Celebody: The "Mark Wahlberg workout" for women

Nov 07, 2012 4:00 AM by Whitney English

Posted in Health & Wellness / Diet & Fitness / Exercise & Fitness

Co-owner Brian Nguyen has been with Mark for the past seven years, sculpting his body for roles in movies like Invincible, The Fighter, and next year’s Pain and Gain.

But Nguyen and his partner Nik Herold aren’t just pros at beefing up actors. They help female celebs slim down too. On the set of The Fighter, Nguyen also worked with Amy Adams to tighten up her physique and he trained Mark’s co-star Natalie Martinez on the set of their upcoming film, Broken City.

Mark Wahlberg

The key to the Brik Fitness model is quality over quantity.

“There is a lot of fat loss involved any time you are on camera,” Nguyen told SheKnows. “Getting that lean physique isn’t so much about low weight and high reps." You really have to get that metabolic system going, he says.

“It’s about the quality of the movements that are involved in the workout,” says Herold.

In addition to efficiently training your muscles, Nguyen and Herold put a huge emphasis on preparing for the workout and recovery. The whole process takes six steps.

Learn the Brik Fitness method

Brik’s six-step process

Step #1: RAMP

RAMP stands for range of motion, activation of weak muscles and movement preparation. We accomplished this step by foam-rolling our calves before beginning the training session.

Step #2: Core Training

“Most people have some sort of weakness in their core area and we are really going to focus on it in the beginning of the program,” said Herold.

To engage the entire body, the guys had us do a reverse lunge with band pull. Some other popular core exercises Nguyen employed with Natalie Martinez were static holds, like the side plank.

Step #3: Power and elasticity

This part of the workout helps improve the reactive ability of the client.

“As you get older, one of the top things that declines is your ability to react to something,” said Herold.

Herold really challenged us on this aspect with a medicine ball slam.

Step #4: Strength training

The bulk of the workout, or as Herold put it, “the meat and potatoes,” comes in here. Herold incorporated both the upper and lower body with a compound move, a goblet squat with an overhead press.

Step #5: Conditioning

This is where your cardio comes in! Nguyen likes to finish his workouts by “emptying the tank,” squeezing the last bit of energy out of your fatigued physique. With Amy Adams and Mark Wahlberg on The Fighter, this meant intervals of jumping rope. Nguyen recommends doing a total of 10 minutes of jump rope, 30 seconds on, 30 seconds resting.

Step #6: Regeneration

Nguyen and Herold encourage their clients to complete this three-step process following a training session.

Foam-roll.
Stretch.
Refuel with lean protein and carbohydrates. At Brik they have a smoothie bar where they make delicious shakes with whey protein and fruit.

“This trio helps reduce muscle soreness and recovery time which allows us to work out intensely and more frequently — two necessary elements when designing a workout plan to get a great physique,” says Herold.

Tip

For couples who like to work out together, Nguyen recommends doing a “boot camp-style” session. Take turns challenging each other to see who can do the most squats or push-ups.

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Celebody: The "Mark Wahlberg workout" for women