Celebrities always seem to have the most perfect bodies, which makes sense, because they have access to some of the world’s top trainers. Who better to ask for fitness advice then than one of Sydney’s most popular celebrity trainers, Luke Istomin of Rollex Health?
Rescu. caught up with Luke and asked him to bust some of the biggest myths when it comes to making the most of your workout.
RESCU: What time of day is really the best to schedule a work out?
Luke Istomin: The best time of day to workout is the time that suits you! There are literally thousands of studies showing the positives and negatives of each time frame, but, ultimately, it’s an individual’s choice….
I always prefer and recommend to my clients to get the workout done first thing in the morning, the primary reason being, that I find my concentration and energy levels are raised dramatically post exercise session. Also, you don’t have the possibility of having to stay back at work, or something else unplanned coming up to interrupt your training if you train in the afternoon / evening. As long as you can commit to a certain training time per day, or scheduled day, then that’s the vital part.
RESCU: Is ‘spot training’ possible or should we never be able to target train?
Luke Istomin: There is a guy at my old gym that I used to train at and he would only work his arms; and I swear on my life it’s true. Six days a week he would come in to the gym, and simply do Biceps and Triceps for an hour… And you know what, they were big enough to match Arnold Schwarzenegger! Problem is, that he had the body of Paris Hilton so he looked absolutely ridiculous! So yes, you can change a singular body part if you devote hours of weights training to that part every day, but if you think you can lose some stubborn body fat from one particularly troublesome area on your body, then unless you want to look like a freak, and also bore yourself stupid by doing the same thing over and over, then stick to full body, multi joint movements to get a strong, and most importantly, symmetrical shaped physique.
RESCU: We’ve all heard the expression ‘No Pain, No Gain’ and have heard that if you’re not sweating, you’re not doing enough to lose weight – is this true?
Luke Istomin: Let’s agree right now that having a fit, toned and strong body doesn’t just ‘happen’, much to the same that Justin Beiber is a painstakingly annoying child about to make my life much more happier as we enter the first of his undoubtedly many Britney-esque meltdowns!!
RESCU: Is cardio the key to weight loss?
Luke Istomin: Certainly not THE key, but a very important piece of the weight loss puzzle none the less! Can you wear Louboutins and jeans? Well, it’s possible, but you could make a bigger impact by wearing that hot dress you’ve been dying to wear. The same applies to exercise and weight loss, you can have one part of the equation nailed, but unless all components are working synergistically, then the end result will have you searching a little longer in your weight loss cupboard of time. Combine the healthy eating from clean and as unprocessed food as possible, daily movement ranging from something as simple as a fast paced walk to a game of hockey with some friends, the key is, MOVE and get that pretty skin glowing and sweaty, your body likes it when you do that!
RESCU: Does exercising on an empty stomach help you lose weight?
Luke Istomin: Does Jessica Alba have my phone number on speed dial? I wish! However, as good as what both these statements sound in theory, the reality is, sadly for everyone, far from this.
Don’t train on an empty stomach—this lowers the body’s use of fat for fuel and results in less calorie burn during recovery.
Research shows that by eating a slow-digesting meal prior to exercise makes the body burn significantly more calories after the workout than training on an empty stomach, and a greater proportion of those calories will be from body fat.
RESCU: Are abs really born in the kitchen or can we crunch our way to a perfect stomach?
Luke Istomin: When I was in boarding school, at nighttime, the jocks used to have a ‘crunch off’, whereby they would see how many sit ups they could do before they were stopped by the burning sensation of their abdominal walls screaming at them.
They generally reached around 200 before they tapped out. It sounds kinda sexy if you’re a woman reading this and can visualize 30 buffed young dudes strutting around in their jocks looking all Calvin Kleinish…. But the small detail I forgot to mention that, was before this, we used to order a few thick crusted pizzas from Pizza Hut and woof down a few of those, (almost) food like meals after training…. And you know what, even after doing more sit-ups than a Beverly Hills Housewife gets botox, those boys still had nothing to show for it other than a sweaty, pimply back.
Apart from one guy, Josh Leahey, who was more ripped than Lindsay Lohan on a Friday night! This kid ate only veggies and lean meats at nighttime, so figure that puzzle out for yourself. As they say, you can’t out train a bad diet. And my bunch of pizza loving, ab crunching mates are living proof.
I can honestly say that apart from a few isometric planks now and again with my clients, that is the only dedicated ab workout that I do… Low bodyfat is the key to having the lusted after toned tummy, nothing more.
RESCU: And finally, what’s the most ridiculous exercise myth you’ve heard?
Luke Istomin: I’ve heard some absurd ones over the years, ranging from the old classic “If you swim straight after you’ve eaten then you will sink to the bottom”, to even eating only things beginning with the letter C…. That was actually a client of mine who in hindsight had a slight addiction to that little brown tasty square stuff… you think?
But how about a ridiculous story I experienced a few years ago…
My client who was going fantastically well on his weight loss journey, having lost the first vital 10kgs in that first few months, pulled me aside before our session and asked me to add some exercises that would really make his oblique’s (the abdominal muscles on your sides, below your ribs) and hip muscles get bigger and stronger. I was certainly perplexed, and already mildly amused, so I asked for what particular reason. He response was “I’m losing all this weight, and I have to go and buy some new clothes as my pants are starting to fall off me, so if I get bigger hip muscles and oblique’s, then I wont need to go and spend a fortune on a new wardrobe!” And I swear that’s a true story! I can bet my over mortgaged apartment and my much prized Ducati that no woman (nor most other sane men I would hope) would ever have that conundrum with losing all that weight!!
At the end of the day, exercise should be something that you do for not only your obvious health benefits, but also because you enjoy it. If you don’t like exercising by yourself or lack some motivation, then go and join a team sports or group training environment. It doesn’t matter what it is, but just get your booty moving and that will keep your head and body in check.
Celebrity trainers Luke Istomin and Rob Deutsch of Rollex Health based in Paddington have trained the likes of Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Toby Macguire and Carey Mulligan.
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