Mark Von Holden/AP; Inset: Ben Hider/WireImage
That’s one determined mama!
New mom Ciara, who gave birth to son Future Zahir in May, has been hitting the gym daily to get in workouts with personal trainer Gunnar Peterson.
“When you say she’s working out every day, that sounds like it’s crazy but it’s not,” says Peterson, who is launching the Gunnar Challenge, an online weight loss and fitness training program, later this month.
He adds, “It’s a ritual. She’s showering every day too. She’s not destroying herself.”
The celebrity fitness guru says Ciara has a well-rounded approach when it comes to getting her pre-baby body back.
“She’s working hard, she’s getting it done, she’s eating properly, she’s getting sleep while she can, and so she’s getting leaner and stronger,” he says. “That’s the way to be the best mom.”
The key to toning up her body post pregnancy is varying workouts.
“The typical workout is that it’s not typical,” explains Peterson. “Depending on where we are in the week, there’s a focus on pushing movements, pulling movements; there’s lower body, there’s working different planes of motion, whether it’s front to back, side to side rotation.”
The trainer continues, “It’s about keeping her moving. There are a lot of intervals in there. It doesn’t make for a happy camper, but [it produces] great results.”
Peterson incorporates several “big body movements” into their workouts: squatting, lunging, overhead pressing, rowing, push-ups, mountain climbers, crunches and jumps are his go-tos.
For Ciara, her dedication to her workouts is paying off — in a big way. “You see the body, she’s already right there,” says Peterson.
For any new mom, Peterson recommends easing back into working out. “Make sure you get clearance from [your doctor] first, and once you have that green light, start slowly and build up and you’ll get there,” he says.
“A lot of people pull up their old workouts, dust it off and try to knock it out, and then they’re defeated because it was way harder or they couldn’t complete it. You have to build on it.”
But while a baby may shake up the workout routine, it’s not an excuse to call it quits.
“Work out with the baby,” says Peterson. “It’s going to be a different kind of workout, but you can do a side lunge, pick up the baby, touch the baby down. You can do a squat to a press, you can do rotations. There are a ton of things you could do. You could do your cardio by taking a walk with your baby. There are ways to get it done. It’s not easy, but it’s definitely doable.”
– Gabrielle Olya
