A guy friend of mine came over last week with a noticeable limp, so I asked him what happened. “Oh, nothing,” he said, “Just sore from working really hard at the gym.” Hm. Fishy, I thought, because this dude notoriously half-asses it on every workout. So I try again: “What really happened?”
“Got a new trainer,” he replied. “And she is intense.”
Yes, when picking a personal trainer, you might look for a guy with bodybuilding chops and the bulging biceps you want. But most guys don’t realize that a female trainer can push them just as hard—or harder. Here, we highlight seven of the best women in the biz, who know just as much about sculpting the male bod as they do their own. Trust us. They prove “training like a girl” is a good thing.
When you work out with this celeb trainer and reality TV star, you know you’re going to get results. “Generally, when guys come to me, they know I’m hardcore,” says Warner. “Convincing them to trust in me is the only challenge, but I use the Power Circuit Training method—it’s unbelievable. It’s the best way to see growth and get cut up!”
And this Cali babe definitely has the bod to prove she’s got the chops. “Guys approach me all the time because I am so lean, but can lift so much,” she says. “I can do 45-lb. dumbbell presses, 80-lb. rows and 300-lb. leg presses all to failure, which takes 15 reps and 4 combos with no rest in between.” Beat that, boys!
This blond bombshell may look sweet and innocent—but she’ll give you a run for your money. “As tough as guys are, they don’t want to feel insecure when training with a girl,” says Stone. “So it’s a delicate balance between kicking their butt and making them feel manly.” And the Hollywood fitness expert knows exactly what you want. “Guys want to get muscular!” So how will she win you over? “Men love that I’m a high level athlete and competed on a Top 25 Division I basketball team in college. That always gets me brownie points.”
NinjaAry is not your average trainer, let alone your average girl. “A great coach is a great coach, and a great motivator is a great motivator,” she says. “And I am the best regardless of gender!” Yes, this Brooklyn babe means business—and she’s not afraid to kick some man-butt. She’s formally trained in dance and martial arts (she has black belts in Karate, Kung Fu, and Tae Kwon Do), and incorporates all her worldly knowledge into every workout. “Men tend to think they bond better with men when they work out, but I choose to challenge that," she says. "I push my clients to find their inner selves and achieve their goals, no matter what their gender.” But she’s not forcing anyone to test her ability. “I don’t feel inclined to entertain men’s insecurities about training with a girl,” she says. “Just come in and try it out!”
Schopfer started out as a professional dancer, but don’t be fooled by her feminine physique. Now, as a trainer at Crunch Gyms in New York City, she's all about helping you sculpt those muscles—whatever it takes. “Guys will be the first to whine about how hard an exercise is or offer a workout trade: ‘Please, let’s just do abs and not legs today!’” she says. “My guys are always great at reminding me how exhausting I am.”
And it's her goal to make sure her clients are comfortable with her and her workouts. “One time I was with a client and he turned to me and very enthusiastically asked if he could ‘show me something,’" Schopfer says. "I agreed, but thought, ‘oh, gosh, this will be one of those moments I regret as a trainer!’ But when I turned around,he was just standing proudly in his boxers, grinning and pointing to his freshly cut abdominal and leg muscles—I was so proud!”
This Equinox trainer and Schwinn master instructor is not only strong—she’s smart, too. Buschert is pursuing master’s degree in Exercise Physiology and Cardiac Rehabilitation, on top of kicking guys’ butts in her cycling and boxing classes. “The biggest challenge for me is getting guys to listen and be patient!” she tells MF. “Men feel like they shouldn’t be learning from a girl.” But with this girl, you might get your best body yet. She believes in integrative movement style workouts and implements kettlebells, medicine balls, strength ropes and agility ladders when she trains. Still weary? Don't be. She even came in first place in the 2009 NYC Biathlon. Badass!
SURFSET Fitness trainer Sarah Ponn knows you probably don’t think she can handle training you—but this girl’s got some tricks up her sleeve. “I usually get the look at the beginning of a session like: ‘you're going to be able to challenge me?’" she says. “But I always prove myself in the end.“
How? She sticks to simple but hardcore exercises that get fast results. “I love ‘manly’ exercises; pushups, single leg squats, burpees,” she says. “It’s all about keeping the mind engaged and incorporating exercises that challenge different angles and body movements while also building core strength, agility, power and balance.” So what’s her secret to sculpting you into shape? “I constantly keep them guessing and progressing with more challenging variations with each set. They never know what to expect.”
Barry’s Bootcamp's New York City location [explain what Barry’s Bootcamp is quickly] has a secret weapon—trainer Natalie Raitano—and she’s ready to make you scream. “My male clients will come in and think it’s cute to train with me…but they’ll end up lying on their face. I’m not kidding!” she says “I’ve had guys on the ground after a workout being like, ‘You’re crazy!’” But she loves the challenge of having to prove herself. “I train my clients like a I train myself, and I know it works. After all, I’m 46 years old—and this what I look like!”