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Sanjay Gupta MD

Star Secrets on Getting Ready for the Red Carpet

Aired July 23, 2005 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, HOST: Good morning and welcome to a special edition of HOUSE CALL, where month two of our quest to get you ready for summer. What better place to continue our series than in sunny Hollywood, where being fit is a professional necessity? You think walking the beach in a bathing suit is bad? How about being on the red carpet or on a magazine cover? A star's body is under constant scrutiny.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLLY FIRFER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The hair, the makeup, the dress and the smiles, the glamour of Hollywood, but what you see are the results of a lot of hard work, which starts long before they step out of the limo.

The June issue of "InStyle" magazine shows today's stars look good at any age, and "InStyle" got the skinny on what it takes to get Hollywood's finest red carpet ready.

POLLY BLITZER, "INSTYLE" MAGAZINE: Beyonce is always red, red hot. Her trainer actually has her do very quick uphill sprints before she starts a workout.

FIRFER: A-list star Jennifer Garner is known for her sleek and chiseled physique.

BLITZER: She actually has to really work hard to get that way. Jennifer Garner and her trainer, Valerie Waters, work out in Los Angeles five to six times a week starting, starting at 4 in the morning.

FIRFER: Where did Hilary Swank got her fabulous back? A combination of good athletic genes and some moves she picked up in New York City's Gleason's Gym.

BLITZER: She was in the ring, and she was sparring with the best of them, Golden Glove champion.

FIRFER: You couldn't talk about a good view from behind without including J. Lo. She knows how to get it right.

BLITZER: She does a variety of different really rigorous activities to keep herself in shape.

FIRFER: With fast-paced life styles, many of today's celebs are thinking outside of the exercise box. BLITZER: Natalie Portman loved to take surfing lessons. Sarah Michelle Geller is a brown belt in Tae Kwon Do. Teri Hatcher is a huge fan of cardio striptease at Kanjo Los Angeles (ph). So it gives people a chance to have fun.

FIRFER: And that's what working out should be.

Holly Firfer, CNN Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: We're here in sunny L.A. at the home and workout studio of celebrity trainer and author of the new book, "G-Force." He's Gunner Peterson. As you can seen, people come here to work hard, but you don't have to be a celebrity or have their money to get body of a star.

Gunner is here to tell us how he whips his clients into shape. He's got a well-known list, as well, I'll tell you: Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie, Sylvester Stallone, pretty big names and pretty good bodies.

GUNNER PETERSON, CELEBRITY TRAINER: Well, they all do the work, and I think that's the common denominator, is that they do the work. There's no trying to get out of it and there's no -- there's no pretending. They just come, they get it done and they get out.

GUPTA: Is there something those three have in common? I mean, is it good genes in their case?

PETERSON: Obviously, genetics play a part in it, but you can never deny the work ethic, the drive, the ambition, the focus, and just the fact that they're not going to be denied.

GUPTA: As you know, we decided to put it to the test a little bit. Our own Brooke Anderson stopped by your studio recently to get in a workout and discover what it takes to get a celebrity body.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BROOKE ANDERSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Gunner, I know you've shaped some of Hollywood's best bodies, but I'm hoping you'll share some of those shapeup secrets with little old me.

PETERSON: Let's get to the fundamentals.

ANDERSON: Let's get to it.

I understand you worked with Matthew McConaughey to get him ready for his last movie role. Those abs, we've all seen him with his shirt off, how do we all get abs like that?

PETERSON: Well, abs is a combination of work, diet, hydration. You've got to get your water. And sleep, so your body can get rid of the excess body fat that it's holding.

You're going to take that ball overhead, extend, tag it behind you, and then bring it up.

ANDERSON: OK, like no ab work out I've ever done before.

The stars have to wear these low cut dresses. I know Hilary Swank at the Oscars had one that right down here. Her back looked incredible. How do we get the back that looks like that?

PETERSON: You have to work the back; you have to work the shoulders.

You want to make sure that you're challenged by the final repetitions of the set, whether it's 12, 13, 14, 15, or whether it's 7, 8, 9, 10, it's all about form.

ANDERSON: Quality over quantity.

Gwen Stefani, I know you work with her. She's got some of the best legs in the business. How can I get some legs and glutes like that?

PETERSON: First of all, turn around so you can feel it, and I'll give you a bar bell. No, no, no.

ANDERSON: Ah!

PETERSON: Can you imagine? She's boarded the plane and walked right into the cockpit and starts pushing buttons.

ANDERSON: I'm sorry.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (singing): One and two and three and four and get some sit-ups right

PETERSON: Stairs are your friend.

ANDERSON: Stairs are our friend.

PETERSON: And stairs are your friend, by the way, in real life, too.

ANDERSON: Bottom line, there's no -- there's no secret. There's no five-minute or 10-minute secret workout that can whip you into shape.

PETERSON: Yes, kind of boring, huh? Not too sexy.

ANDERSON: Thanks for having us. I appreciate it. It was fun. I feel very strong.

PETERSON: Look at the improvements, already.

ANDERSON: Already!

PETERSON: Already!

(END VIDEOTAPE) GUPTA: Now Brooke only got to spend an afternoon with Gunner. But obviously, it takes more time than that to get results. Our audience is really curious to know just how celebrities look so good so fast.

Got a lot of e-mails on this, like Lisa in Santa Fe, who writes this: "How are celebrities able to get in such great shape in so little time? It seems personal training and a desire to be fit aren't always enough."

You know, Gunner, the thing about it is you think celebrities, you think they have obviously money. They have hours on end to do this. Train, that is. Is that what it is?

PETERSON: I think they have the drive and I think they have -- they're under the gun more than a lot of people. They're judged not just by their work but how they look while performing that work.

Whether or not you realize how much you're judging them, how many times you heard people walk outside the theater and say, "I really liked it but I can't believe how heavy he looked, thick through here." I mean, just unconsciously, they are processing and factoring and comparing, so -- and the celebrities know that. They know that's part that of their gig. Clearly, their craft is what takes them where they end up eventually, but their looks can play a part in it.

GUPTA: Well, we're going to get into a lot of specifics here, because people obviously are very interested in this. Gunner Peterson has a lot more workout secrets. We're going to get more on that when HOUSE CALL returns.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: J. Lo's glutes: we'll find out how to get them. Plus...

JEN MILLER, TRAINER: She's going to place her hands behind her head and twist her torso.

ANNOUNCER: Jen Miller kicks it into gear with our HOUSE CALL workout.

And later, Oprah's chef gives us an inside look at super star diets.

First today's quiz: according to a recent poll, who has the best legs in showbiz? That answer coming up.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Before the break, we asked, according to a recent poll, who has the best legs in showbiz? According to "In Touch Weekly" readers, rock singer Gwen Stefani. Coming in second, actress Uma Thurman, followed by Jennifer Lopez.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: That's not a bad list to be on. One of the trainers who helps to keep those legs in shape is Gunner Peterson. And we're here in his shape where he makes the stars sweat so they can get on lists like that one.

Jennifer Lopez came in third there, and when people heard we were having her trainer on the show, I got lots of questions, not surprisingly. Let's take a listen to one now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, I'd like to know what you need to do to have a booty like J. Lo.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Let me tell you, that pretty much sums up a lot of the questions we got. So what is it with her? Is it genes? Is it a particular move? What is it?

PETERSON: Again, genetics play some part in it, but you can't deny the work that goes into that. There's -- if you take the mother of all movements and this is from the National Strength and Conditioning Association, not just from me, although I do subscribe to the theory, it's the squat.

And right away, everyone goes, "I can't do a squat." In fact, you can do a squat. If you go to the bathroom, you can do a squat. It's making the squat work for you.

You don't have to have a load squat where the weight is on your shoulders. You can have dumbbells down by your side. You can have dumbbells up top but slightly forward, so the pressure is not directly on the spine. You can vary your foot position. You can vary the cadence. You can vary the angles, and there are ways to do it.

The glutes, the butt, it's the biggest muscle for the body, so metabolically that's your best friend. You have to work it. You do yourself a disservice to try and train and not work that muscle group.

Hit it, beat it up, challenge it, just the way you would in real life. You turn at different angles. You turn at different speeds. You go from fast to slow, slow to fast. You have to work it that way. If you make it adapt, it has to change.

GUPTA: All right. Let's move on to another Jennifer now, one famous for her arms and her fighting techniques, "Alias" star Jennifer Garner. Adam in Oregon wants to know this: "How does Jennifer Garner keep her body in shape?"

We probably need to narrow that down a little bit. Let's talk specifically about her arms. How does someone get arms like hers? PETERSON: Well, I don't work with Jennifer Garner. But if you're going to develop your arms you have to look at a couple of things.

One, triceps is bigger than the biceps. So it has to take more work. Three heads versus two heads, hence the tri and bi. Not to mention from shoulder to elbow what you're seeing, if this is unveiled is 50 percent shoulder, so the shoulders play a big part in arm development. And you want the shoulder to look right and in proportion with the biceps and triceps or you're going to have that flat look and then some kind of strange inflation here. That's not going to ultimately be what you're looking to do.

The key is angles. You've got to work it differently. You have to challenge it. You have to take uneven loads. You have to do things that require the muscles to be, to work to balance. You have to require the synergist and the healthy muscles to play.

So it's not just the big belly of the muscles, fundamental exercises. That's great. That's perfect for a foundation but from there you have to branch out.

GUPTA: So don't just do curls. Make sure you're doing your deltoids and triceps as well.

PETERSON: Absolutely. And while curls are valid, there are a number of different curls, straight bar, easy bar, reverse curls, angle curls, 90 degrees curls, curls from high, curls from low. There's a lot of permutations there.

GUPTA: As you're talking to me I'm holding my shoulders up and sucking my gut in. Did you notice that?

PETERSON: You just got a tremendous pump just doing that.

GUPTA: Listen, youth is definitely a part of the workout equation, as well. But stars over 40 like actors Brad Pitt and "Desperate Housewife" Teri Hatcher are showing you don't have to be still in your 20s to have a great body.

That brings us to a question from Heidi in North Carolina: "What's required to stay in great physical shape past 40 and achieve a body like Michelle Pfeiffer?" Does someone have to train differently as they grow older? I mean, you've been talking about some specific techniques. Does it change depending on the age of your clients?

PETERSON: You do train differently. You have to factor in lifestyle. You have to factor in available time. It doesn't mean you have to train more, and it doesn't mean you have to necessarily train harder. You train smarter and you train in a way that works for you. Your goals will probably change as well.

You want to make sure that what you're doing is giving yourself enough time to recover from the workouts. In the gym, you're actually tearing your body down. You're putting yourself into a negative nitrogen balance. You're putting the muscles in a place where, if you don't feed yourself within a 30- to 60-minute window after training your body is going to feed on the hard earned muscles. So you have to train in a way that you can benefit from the work you're actually doing.

GUPTA: OK. I want to talk specifics about not just the exercise but everything else that goes along with it. Really good suggestions for some help getting fit by summer. We also enlisted the help of step aerobics creator and trainer Jen Miller to step up the workouts.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MILLER: Hi, I'm Jen Miller. Now, if you've been walking and you've built your cardiorespiratory endurance, then it's time now to add some strength training. Strength training is great for the shape of your body, your muscles and your bone density.

Remember, you're going to keep walking and you're just going to add strength training two days a week. All you need is a pair of dumbbells and a bench for this entire workout.

This is great one for the rear muscles. It's called a rear leg extension. And Kelly is working her buttocks here by just lifting her legs to the back and balancing and keeping her abdominals in.

When you're walking, you use a lot of the muscles of the hip flexors which lift your legs. This balances that act.

We'll be doing 11 exercises for your whole body. We'll be doing things like biceps curls, lateral raises, overhead presses. We'll also be including some exercises for the lower body like squats and lunges.

Kelly will finish up with some abdominal work, which is called a bicycle. It's one of the best exercises you can do for your abdominals. Hands behind the head, twist side to side. Remember, pull those abdominals in and keep your back pressed gently against the ground.

It's a good idea to work those core muscles, because now you've got all of your body balanced out with that great walking program.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: All right. We've got to take a quick break. We've got a lot more with Gunner Peterson, the inside scoop for getting celebrities fit. That's coming up.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: Coming up on HOUSE CALL, the secrets of cooking for the stars.

ART SMITH, CHEF: Good food is good food. It's timeless.

ANNOUNCER: Oprah's chef spills the beans after the break.

But first, more of this week's medical headlines in "The Pulse."

CHRISTY FEIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over) The debate over mercury-based products and vaccines was reignited this week when hundreds of autism activists took their concerns to Washington. The protesters urged lawmakers to ban the use of thymerisol a mercury based conservative found in certain vaccines, saying the substance may cause autism.

CDC director Dr. Julie Gerberding assured the public earlier in the week that years of research has shown no link between thymerisol and autism but vowed to continue assessing the issue.

Autism activists claim the CDC's research is flawed and that it may be covering up some important findings. Children's vaccines in the United States have not contained thymerisol for many years, but trace amounts can be found in certain adult vaccines.

Air pollution may contribute to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, according to California researchers. A study published in the "Archives of Disease and Childhood" found that high levels of the pollutant nitrogen dioxide in the air on a given day more than doubles the risk of SIDS. SIDS kills more than 2,070 babies annually in the United States, and doctors are struggling to find the cause.

And dark chocolate lovers can indulge with a little less guilt. A study by the American Heart Association found that dark chocolate, in addition to being tasty, may lower your blood pressure. This new study adds to a growing body of research which shows that compounds in dark chocolate called flavonoids may be good for your overall health.

Christy Feig, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUPTA: welcome back. We've been talking about working out like a celebrity. That's only 50 percent of the equation if you want a rock hard body. The other 50 percent, not surprisingly, is what you eat.

So our Holly Firfer is taking a look at what's cooking in the hills of Hollywood.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SMITH: This is show business. Show business is about making it pretty.

FIRFER: Chef Art Smith is personal chef to Oprah and has cooked for many of Hollywood's A-listers.

SMITH: When you walk the red carpet, you've got to look beautiful and you don't want to feel like that heaviness when you eat foods and stuff. FIRFER: Chef Smith says you don't have to be a star to eat like one if you keep it simple. For example, just a drop of porcini mushroom oil with a touch of lemon prevents you from adding too many extra calories or fat but you won't sacrifice flavor.

SMITH: Roasting a great healthy way to cook and one that I have used for years cooking for celebrities.

FIRFER: A favorite dish among the jet set is steamed clam and muscle dish with artichokes in a wine and pepper sauce, which you can whip up in minutes.

SMITH: Time is money. You want to make sure that you can get them something delicious and nutritious as quickly as possible.

FIRFER: You can make that happen by using foods that are in season.

SMITH: We have wonderful organic farmers. They're able to go and you serve and say guess what I found at the market and they grew it just for you! They love that. That's better than anything. That's better than bling. That's better than everything.

FIRFER: But you don't have to be the queen of talk to eat like royalty.

SMITH: You live life once. Why not make live it pretty? And part of living life beautifully is eating beautifully.

FIRFER: Holly Firfer, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: Seeing that piece about celebrities and their diets brings us to the most common we got from our audience. Pamela from Pennsylvania asks it best. "Can I really get a body like the celebrities without a trainer or a nutritionist?"

You get this all the time.

PETERSON: Yes, I do. First thing I would say, knock yourself out trying, but let me give you my number just in case.

It comes out of this. If you don't know about exercise and you don't know about how your body works, you're probably better off, like anything, learning from someone or taking a few classes and maybe experimenting on your own.

Having a trainer, at least a trainer who's certified and qualified and takes your goals into consideration when designing your program, can help you avoid a lot of pitfalls and it can take, A, a lot of gray area out of it and B, can help you get to your goals a lot faster, because you're not going to make the mistakes, hopefully, that you would have made if you were just winging it on your own.

GUPTA: What I have found is that the inspiration, as well, just the emotional aspects of it. How do you -- everybody -- I don't think you'd find anybody who says, "Listen, I don't want to have a great body." Everyone says, "I want to have a great body."

What is the difference, though, when they come see you? How do you inspire them to stick with it?

PETERSON: How you motivate is a funny thing, because I don't think I consciously think about motivating. I try to make sure that I'm always on time. You try to be a constant in their lives. They have a lot of variables that are changing all the time, so if you can be the one constant, if you can always kind of look the same and be the same and a certain level of cleanliness and things that are bringing them to the gym that make it a good place to go, worth the destination, then hopefully they come back and they have a pleasant association with it and they want to stick with to it.

GUPTA: Making it a part of your life.

We're getting lots of celebrity secrets. More of that coming up on HOUSE CALL.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: Charlize Theron does it. So does Oprah and the San Francisco 49ers. What's their secret? Find out after the break.

Plus the low cost way to get a celebrity body. Stay tuned for more HOUSE CALL.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

GUPTA: Welcome back to HOUSE CALL. If you're looking for a lean dancer's physique and don't like traditional workouts, our Bod Squad has a workout popular with everyone, from Madonna to the Cincinnati Bengals.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PENELOPE WYLER, PILATES TRAINER: Sit very calm and reach from your center.

FIRFER (voice-over): It's pronounced Pilates, a stretching, strengthening and balancing regimen developed nearly a century ago by German born Joseph H. Pilates. For decades it was the secret weapon dancers used to stay toned.

Today it's become one of the hottest fitness trends, improving core strength and flexibility without building bulk. But will you work up a sweat?

WYLER: That's the first misconception you don't sweat, it's a bunch of breathing. Yes, you breathe. It's mind and body. If you don't sweat, you're not working out. It's a workout. FIRFER: Another way Pilates increases upper body strength is through pushups, sometimes upside down. And don't be intimidated by the equipment. There are easier moves for beginners. Pilates can also be taken in what's called a mat class format. The exercises are basic with less emphasis on advanced and complex moves.

Holly Firfer, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUPTA: We're here in celebrity trainer Gunner Peterson's L.A. studio, and we've got time for one last question. Brooke in Chicago wants to know this: "How can the average person find a celebrity-like workout routine that works for them without the celebrity cost?"

And you talked about this already a little bit, but what about the average person?

PETERSON: There are so many ways to get information nowadays. Clearly the Internet is an easy one but there are books. There are DVDs, videos. There are shows out there, whole networks devoted to fitness. You can put together a lot of interesting things that could yield tremendous results. You've just got to make sure you lay the foundation properly and you're not winging it.

GUPTA: Really good stuff today. Appreciate it.

We're out of time for today, unfortunately. But Gunner Peterson, thanks to you for letting us into your house and into your studio as well, helping us gear people up, making them look that star-like quality.

PETERSON: Actually, I think the term is starlicious.

GUPTA: Starlicious. Yet another tip from Gunner Peterson.

Make sure to tune in every weekend for another edition of HOUSE CALL. That's at 8:30 Eastern Saturday and Sunday. Remember to e-mail us your health questions, as well. This is the place where you're going to get the answers from the experts.

Thanks for watching. I'm Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Stay tuned now for more news on CNN.

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