Celebrities’ Favorite Exercises for Getting and Staying Toned

When it comes to health, you’ve heard all the trends: the juice cleanses, keto diets and Cross Fit lifestyles. In today’s world of fitness and wellness, we are overwhelmed by workout plans and diets that can be confusing to figure out which one is right for you. Whether you prefer to spend your time on machines or lift weights, high-intensity workouts or low-intensity movements, there are endless ways to get moving. Always check with your doctor before embarking on a new fitness regime to make sure it’s right for you!

Below, we list some the moves that are just part of the hardest workouts in Hollywood. Remember, these stars work out with some of the best trainers in the industry who ensure they don’t hurt themselves. Some of these sets are straight from celebrity workouts, and some are trainer recommended. Go at your own pace and with the number of reps and weight that works for you!

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Female celebrity exercises

Sofia Vergara, glutes

Even at 46 years old, Sofia Vergara rocks curves that would make fans of any age envious. Sofia works with personal trainers to create different workout routines that are fun, quick and effective to help keep her body rocking. She’s a known devotee of a Pilates technique called SLT (strengthen, lengthen and tone), which uses an advanced machine called the Megaformer that focuses on resistance training. When she’s not hitting the Megaformer, Sofia also has specific moves to keep her glutes in check from celebrity trainer Julio Cruz.

Single Deadlift to Reverse Lunge

1. Stand on a slightly bent left leg with a weight in your right hand.

2. Bend forward with your back straight and reach the weight straight down toward the floor. Simultaneously keep your right leg straight and put it back until your right leg and arm are parallel.

3. Return to your starting position, continuing to keep your weight in your left leg.

4. Send the same leg back into a reverse lunge once you have tapped your toe.

5. Return to the starting position and repeat 10 times on one side.

6. Switch and repeat on the opposite side for four sets, each side.

Toes Out Squat

1. Place a short step stool under your booty and place a weight bar centered across your neck.

2. Stand a little more than hip distance apart and point your toes out slightly.

3. Sit down toward the stool and lightly tap it.

4. Rise back to standing squeezing your booty as you come up.

5. Repeat 15 times for four sets.

Jennifer Lopez, glutes

Jennifer Lopez has been a star for close to two decades, and the 49-year-old singer and actress shows no signs of slowing down. She and boyfriend Alex Rodriguez are always pushing themselves in the world of fitness, recently sharing on Instagram that they were embarking on a 10-day challenge of no sugar or carbs. In addition to a healthy diet, J.Lo also is serious about her workout regimen. She’s worked with longtime trainer David Kirsch to keep in shape and isn’t afraid to work up a sweat while doing so.

Single Leg Deadlifts

1. Start with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Balancing on your right leg, bend at the waist and reach your left hand down to your right foot; extend your left leg straight behind you. Hold a dumbell in the hand you are bending with.

2. Keep both hips square during the movement and return to the starting position to complete one rep. Perform 15 reps on each leg.

Platypus Walk

1. Start in a plié squat position, making sure your knees are aligned with your feet.

2. Put your hands behind your head and walk forward in that position. Walk back and forth for 10 reps

Kim Kardashian, glutes

Kim Kardashian is known for her impressive hourglass shaped body that can break the Internet, but it takes a lot of hard work to keep her figure. Kim’s trainer, Melissa Alcantara, works her 6 days a week. The duo focuses 85% of their time together on weight training and about 15% on cardio. Alcantara shared four tips for keeping Kim’s head in the game: set a goal, plan ahead, stay disciplined, and recite your routine.

Weighted Hip Thrust

1. Sitting on the floor with your legs extended, rest your back against a stable bench.

2. Place a towel or shoulder cushion on the bar for comfort (optional). Roll the barbell over your thighs until the bar is directly above your hip joints.

3. Brace your core. As you drive your heels into the ground, squeeze your glutes, lifting your hips up to full extension. With control, lower back down to the ground. Do 3 sets of 10 reps.

Glute Kickbacks

1. Kneel on the floor or exercise mat in a kneeling push-up position with your arms shoulder width apart.

2. Light your right leg until your hamstrings are in line with your back.

3. Return to the starting position and repeat with your left leg. Complete five sets of 30 reps

Britney Spears, abs

Last year, the Princess of Pop got ready to embark on her Piece of Me tour, and with that came a whole new workout routine to stay in shape on the road. Britney Spears shared some of her favorite moves via Instagram, giving fans a taste of what the star does to get herself ready for the acrobatics and dancing of her on-stage shows.

Resistance Band Donkey Kicks

1. Attach a resistance band to a barre or chair, and place one foot in the handle of the band.

2. Keep your hands bent on the barre or chair and kick your leg back and out, bend your knee in, and repeat.

3. Complete 12 reps, then switch legs.

Kettlebell Swings

1. Start with feet slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, knees soft. Hold the kettlebell with both hands.

2. With a flat back, hike the bell between your legs, thrusting hips forward and keeping abs tight.

3. Allow the kettlebell to pull you back to start, holding it out in front of you. Repeat for 15 reps, 3 sets.

Halle Berry, abs

When it comes to staying in shape, few can do it like Halle Berry does. The actress and producer shares Fitness Friday videos on her Instagram, where she shares with her followers some of her killer workout moves. Not only will her routine help you feel more confident, but a strong core will also help support other parts of your body.

Hanging Oblique Crunch

1. Start out by hanging from a pullup bar.

2. Bend knees and lift them to the left side of your body

3. Return to start, then repeat on the right side.

Bear Crawls with a Bench

1. Start on all fours facing a bench.

2. Keep knees hovering off the floor, and lift one hand up and placing it on the bench.

3. Repeat the same movement with the other hand and then return to start position, one hand at a time, to complete a rep.

Jennifer Aniston, arms

If you want arms like your favorite celebs, it’s going to take a lot of work. Ever since the days of Friends, Jennifer Aniston has boasted incredibly toned arms that look stunning on the red carpet — however, she typically trains six days a week for up to two hours! She’s also began practicing boxing with trainer Leyon Azubuike to get in shape for the comedy movie We’re The Millers.

Chest Press

1. Wrap a resistance band around both hands, and press the band around your back.

2. Push your hands out in front of you, and cross arms. Return to starting position.

3. Keep knees bent slightly to prevent injury. Continue for two minutes.

Male celebrity exercises

Zac Efron, lats

When Baywatch premiered in theaters in the summer of 2017, Zac Efron’s new body may have made more of a splash than the movie itself. To prepare for the role, Zac worked with trainer Patrick Murphy to achieve a mere 5% body fat in just 12 weeks of training. This workout included supersetting, meaning doing two exercises back-to-back with no rest in between. There’s a lot of burn, but you’ll surely see some results.

Straight-Arm Pulldown

1. Stand behind a lat-pulldown machine and grasp the bar with your grip shoulder width apart.

2. Bend your hips back until your arms are stretched overhead.

3. Pull the bar down to your hips with arms straight.

4. Repeat 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

Lat Pulldown Bar

1. Set up at a lat-pulldown machine, kneeling on the floor.

2. Allow the bar to stretch your lats and pull the bar to your collarbone.

3. Repeat 3 sets of 8-12 reps.

Michael B. Jordan, abs

Training to play the son of Apollo Creed is no small feat, but Michael B. Jordan was up for the challenge for the movie Creed. He enlisted the help of trainer Corey Calliet to help transform his body into one of a boxing champion. While getting in the ring was an important part of their routine, Calliet developed a full body exercise to help Michael get into his best shape. He completed abs every other day including standard crunches and situps, as well as the following moves.

Leg Raises

1. Lie on the floor with legs extended.

2. With legs together and straight, raise legs perpendicular to the floor, slowly lowering to a few inches above the floor.

3. Complete 3 sets of 25 reps.

Reverse Crunches

1. Lie on the floor with legs extended with feet hovering a few inches off the floor.

2. Tuck knees to into your chest, pause, and then lower back to start without allowing feet to touch.

3. Complete 3 sets of 25 reps.

Toe Touches

1. Lie on the floor with legs extended and arms by your sides.

2. Raise legs perpendicular to the floor and lift your torso off floor to reach arms to touch toes.

3. Slowly lower back to start; complete 3 sets of 25 reps.

Chris Pratt, cardio power circuit  

From a chubby goofball on Parks & Rec to superhero stud in Guardians of the Galaxy, Chris Pratt wowed the world with his body transformation. In six months, Chris managed to drop 60 pounds over the course of six months with trainer Duffy Gaver providing an intense workout regimen and nutritionist Phil Goglia setting him up with a meticulous diet plan. In addition to massive amounts of muscle training, Chris Pratt spent a lot of time focusing on cardio circuits, kicked off with a half mile run.

Power Clean

1. Stand with feet hip-width apart and bend at the hips to grasp a barbell at shoulder width.

2. While keeping your lower back flat, push through your heels as you extend your hips to lift the barbell. Pull the bar in towards you so your shoulders stay in front of the bar.

3. As the bar clears your knees, focus on extending your ankles, knees and hips at the same time.

4. Complete 3-5 sets of 15 reps.

Bench Press

1. Using a barbell, grasp just outside shoulder width and arch your back so there’s space between your lower back and the bench.

2. Pull the barbell out of the rack and lower it to your sternum, keeping your elbows tucked to your sides. When the barbell touches, drive your feet into the floor and press the bar back up.

3. Complete 3-5 sets of 10 reps.  

High Box Jump

1. Use a box that is high enough to be challenging, but low enough to jump on safely (Pratt used a 30” box).

2. Stand behind the box and swing your arms behind you as you bend your hips and knees to gain momentum.

3. Jump up on the box and land softly. If you land in a deep squat, the box is likely too high.

4. Step off the box (do not jump). Complete 3-5 sets of 5 reps.

Channing Tatum, HIIT full body

When Magic Mike hit the big screen, women across the world wanted Channing Tatum, and men wanted to look like him. In order to gain the most amount of lean muscle in a short amount of time, Channing would change his routine every three days with one day of rest so he wouldn’t plateau and halt muscle growth. For Magic Mike XXL, he and trainer Arin Babaian focused on full days of exercise and strict dieting to get in shape for the film.

Day 1:

1. 5 sets of 10 pull-ups

2. 5 sets of 30 kettlebell swings

3. 5 sets of 50 walking lunge steps

Day 2:

1. 7 sets of 150 rope skips

2. 7 sets of clean and jerks

Day 3:

1. 3 sets of 100 mountain climbers

2. 3 sets of 75 push-ups

3. 3 sets of 50 sit-ups

4. 3 sets of 25 box jumps

Chris Hemsworth, legs

Chris Hemsworth graces the big screen as Thor in several Marvel Universe films, and his training routine to becoming the God of Thunder is nothing short of intense. His workouts alternate between heavy weightlifting, bodyweight circuits and also Muay Thai drills. Chris will train for six days a week for an hour at a time, focusing on one major muscle set at a time. On day three of the week, he’ll hit legs.

Back Squat

1. Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, with your feet facing forward.

2. Rest a loaded barbell across the back of your shoulders and holding it with an overhand grip.

3. Drop into a squat position by pushing your hips backwards and bending at the knee. Once you reach squat position, drive your hips upwards bringing you back to start position.

4. Complete 7 sets in variable reps of 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 3.

Single Leg Curl

1. Lay face down on a leg curl machine. The padding should be positioned at your ankles.

2. Squeeze your hamstrings and curl the weight up as far as possible using one leg.

3. Continue to keep hamstrings tight and your upper leg against the pad. Inhale, and bring leg back to starting position.

4. Complete 3 sets of 20 reps on each leg.

Standing Calf Raise

1. Stand with your legs shoulder-width apart with your toes flat on the edge of a box or step; have your heels and mid-foot hanging off the edge.

2. Push your toes into the box or step so your heels raise up, pause, then lower back into starting position. You’ll feel a stretch in your calves.

3. Resist making this a bouncy movement, and focus on controlling the movement throughout

4. Complete 3 sets of 20 reps.

While diet and exercise are important for everyone, all bodies are different and exercise will change them in different ways. If you try one of your favorite celebs workouts and it doesn’t feel like a fit, try something else! And even if you can’t work out with Hollywood’s top trainers, grab a friend and give some of these a try.