I’ve probably written the phrase “celebrity trainer” hundreds of times. It’s a phrase that tells you exactly why we’re supposed to care about this particular trainer’s advice. After all, a trainer who’s worked with Madonna or Courtney Love is just so much more exciting than a trainer who works with your cubiclemate. But what does it really mean to be labelled a celebrity trainer? What were these fitness pros doing before they had their first celebrity clients? Are the perks really as good as I imagine?
I spoke with some of the most recognizable names in fitness to learn more about what it’s like being a trainer to the stars. Turns out, many celebrity trainers have mixed feelings about the title. Being called a “celebrity trainer” does earn them more clients and, as Gunnar Peterson pointed out, the opportunity to have a writer like me come calling. But these trainers don’t want their work reduced to whether or not their clients happen to land on magazine covers.
Each trainer I spoke with assured me that while working with A-listers comes with a few special requirements (like being uber-flexible with scheduling), celebs aren’t really all that different from you and me in the gym. Any paying client who’s ready to work will get the same treatment as Jenna Dewan or Carrie Underwood. At the end of the day, we all sweat the same way—whether in our in-home private Pilates studio or at our local gym.
SELF: Who was your first celebrity client?
Stuart: Courtney Love in 1997. I had only been a trainer for a year or two when I first met her. I was working for Mari Winsor [who is widely credited for popularizing Pilates] in a little tiny Los Angeles studio. (I’ll never forget, when I went for my job interview with Mari she said, “I’m training Madonna at 12. Come in at 1.” We had a really good workout together, and she asked me to start the next day. I started off answering phones, then eventually supervised group classes.) Mari had trained Courtney a bit, and she heard that she needed a trainer with her on the road. I really didn’t know much about Courtney Love, but I heard that phone call, and thought it would be a pretty cool job. I met her, she liked me, and that was it. With the money I made, I was finally able to get out of debt.
Did your business grow from there?
Based on word of mouth, the next person I got after Courtney was Kate Hudson. She was up in Canada and went to see Courtney perform; Courtney ended up mentioning my name. Then later, [Hudson] asked a friend for a Pilates trainer recommendation. The friend wrote down my number, and that was the second time [Hudson] had heard my name. She called just as she was starting Almost Famous. I took her to a gym and we got along really well. I started training her regularly—and she referred me to her mom, [Goldie Hawn].
I never set out to be a celebrity trainer. I thought of myself as a Pilates trainer who was trying to make it in acting. But after four or five years working at the Pilates studio, I [had enough clients to go] out on my own.
How is training a celebrity different from training a “normal” person?
[What we do] depends more on your strength than on who you are. I train classical Pilates, so the basic exercises don’t change. But after doing it for so many years I’ve started to incorporate different modalities like yoga, circuit training, and TRX, into it.
What does the phrase “celebrity trainer” mean to you?
I don’t have my own definition, but I know that I’m a trainer and I’m trying to do a really good job, and I’m still learning in my craft.