enough to try to duplicate it.
Let's get real: This was at 10 a.m. on a Saturday morning on South Beach, an hour some denizens of the island more often catch on the wrong side. Roasting away in the already-intense morning heat was enough to make one feel like, well, a poached piece of crap, even stone-cold sober and well-slept. (Thank God for all that Evian.)
The contrast between an early-for-Miami morning event and its decadent surroundings was distinct -- but guess what? Warner assured us that not all is lost, fitness-wise, for the night crawlers among us. You may just have to exercise a little restraint for a while. We caught up with her for a quick chat before the workout, during which Warner, already pumped, refused to sit and instead took our questions standing.
Cultist: Considering our setting, do you think it's still possible to go out late at night, have a few drinks, and still balance that with a decent body and lifestyle?
Warner: Trainers do it all the time.
How do they manage it?
They hit the gym hard the next day and every day after. They eat clean, but they still allow alcohol, knowing that's going to be the thing they cheat with. So they're eating two fruits a day, four vegetables, three lean proteins a day, two good fats a day -- they're eating extremely well. So you can have some bad influences if, on the whole, you eat very, very clean and put in the time at the gym.
For someone who's, uh, still trying to get to that point, what would you advise?
I'd advise cutting out alcohol completely for at least two weeks to allow your brain chemistry to break the addiction. It's really an addiction to sugar. I'll tell you what alcohol does to you. It's not that it's a huge weight gainer, because wine only has 120 calories, and vodka has about 65 calories. It's not about a huge calorie count. It's because it actually halts the production of fat-burning hormones. It decreases your own production of HGH, estrogen, and testosterone while you sleep. That's why you get soft, and that's why I can always tell who's a drinker.
Okay, but if you had to pick a drink to have while out, what would you suggest?
Vodka, because it's a slow-digesting carb, and it's low in calories.
Okay, then if you had to pick between sleep after a late night out, and working out, what would you pick?
Working out, which would help you sleep the following night. During a workout you get a huge release of hormones, as well as surges of norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin, which you need to feel really balanced and peaceful.
Try Jackie Warner's circuit workout from the Raleigh below -- but we recommend doing so without a hangover. You'll need a resistance band and, if you're a newbie to this kind of workout, Google to look up any foreign-sounding moves. Follow all the moves in a circuit back to back, then immediately go back to the beginning and repeat the entire sequence the number of times indicated. Rest only between each individual circuit; the entire program should take about an hour.
Warm-up Circuit (five sets)
10 squats, 10 push-ups, 10 crunches
Circuit One (two sets)
20 squats with side leg raise (alternating legs), 20 squat jumps, 20 T push-ups, 60 mountain climbers
Circuit Two (one set)
15 front and back lunges for each leg (lunge forward, then back on one leg for one rep of one leg); 20 split jumps; 20 push-up crawls; 20 leg jacks
Circuit Three (two sets)
20 glute donkey kicks to side (do 20 reps on one side, then switch to the other for a full set of reps); 20 single-leg crossed glute bridges followed by 20 raised-leg glute bridges on same side (finish all reps for one side, then switch sides); 20 reverse crunches; 20 frog-leg crunches
Circuit Four (two sets)
20 resistance band hammer curdles; 20 resistance band front punches; 20 one-arm resistance band triceps extensions (finish 20 reps on one side, then switch); 20 resistance band lat raises to resistance band front raises
Circuit Five (two sets)
20 reverse plank lifts; 20 side planks with reach-through twist (each side)
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