‘Work your mommy bits’
Personal trainer focuses on bums and arms
ATONED bum and sexy obliques far outdo the mannish six-pack when it comes to the latest hot body trend for women.
These are the “mommy bits” focused on by Jenni Rivett, who was the late Princess Diana’s personal trainer.
Rivett grew up in Durban and Pietermaritzburg and is a personal trainer at the posh South Kensington Club in London.
With a home in Ballito, Rivett flew into Durban for a few days and spoke to The Independent on Saturday about how to achieve the toned, trendy look even if you’ve had kids and are feeling more flab than fab.
“I recently returned from a trip to New Zealand and when I walked into my London class someone commented, ‘No-one works the mommy bits quite like you do, Jenni’. I loved that. I think with the whole explosion of boot camps, SoulCycle-based classes and very large classes in open parks, the ‘mommy bits’, as I call them, are neglected,” said Rivett.
And with butt-sensation Beyonce having just had twins and Kim Kardashian enjoying motherhood, Rivett said: “You’ll never hear a man asking, ‘Does my butt look big in this?’ It’s just not the way they think at all.
“When it comes to our bodies, men and women have entirely different goals. Men want a sixpack with bulging biceps and rocks for chests, while women prefer lean, toned muscles.
“Women have a predisposition to store fat in the lower body, for reproduction, and women worry more about the backs of their arms than their biceps. Butts are in and I’m so happy about that,” she said.
So will running up the stairs at work and adding a few lunges do the job?
“We all need to work our glute muscles and, like the abs, our butts have a core, too. There are so many deep, stabilising muscles in your butt which require more than just lunges and squats. I have designed the most incredible lower body exercises for women and put them into routines which vary. The key to progression is variety.
“On the problem areas most women tend to encounter, I have devised specific exercises to target those areas. I incorporate a lot of standing leg-work which involves safe lunges and squats.
“Posture and backs of the arms are huge on my list. Then we get down to the floor and blitz the inner thighs and core muscles in the butt.
“Never, ever do men’s pushups. Specialised modified pushups for women have been such a winner in London,” said Rivett.
Her client list reads like the who’s who of London high society. Actress Elizabeth Hurley, novelist Jeffrey Archer, Chelsy Davy (Prince Harry’s ex-girlfriend), Shakira Caine (actor Sir Michael Caine’s wife) have sought her health and lifestyle advice, as well as multimillionaire interior designer Kelly Hoppen of TV show Dragon’s Den fame, who also happens to come from SA.
Rivett is a fan of high-intensity interval training (HIIT), but said every exercise routine should include cardio, strength and flexibility exercises.
“For perfect all-round fitness and a toned, flexible body you need to perform all three.
“Many women get confused because they will run along the promenade without doing any strength or flexibility training and end up skinny and flabby.
“Equally, yoga will not make you fit and toned, and strength training will not give you flexibility,” she said.
Cardio and strength training should be done three times a week, while flexibility training should be done after every workout. “Although they are all important, strength training is the key to long-term weight loss, simply because muscles burn fat off the body nines times faster than fat does (at rest).”
According to Rivett, many celebs are having human growth hormone (HGH) injections.
“It is a potent lean and youth hormone. HGH is produced in abundance after an HIIT workout, but having caffeine, fruit or high-GI carbs after training totally obliterates this amazing hormone. The rule is not to have any of these for two hours after training.”
The role different hormones play in health has become an area of intense research, with Rivett saying hormones believed to lead to weight gain are cortisol, insulin and oestrogen. T
he three hormones considered to make you lean are HGH, testosterone and progesterone.
“It’s a big subject, but it’s more about educating women about the powerful impact a healthy lifestyle and exercise have on manipulating these hormones,” she said.
With the 20th anniversary of the death of Princess Diana to be commemorated next month, Rivett confirmed she had recently completed a documentary with Sir Richard Branson and others which celebrates the late princess’s life.
“It just feels like yesterday since Diana died. I can’t believe 20 years have passed already. I still miss her so much and I know she would be so proud of her two sons and the legacies they are building,” she said.
Rivett holds Skype classes and her book, Body By Rivett, is about to be released. For more information, contact enquiries@ jennirivett.com