Propel® Fitness Water

Gunnar Peterson’s Insights to a Great Workout

As one of the country’s most recognized celebrity personal trainers, Gunnar Peterson, CSCS, CPT, works with a variety of Hollywood celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday people.

Whether it’s helping an actress get in shape for a big movie role or working with a professional athlete to perform at his or her peak for the upcoming season, Gunnar understands that it can be difficult for anyone to stay focused and motivated during exercise.

Below are some of Gunnar’s key insights to a great workout—whether you’re at home, outside or at the gym.

Avoid Exercise A.D.D.

For some exercisers, it can be very challenging to stay motivated to run on a treadmill for 30 or 45 minutes at a time—especially if we’re talking about doing it day in and day out!

To break up and mix up your workout, try a “4, 5, 6 reverse combination.” Do four minutes of cardio on one machine, such as an elliptical; five minutes of cardio on another machine, such as a treadmill; and six minutes of cardio on another, such as a stair climber or rower. Then go back to the first machine and do it for six minutes; then second machine, five minutes; and finish up by doing four minutes on the last machine.

This still equal your 30 minutes of cardio, but by switching it up and breaking it down this way, you will put more energy into these shorter bouts—not to mention, it helps the time go by much faster!

Cardio + Strength

Doing cardio or strength training alone won’t get you that dream body. You have to mix it up and do both when you work out!

Start off with cardio to increase your heart rate and to elevate your core temperature. Then focus on separate body parts, and cycle through them over the course of your week using a variety of weights, machines, and other equipment. Remember, muscles take anywhere from 24 to 72–plus hours to recover. You want to avoid injury at all costs and not recovering adequately is putting yourself unnecessarily at risk.

Focus on Your “Core”

Using a fitness ball is a great way to build and improve your core strength, specifically focusing on strengthening your abs and glutes. In fact, just bouncing on the ball helps build core strength and elevate core temperature!

Stay Hydrated

If you aren’t drinking fluids before, during, and after working out, your performance will suffer. When you’re dehydrated, you can’t perform as well, plus your workouts will actually feel tougher overall.

You need to drink enough fluids to match what you lose in sweat during and after a workout.* To figure out your sweat rate, weigh yourself before and after working out—if you weigh less after your workout, that signals a fluid loss and means you should be drinking more when active.

Drink the Right Types of Beverages

It’s not only important to drink up but to make sure you are drinking the right types of fluids during your workout.

For many people, drinking plain water is difficult due to the same boredom factor that can derail the workout itself. Let’s face it, over time plain anything can be boring—even plain H₂0.

If you want to make sure that you are drinking enough, try replacing your regular bottled water with something lightly flavored instead. A fitness water, such as Propel Fitness Water, has a light flavor to encourage you to drink enough and become better hydrated. Plus, it’s low in calories. If you are working out hard and also want to replace the electrolytes lost in sweat, a sports drink, such as Gatorade Thirst Quencher, is the optimal beverage.

Give Yourself Credit!

Whether you have time to do only 20 minutes of cardio or 10 minutes of strength training, give yourself credit for working out! It doesn’t matter how hectic or crazy your day is—just putting aside a few minutes to focus on yourself and on your body is what counts.

*Drink to replace sweat; don’t overdrink.

Gunnar Peterson is a Beverly Hills-based personal trainer whose clients include celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday people. With more than 15 years in the fitness industry, Gunnar is certified by the National Strength and Conditioning Association and the American Council on Exercise.