Gunnar Peterson: Getting to the Core

How One Trainer to the Stars Makes Fitness Work for Everyone

Nov 6, 2009

While some celebrity trainers focus on routines with clever names or a new piece of equipment, Gunnar Peterson has relied on a core group of exercises for all body types.

In recent years, trainer to stars of sport and screen Gunnar Peterson has established his fitness presence internationally with his dedication to results based on core training. With widely read books, DVDs and television appearances that were centered on this concept, one notable book was G-Force: The Ultimate Guide to Your Best Body Ever, which targets not only body-conscious celebrities but the more performance-oriented objectives of dedicated and elite athletes whom Gunnar regularly trains. The principle behind G-Force is what he calls the "Lucky 13" – a mixture of the best overall muscle-developing exercises with the most versatility. As this top trainer confides, at least 85 percent of all flashy exercises come down to "spin-offs" of 13 classic movements that cover every body part—legs, glutes, chest, back, shoulders, triceps, biceps, and abs.

Working With Every Body Type and Fitness Objective

At his private 5,000 square-foot facility in Benedict Canyon, Peterson has worked with clients to achieve long-term results through constantly varied workouts. His training regimens have shaped up such stellar names as Jennifer Lopez, Angelina Jolie and Lucy Liu, while also powering up pro athletes such as Carmelo Anthony, Michael Olowokandi, Kurt Rambis, Luc Robitaille, Eric Weinrich, Jeff Garcia, Eddie George, Pete Sampras and Monica Seles. Underlying Gunnar’s approach to fitness for everyone is what he calls the four "F-words" – Function, Foundation, Freedom and Focus – driven by "four wheels" and grounded in the 13 classic exercises. He views the book as an access to fitness for every body type -- and here he explains why in some more detail.

Suite101: Your book "The G-Force" used 12 baisc core movements as the basis of your program. Why was that?

Gunnar Peterson: There's one for every movement your body does -- your chest does a push-up, a press and a fly motion; your back does a pull-down and a row motion. So, what I get to are just the derivatives of that.

Suite101: So when you came to the concept for this bookm was it with a perspective that there was maybe too much information out there that was distracting from the core movements you based your own program on?

Gunnar Peterson: I don't think there's too much out there, I just think a lot of people may not have the foundation to work up to other moves. You know, if you ever take gymnastics, you learn things like back-bends or a forward roll, so you have to have a foundation for certain moves, and a lot of people don't understand that sitting on a stability ball and attaching a rope to a lower end of a cable and then pulling it and then rotating the pull is a derivative of a low row. They may not ever have considered that or thought it had any place in their fitness routine -- and clearly it could.

Suite101: Is the book more targeted toward the ordinary person with just personal fitness objectives or the high profile sports or entertainment person whose career demands certain fitness levels?

Gunnar Peterson: The book actually applies to anyone, whether you've been training for 20 years or whether it's your first day in the gym. It gives you a place to work from and it gives you a place to work toward. It gives you enough moves to mix it up; and it gives you enough moves so that if you don't have access to a place with lots of facilities and toys, so to speak, then you can still get it done at home with a minimum amount of equipment.

Peterson's work in book and DVD format relating to his functional fitness precepts over the past few years notably include:

G-Force: The Ultimate Guide to Your Best Body Ever (New York: Regan Books, 2004)

The copyright of the article Gunnar Peterson: Getting to the Core in Fitness Trends is owned by Hal W. Peat. Permission to republish Gunnar Peterson: Getting to the Core in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.