Astute readers know that this time last year, Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival had one of its stops here in NYC along with LA and Chicago. We had a great time working out beside Gunnar Peterson, Harley Pasternak, Akin's Army and more. We talked with them about a number of fitness tips, focuses and more. This month, the event took place in LA with the same energy with a number of new and old friends. We're sharing a few conversations with Gunnar Peterson, Harley Pasternak, Casey Ho, Simone de la Rue and Angela Manuel-Davis.
We kicked off with Gunnar Peterson.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What tips do you have for those just beginning their fitness journey?
GUNNAR PETERSON: Enjoy the process. Obviously short- and long-term goals are great, but if you can find a way to enjoy what you’re doing in the moment, you’re going to be so much better off throughout the whole thing – not to mention, your goals will be there sooner than you know.
AM: What advice would you have for those struggling to find motivation?
GP: The motivation comes from inside. I’m not a big believer that the trainer motivates – I don’t know what I can say to you if you’ve decided you’re not doing something. And I also don’t think that’s incumbent upon the trainer. People decide for themselves. They have their own reasons and get after it because they’ve decided to make that change. It can be family, job, tired of feeling low energy – whatever it is, just draw on that from the inside and don’t deny it.
AM: What is the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival all about?
GP: To me, the Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival is all about bringing a relatively disjointed fitness community together and on even ground. Even when you’re here, you’ll notice people who are yoga people, weight people, and people who are way more cardio-intensive – and there’s such a great comradery and feeling here. This is what fitness should be. Propel makes this what fitness should be about – community. Here, people are sharing information and also being receptive to other fitness professionals, which is why it’s such a great event.
AM: Tell us about the class you’ll be leading with Luke Milton?
GP: I can’t tell you – it’s totally top secret. Actually, Luke and I have a similar philosophy in terms of peripheral action and planes of motion. The environment created in the workout is all because of how the movements are sequenced. So, when we developed this, it was so fun and totally logical. For us, the goal is up-down-up-down, switching it up the whole time, upper-body, lower-body, core. And moving people in that way, very specifically and thought out, helps them get the most out of the workout.
AM: Why are electrolytes important?
GP: We lose electrolytes when we sweat, and with Propel, you replenish them. You can workout harder and longer. Propel is helping everyone here do more – their bodies are ready to go sooner and to keep pushing – and that’s really what it’s all about.
One of the exciting things about attending a festival of this nature is that you're able to try out a number of methods that allow you to enhance what you already do. You also have the opportunity to hear about the methods and the reason why these celebrity fitness trainers do them. Last year, we enjoyed connecting with Harley Pasternak and once again, he didn't disappoint.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about the class you’ll be leading at the Propel Co:Labs fitness festival.
HARLEY PASTERNAK: We are doing a really exciting class today that will require no equipment whatsoever – just absolutely tons of energy and a high pain threshold. We will be focusing on the lower body, and the class is called ‘Butt my legs hurt’ – get it? All kinds of iso-lateral (one side at a time) lower body movements. Variations of lunges from regular lunges, skater lunges, reverse lunges, lateral lunges and jump lunges. Then during the rest in between, we’ll be doing hip thrusts and pike planks. So a little bit abs, a little bit of glutes as your rest period, which is kind of insane. Let’s just say, I will be everyone’s pain in the butt today.
AM: Are lunges enough for a lower body workout?
HP: If you were to have one lower body workout, lunges would be one of my favorites. But, it does not train your upper body. It will elevate your heart rate, so I like variations, and with the addition of the hip thrust we’re getting the posterior chain.
AM: What would you add to balance out the upper body?
HP: I really focus on the posterior chain, so a back row of some kind with a TRX or dumbbell – something for your rhomboids. I’d put in a triceps movement, maybe a laying dumbbell triceps extension with a hip thrust together – I call those a Harley. It’s butt and back with your arms at the same time. Those moves, combined with the lunge variations, as well as a stiff leg deadlift for your hamstrings and lower back.
AM: With your busy schedule, how do you manage to fit workouts into your schedule?
GP: It's the other way around. I build my schedule around my workouts - they're a priority to me. It’s that old analogy of – if you fill a fish tank full of rocks, and it looks full, there’s still room for small rocks, gravel, sand, and water. But if you do it in any other order, it won't work. So you have to decide in your life, what are those big rocks? What are the small rocks, the gravel, the sand, and what’s the water? And for me, staying in shape and exercising is definitely one of the larger of this, and not something to try and jam in at the end of the day.
AM: What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever received?
HP: Make the process the goal. It’s not about the number on the scale or having a certain aesthetic. You have indirect control over those, but not direct. So focus on the things you have control over. How many steps did you take today? Did you workout today? How did you eat today? Those things you can control. So focusing on the process, not the end goal.
Also, understand that we only have one set of joints. As I get older, focus on what do you need to do, not what you can do. What’s the least you need to do to get the most results.
AM: What’s your favorite workout song at the moment?
HP: There’s something about the cadence of ‘Love Lock Down’ from Kanye’s 808 Heartbeats. Cause that’s how I teach people to do resistance training – that cadence is timeless.
AM: Why is being strong important beyond appearance?
HP: There’s a confidence that spills into every other aspect of your life when you feel strong. That confidence just oozes everywhere. You’re staying functional in everyday tasks and less likely to get hurt.
AM: Tell us what its like training your celebrity clientele?
HP: I’m very lucky, cause having clients who make a living off how they look instills a motivation that is unrivaled by any other population. They’re as motivated as can be. They’re a minute early and putting in everything they can, cause they know their identity and their profession is very much tied to looking great.
AM: What is the biggest health and or wellness myth you’d like to bust?
HP: Celery juice! Go away! It’s not harmful and it won’t hurt you, but it’s totally pointless and does nothing positive for you. Juicing in itself is pretty pointless, but juicing one of the least nutritionally dense vegetables that exists in nature today, and throwing out the fiber to drink it with water and the dye that comes in the vegetable, and people thinking it’s going to fix their autoimmune diseases and cancer and weight management – it’s just really pointless.
As is the case of our previous celebrity fitness trainers, Simone de la Rue is someone that we have enjoyed doing her method. She has also been in Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian on E! As a new mom, we looked forward to finding out how she prioritizes what's important as well as her fitness.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What are you doing here at Propel Co:Labs today?
SIMONE DE LA RUE: I am here to share my love of fitness and encourage people to hydrate with Propel! Hydration and your water intake is a huge assistance in weight loss, so drink, drink, drink!
I am here at Propel Co:Labs to share my brand which is Body By Simone, which is all about dance-based fitness. I taught class this morning in the festival hanger with my team to an amazing crowd of people that came out to sweat. [Propel Co: Labs] is really building a community in an inclusive ego free environment where we all come together to sweat.
AM: As a new mom how do you find time to keep fitness a priority in your life?
SDLR: It’s all about juggling. The most important thing is that you have to have a schedule, which is difficult with a child. Meal prep is a massive thing. If you prepare all your food and then put it in the freezer, that’s setting you up for the week where you’ll make great decisions and won’t order takeout. Secondly, as a new mum, finding time exercise. You don’t have to do an hour straight—you can choose to do 10 minutes in the morning or half an hour in the morning and possible another 30 minutes at night, but it's just finding that time for you that is so important.
AM: What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever received?
SDLR: Set realistic goals. When you say to yourself I’m going to work out for two hours today and completely change your diet you set yourself up for failure because that's unrealistic. Set achievable goals and on day one just try and stay in the room, or gym, or class. And then the next day improve on that—add another 10 or 20 minutes to your workout or eliminate one item from your diet, whether that be sugar, caffeine alcohol. If you go cold turkey on day one, it’s likely you’re going to binge or give up.
AM: What is the biggest health and or wellness myth you’d like to bust?
SDLR: Just get up and do something. Just get your butt off the couch. There’s not one workout that’s going to give you your dream body so the most important thing is to find something that you connect with and will motivate you. So, the myth is that there is one workout that is the best for you.
AM: What keeps you motivated?
SDLR: My business has always kept me motivated because I have so many staff that I have to take care of. My clients also motivate me! They usually come in with a different goal whether that’s a Grammy appearance or Oscar red-carpet or film—which is exciting. Now, my biggest motivation is my son! I want to get up and be the best version of myself for him, I want to be a great role model for him so that he can see me in the best light.
We have interviewed Casey Ho previously as we love her 30 day challenges, fun fitness YouTube videos and her perky attitude as the founder of Popilates. With her first time joining this fitness festival, we wanted to find out about what her session involved, her favorite movements during her workout and how she stays motivated.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Tell us about the class you’ll be leading at the Propel Co:Labs fitness festival.
CASEY HO: It’s called Abs of Envy by PIIT 28. So obviously it’s going to be an abs focused class because I’m a Pilates instructor—it’s going to be core crazy! PIIT stands for Pilates intense interval training, it’s a 30-minute class which has cardio intervals with the toning aspects of Pilates with abs—so basically prepare to die!
AM: Why did you decide to partner with Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival?
CH: I love that Propel is putting on a live fitness event to bring people together and also bringing together the best fitness studios in LA because I’m a big class pass user so I’ve been to a lot of these studios, so it’s really cool see all these amazing trainers get together in this environment. I love that Propel is doing this because yes [teaching classes] online is a big deal, but [teaching] in person is an even bigger deal because real in-person relationships are being built.
AM: With your busy schedule, how do you manage to fit workouts into your schedule?
CH: I always workout in the morning. 7:15 is my time and I don’t miss is unless I’m feeling tired or traveling. I set aside time in my schedule like a set anything, I make it a date in my calendar so I don’t miss it.
AM: What keeps you motivated?
CH: What keeps me motivated is keeping this happiness level inside me—just feeling whole and healthy. There have been points where I have not been happy with myself and it’s taken a lot to get to this stage so that keeps me motivated staying balanced and harmonious. Also, my husband and my dog!
AM: Favorite workout/movement at the moment?
CH: Of the moment, I’m super into deep stretching and I’m not talking about yoga! I mean I’m in a split and someone is pushing on me to the point that you’re almost crying—but after your splits are even lower! I’m taking this new class as SM Stretching in Beverly Hills and its run by a rhyme gymnast and she’s kind of hard on you and I love it!
AM: What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever received?
CH: Find the joy in working out. Don’t keep doing the thing that feels like a chore. For a while I felt like I had to do the hardest thing and feel like I was dying every time I finished a class or I wasn’t pushing myself enough, but that wasn’t true. It’s the [workout] you can stick to that will make you happy.
AM: Why is being strong important beyond appearance?
CH: It’s important to be strong so you don’t break later, so you can live longer, so you’re able to carry 17 grocery bags from your car to the house in one trip! Obviously, strength is what matters, vanity is just a side effect
AM: What is the biggest health and or wellness myth you’d like to bust?
CH: No one diet or workout program is going to work for everyone. Everyone needs to realize that your fitness journey is entirely individual in your self-discovery.
AM: What is your mantra you like to live by?
CH: Give yourself the 100% chance to succeed because you’ll never know if you don’t. Whether you give your 100 and you fail or you give yourself 100 and you don’t fail—you’ve got to go 100 every time or you’ll live a life of regret.
A fitness festival of this nature is all about taking in the positivity, workouts that are offered and sampling what makes the most sense for you. We took a few moments to chat with Angela Manuel-Davis to find out how she was energized by the participation, her approach to working out and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: So what are you doing a Propel Co:Labs today?
ANGELA MANUEL-DAVIS: So today at Propel Co:Labs I am leading a class on AMDIO method, which is Angela Manuel-Davis changed from the inside out. So, I’m going to be pushing and challenging everyone that shows up to close the gap between where they are and where they dream to be in their life!
AM: What was it like on the Co:labs festival stage?
AMD: It was incredible being on the Co:Labs festival stage! People really came open and ready to receive—the energy was high and I really feel like every single person that walked in walked out different.
AM: How do you fit time in your busy schedule?
AMD: You have to make it a priority. Life can take over and there’s always going to be a number of things that seem more important but if you do not make it a priority to take care of yourself you won't be able to take care of anything else or anyone else. So, it's about making yourself a priority and understanding that the stronger you are, the stronger you are for others.
AM: What keeps you motivated?
AMD: Living a purpose driven life keeps me motivated. Every single day I wake up and I’m really interested in operating in my gifts and talents that’ve been given to me personally and encouraging others to do the same—that’s my purpose in life. So, living a purpose driven life for sure.
AM: What’s the best fitness advice you’ve ever received?
AMD: Best fitness advice I’ve ever received is that the recovery time is just as valuable as the time I put in the workout. Sometimes we get so caught up in the workout and we go super hard and we don’t remember that the recovery is when the benefits of the workout find their rightful places.
AM: What is the biggest health and or wellness myth you’d like to bust?
AMD: Spinning doesn’t give you big legs.
PHOTOS COURTESY | Jessica Nash for Propel Co:Labs Fitness Festival
Read the July Issue of Athleisure Mag and see Propel Co:LABS 2019 in mag.
