Wedding wishlist: Perfect dress, beautiful flowers, happy family, no rain, tiny waist, toned arms.
Like enlisting a seamstress, a florist, a photographer, and a baker, hiring a personal trainer is becoming the norm for many brides. After all, you can no longer hide those wedding photos in the cabinet…#SocialMedia.
Curious about what working with a personal trainer looks like, we asked People Magazine’s “Sexiest Trainer,” Angelo Grinceri to discuss how he goes about helping a bride reach her potential and feel fabulous for her big day.
What is the main reason brides-to-be may seek your services? What are they hoping to achieve?
The majority of women that I see are looking to improve their overall body; they want to tighten up, and get rid of a few pounds. That might consist of a lifted butt, a more pronounced thigh gap, a trimmer core, toned arms, and improved posture.
One thing that I’ve noticed is that they want to be proud of their efforts leading up to the wedding. The last thing a woman wants is to feel like she could have looked better on her wedding day. Knowing that they pushed themselves and they sought out professional help really does improve their confidence and overall happiness leading up to that special day.
How do you maintain a bride’s expectations on achieving goals? And how do you measure success?
From the get-go, daily habits are discussed. Achieving goals is a joint effort between the client and trainer (I don’t have a magic wand!)
I measure success on how they feel throughout the day. Did their energy and mood improve? Are their clothes fitting better? Is their seamstress freaking out about how their body is continually changing as their wedding date approaches?
Is there a specific area of the body that is of concern for the majority of brides, or do you find that it differs?
Yes!! Thighs, butt, core, and arms. The normal! No girl wants bulky thighs – so avoid
How do you go about establishing a workout plan for the bride-to-be? What types of things do you take into consideration for each bride?
Well, first I take note of their body type, posture, and skin. Then I bring them through a series of basic movements to get an idea of their base line strength through different body positions, core strength, coordination, and asymmetries from one side of their body to the other.
For example, do they have to lose 20+lbs or do they just need to tone with a slight amount of fat loss? Do they have a lot of tightness through the hamstrings and hips? Are spine joints or ankles restricted? Do they always lose their balance while stepping with one foot compared to the other?
Most importantly, I am looking for weak links in the body. They have to be addressed first to ensure client success. Without pain or injury the client is happier, more active throughout the day, and much more consistent!
How long before the big day should the bride get started in order to achieve the set goals? What is the ideal amount of time to dedicate to this plan each week?
Well, referring back to the previous question, it depends on their individual needs from the inside out! If a client is heavily overweight, has a weak core, a slouched posture, or preexisting injuries, starting 3+ months away from the reception date is a necessity.
I usually want to see someone 3-9 months ahead of time. This allows a great foundation to be built, taking advantage of the body adaptation cycles. I like to see clients 3-5 days a week depending on their commitment levels, capabilities, and how much I enjoy working with them. Their success isn’t just from meeting with me for an hour a day, it comes with a combination of embodying my wellness lifestyle guidelines all day long! – lets be real, living up to the person you want to be takes consistent effort – I just provide the easiest to follow and most effective guidelines.
“Mindful eating” is a huge part of creating a balanced and realistic fitness plan!
How does stress-control and nutrition fit into the plan?
Stress and nutrition are HUGE.
My simplest form of nutrition advice is to avoid eating when stressed. Food never actually improves the underlying emotional discomforts leading to the excess eating. Look to living a lifestyle full of REAL food and avoiding the snacks and treats.
For stress, I often suggest doing a quick 10-15 minute follow along meditation – I recently suggested a few from Erin Brock – which my last client used in preparation for her royal wedding and she mentioned it helped tremendously
What are a few of your top tips for brides to tone up before their wedding?
Mindful eating. Be mindful of what you’re putting in your body, reduce intake of processed foods, and increase intake of nutrient dense vegetables! this will do wonders for your skin and complexion, as well as your waist!
Processed foods and sugar binges can lead to hormonal imbalances, energy crashes, and skin breakouts.
Don’t overdo it. Creating your dream wedding can add a lot of mental stress to your daily life. Trust in the transformation process of your body and take one day at a time.
Being active on a daily basis is a great way to combat this added stress. I’ve seen first-time exercisers push themselves too hard too soon, resulting in inconsistent results. Overtraining and underrating is a combination for disappointment.
What are your thoughts on waist trainers? Is that a healthy way to reshape the body? Do you have alternative methods for results if not?
I absolutely despise waist trainers. Yes, they work wonders on shrinking your waist (FOR THE TIME BEING) however, with combining waist trainers and a sedentary lifestyle (prolonged sitting/driving/desk) you are buying yourself a fast track ticket for body weakness, leading to muscular dysfunction and lower back, shoulder, and neck pain! The full body movements and exercises that make up my approach to reshaping the body, tones from the inside out. This approach avoids training the core with repetitive crunches that often leave the stomach bulky
What are some simple tips to get those who find it hard to be healthy started on a plan?
Take it one day at a time, and most importantly start each day with a healthy morning. After establishing a healthy morning routine, continuing into the day becomes much, much easier!
- Start with 2-4 glasses of water first thing in the morning before drinking any coffee.
- Work on being more active throughout the day, any chance that you can. It can be as simple as taking a few flights of stairs, not searching for the closest parking spot, and taking your children to the park and interacting with them instead of just watching them while sipping your macchiato.
- To get a taste of my proven approach to training, check out some of my 15-minute, no-equipment-needed morning workouts on YouTube!
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