How Do I Get Swole like My Trainer?
From B/Spoke to Barry's Bootcamp, these Boston-based trainers are all subscribing to one fitness modality outside of what they regularly teach—and so should you.
Photo via Getty Images/skynesher
There you are, sweating away in spin class week after week, and yet somehow, still lacking what you might desire most: a body composition change. Sure, your favorite trainer is teaching 10 classes a week, but you’re in half of them. What gives? Where are your beefy biceps and sculpted six-pack?
The answer, of course, is multi-faceted. And besides including a proper diet and sufficient rest and recovery, one of the biggest differentiators is that trainers don’t only exercise in their classes. Trainers partake in all kinds of fitness (it’s kinda their thing), and it’s those other choices that may have a lot to do with the gains you’re so focused on achieving.
Lucky for you, we asked a few local trainers what their secret is, and the answer was pretty consistent: structured strength training programs. Incorporating some type of strength training into your routine not only increases your resting metabolic rate (a.k.a., burning more calories at rest), helping you to build muscle and the physique you’ve always wanted, but it’ll help you to be better at all the other activities you enjoy doing.
Below, read on to see how they’re making it work. Just remember: Instructors are a special breed. Feel free to be inspired by them, but don’t feel pressured to keep up with them. Also? Fit looks different on everyone.
Kara Lennon, B/Spoke
How many times she teaches a week: 11-14 rides, along with four Train bootcamp classes
What else she’s doing: Running 1-2 times per week and 2-3 heavy lifting gym sessions
What she says: “Getting my own training sessions in outside of my job is super important to me because the majority of my ‘work’ workouts are cardio based. It’s important for me personally and professionally to cross train. Personally, I’m working on lateral and core strength for an upcoming fall marathon and professionally, it helps me perform as an athlete and stay healthy/free of injury.”
Daniel Distefano, Barry’s Bootcamp
How many times he teaches a week: 14 Barry’s classes and 4-5 hours of personal training
What else he’s doing: 1-2 hours of CrossFit, one Barry’s Bootcamp class, and some sort of outside endurance training
What he says: “Interval and weight training has helped tremendously with being able to work with an elevated heart rate. For example, with road running, not only do I feel strong and durable, but I am able to actively recover more effectively.”
Elise Caira, Sweat Fixx
How many times she teaches a week: 12-14 Sweat Fixx classes
What else she’s doing: Isolation strength exercises every day incorporating a 10-20 minute warm-up, supersets, and maybe some additional interval training
What she says: “I constantly get questioned about my lack of cardio. Pushing myself with weights is where I see changes in my body and it makes me feel like an athlete again. At the end of the day I feel my best when I feel strong, when I feel like an athlete, when I can lift weights while cross training and not miss a beat when my heart rate is up.”
Billy Gamble, Yoga
How many times he teaches a week: 14 yoga classes
What else he’s doing: Three powerlifting sessions a week, which includes two big lifts (squats, bench, and/or deadlift) plus varying accessory lifts
What he says: “Yoga is great, but it doesn’t train upper body pulling movements or increase overall strength the way weightlifting does. I think it’s important to integrate other forms of physical activities outside of the yoga studio. With that being said, yoga is a great form of active recovery for lifting and has taught me how to move my physical body before moving adding any sort of weight.”
