If you're a fitness enthusiast, hearing about the workout routines of others – celebrities and influencers included – is always interesting. It can be a good source of inspiration for you next gym session, or motivation if you're feeling a little sluggish (but as always, we urge you to keep in mind that exercise, which also has a tonne of mental health benefits, as well as physical ones, should never be a way of punishing your body, but rather appreciating it). So, we were intrigued to hear what Kim Kardashian-West's personal trainer, Melissa Alcantara, had to say during a new podcast chat.
Speaking on The Joe Wicks Podcast to exercise entrepreneur, Joe Wicks (if you hadn't already guessed from the name), Melissa divulged the style of training she prefers to use when working with her celebrity client – and it sounds like there's a lot of repetition and education involved.
"We’ve done bicep curls a million times, but I will still always explain to her [Kim] how to do a bicep curl," said Melissa, adding that they usually train five or six times a week. "I want her to learn. I don’t want her to just do what I tell her for an hour… If you don’t take what you’ve learned in this life and pass that on… what’s the point?"
While bicep curls are of course just one small part of the overall picture of Kim's regime, the move can be a great starting point for anybody keen to tone up their arms (mixed with other moves such as shoulder presses, chest presses and push ups).
Melissa also shared some tactics that she finds helpful on the mental health front, explaining that her mind is often prone to racing. This led her to book in with a therapist, who she says introduced her to the idea of mindfulness, "I was always [thinking about] the past, or the future, and giving myself anxiety. I didn't understand why. So [my therapist told me] to always say this little mantra: ‘I'm driving; I'm walking; I'm cooking.' It brings you back to the moment."
As for how Melissa and Kim came to meet, the PT told Joe that it was all thanks to the power of social media: Kim literally slid into her DMs and changed her life. "[At the time], we were renting a two-bedroom apartment that we couldn't afford… I was selling a workout programme for $50. Every two weeks, a person would buy it and we would jump up and down. We were $40,000 in debt and we paid our debt on that day. It was insane."
Everyone's clicking on...
Anybody else got the urge to train now?
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Title: Kayla Itsines 14-minute ab workout
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Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
