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If you want to get fitter, stronger, and healthier, there are three boxes you need to be ticking when it comes to your workouts, according to a Hollywood trainer.
Magnus Lygdbäck has worked with Gal Gadot, Alexander Skarsgård, Ben Affleck, Alicia Vikander, Katy Perry, Harry Styles, James McAvoy, and more, and he’s trained many of them for film roles that require being in peak physical condition.
However, his nutrition and training philosophies apply just as much to the average person as A-listers.
A post shared by Magnus Lygdback (@magnuslygdback)
While there’s no such thing as a “perfect” fitness regime, Lygdbäck says there are three components you need to consider when programming your workouts:
Lygdbäck cites his own training as an example of this system.
“I love lifting weights, so that’s my number one,” he told Insider. “Pilates and yoga are my number two because I know my body needs them. My number three is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu because I want to get better at it. For someone else, it might be tennis, dancing, whatever.”
Read more: The 17/20 nutrition principle is the simple approach a Hollywood trainer uses to get A-listers in shape
Lygdbäck says it’s important to take a step back and think of your training in terms of these three prongs, and doing each one every week. To decide what each of your three are, however, requires being honest with yourself about what you really need.
“I don’t like my Brazilian Jiu Jitsu while doing it because I’m getting my butt kicked by a guy who is rolling me around and choking me, but I do want to get better at it and I love the art form,” Lygdbäck said.
You don’t need to devote hours to fitness every day to be healthy and fit.
“The most important thing is finding balance,” Lygdbäck said. “For most people, that means trying to be physically active a minimum of three times a week, and never more than six.”
We’re all unique when it comes to movement so there’s no one-size-fits-all approach, but when someone asks what combination of disciplines would be the most efficient at getting fit, Lygdbäck recommends weight-lifting and HIIT (high intensity interval training).
“You can get in excellent shape and feel great mentally just doing HIIT and strength training, but there’s so much more to life,” Lygdbäck said. “You can get so much more on a personal level if you are educating yourself to try and master a craft.”
Think about what would be fulfilling mentally and give you a sense of achievement, and when this is your focus (rather than aesthetics), you’ll be more likely to stick with an activity too.
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