5 Jennifer Lopez Workout Secrets You Can Totally Steal
Jennifer Lopez might have been showing off her custom-made Ralph Lauren outfit for the 2019 CFDA Fashion Awards, but let’s be honest: No one was looking at it (sorry, Ralph).
Instead, everyone was fixated on one thing: her rock-hard abs.
The singer has never shied away from a good workout (she was a Fly Girl, after all), but she’s really stepped it up in recent years to keep up with her grueling work schedule that includes everything from back-to-back movies, two television shows, and a Las Vegas residency.
Oh, and don’t forget: She’s a mom of two.
So, how does she do it all? Well, let’s not forget that J. Lo has access to the best trainers, chefs and dietitians in the world, but she does have a few other secrets she uses to her advantage.
The good news? You can crib Jennifer Lopez workout secrets to use to your own advantage — no mega-celebrity bank account required.
Jennifer Lopez Workout Secret Number One: She’s Consistent
Maybe she’s born with it… or maybe she’s just putting in a lot of freaking work.
While it’s clear Lopez hit the genetic lottery, she also works hard to keep her body in good shape.
“She works out four to five days a week with weights and does cardio five to six days. She attacks every workout with 100% intensity,” her current trainer, Dodd Romero, told HollywoodLife.
“While on the road we pull the bus over when it’s time to train and find a good gym, but we do not miss workouts,” he added.
Jennifer Lopez Workout Secret Number Two: She Has a Workout Buddy
A 2016 study from researchers at the University of Aberdeen found that people who worked out with a partner actually did more exercise than someone who works out alone — and Lopez seems to be among those people.
The singer routinely often works out with a partner. She often Instagrammed her workouts when in a relationship with former baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
Rodriguez posted one of their upper-body workouts to Instagram that included everything from seated dumbbell curls to upright rows and tricep pushdowns. You can also see them doing cardio together on the stepmill and treadmill on ARod’s YouTube channel.
Jennifer Lopez Workout Secret Number Three: She Lifts Heavy
Lopez isn’t afraid of lifting weights — and it shows.
While many women are afraid of lifting weights for fear of becoming bulky, the Jennifer Lopez workout routine routinely includes everything from barbells to dumbbells because, as she told InStyle, she noticed that dancing caused her to lose too much muscle.
“I suggest weights with everything you do,” one of her other trainers, Gunnar Peterson, told HollywoodLife. “For women just starting out, they can start with five or 10-pound dumbbells while doing any exercise. Once that becomes too easy, then work your way up to 15 and 20 pound dumbbells.”
But most of all, “go heavy, go heavy,” he said.
“By heavy, I mean where you reach technical form failure where the proper form of the exercise falls apart. It’s where you start to fail technically when you reach between eight and 12 reps,” he said.
“And it’s not that you can’t complete it, but just that your form falls apart. Once you can complete the 12 reps with perfect form, then you know you’re safe to bump up the weights from there. Make sure you’re getting enough calories and enough rest, and the growth will happen.”
Jennifer Lopez Workout Secret Number Four: She Watches Her Diet
“I’ve taken care of myself, and now it shows,” Lopez told InStyle.
Taking care of herself doesn’t just include working out, though. The singer tries to get enough sleep — at least eight hours — and stays away from caffeine and alcohol.
She also famously went on a 10-day no sugar and no carb challenge to get over her addiction to sugar (and to get ready for a body-baring role as a stripper in Hustlers).
“It’s no sugar, no carbs,” Lopez told Hoda Kotb on the Today Show in 2019. “Anything that has sugar and carbs in it, you cannot have.”
She successfully made it through the 10 days and went back to a more “normal” way of eating, with healthy meals during the week — and maybe a cheat meal or two on the weekends.
Jennifer Lopez Workout Secret Number Five: She finds a Way to Enjoy Working Out
Working out hasn’t only done good things for Lopez’s body.
“I am 100 percent convinced that working out is part of what makes me so happy,” she told Hello magazine.
“Dance has always been a huge part of my life and taking the time to move my body and do something that’s so good for me is key to my happiness,” she continued. “And I really believe that when you take care of yourself and work to stay healthy, you’re better able to take care of those you love. So working out is definitely a priority for me.”
