Personal trainer P J Stahl has worked with stars including David Beckham and Britney Spears, and is one of the A-list's go-to fitness instructors when it comes to getting in shape. As he becomes an ambassador for fitness phenomenon Tabata, HELLO! Fashion caught up with P J to find out his biggest workout secrets, including the best exercise for quickly burning fat… Scroll below for his fitness tips
P J has worked with celebrities including David Beckham and Britney Spears
What made you want to get involved in Tabata? Everything is science based, so I knew it was a legitimate programme, not a fad fitness craze. It's 100% as effective as its reputation claims it to be. If you had to give just five fitness tips, what would they be?
1. Commit to a schedule. Make sure you create one that works for your daily routine, fitting in around things like kids, work and your social life. 2. When you work out, make sure you give everything you have. The time you commit to working out needs to be efficient and you need to work hard. 3. Make sure you eat well to fuel your body for energy. I live by the 80/20 rule – 80 per cent of the time you eat healthily, and 20 per cent of the time you can indulge. It's all about balance. What would you recommend eating before a workout? Before a workout, try having some sort of a green juice, or something with caffeine, like an espresso. Make sure you have protein – I usually have something like two hard boiled eggs. It's important to have a protein base before a workout as not only will it give you energy, but it also won't leave you feeling too full to exercise. What do you recommend eating when you're training? When you choose what you're eating, start with protein. Always choose that first, and make sure it's lean – something like chicken, turkey, eggs or tofu. From there, build out your meal with vegetables. Scrambled eggs or an omelette with multi-colours of vegetables and lean meat makes for the perfect breakfast. What's the best exercise for burning fat? For a quick exercise, I do the 20 minute Tabata workout. In 20 minutes you can work at a fast, high intensity level so you're going to burn fat. What's the biggest benefit of a high intensity workout? It's a time saver – when you work at a high intensity level you can't sustain it for long. Commit to a short duration and go all out – give 100 per cent for every exercise. It will be short, but you will see results. Would you recommend a juice cleanse? A high protein one, something that includes juices like almond milk. A juice cleanse is a jump start to healthy eating, not a weight loss plan, so I recommend it only for 1-3 days. Coming out of the cleanse, increase your vegetable and lean protein intake because you'll be wanting to eat healthier, so making the change then can make it last longer. What is the biggest fitness myth that annoys you? When people blame lactic acid for making them sore the day after a workout - lactic acid typically gets buffered out of the muscle cell within 20 minutes. You're sore because your body has broken down muscle cells and it needs to recover. If you were training a Victoria's Secret model, what advice would you give them? I would suggest a balance of cardio and strength. Strength training is great for toning and tightening. On top of that I would work on flexibility with things like yoga – it maintains strength and helps you be long and lean. I would also make sure they incorporate cardio which is key to achieving that athletic lean look. Tabata, cycling, swimming and rowing are all great ways of maintain variety. Which celebrity has the best abs? Ryan Gosling – he's lean and athletic but still has a strong core. For more information and classes please visit www.tabataofficial.com Answers by: PJ Stahl, MA, CSCS Tabata Program Director Owner/Head Coach Lock Box LA