Supermodel Workouts

Swim Daily Staff | Mar 11, 2013

The quest to steal our supermodels' workouts has led us to some interesting places. For instance, after chatting with Alyssa Miller, we racked the shelves of any Target, Walmart, and Barnes & Nobles for every copy of every DVD Tracy Anderson has ever put out. And Jess Gomes has us going down an entirely different path. When we asked about her own fitness routine, we learned:

Jessica Gomes :: Derek Kettela/SI

I love changing things up! Wherever I can, I get outside and go for walks. I really love to hike! And when I'm in L.A. I have this amazing pilates trainer, Cynthia. We do routines on the reformer and it's great for toning and posture. I also go to Cycle House there when I feel like having a good sweat and listening to crazy music.

But before we could ask for more ... we had an idea ... A great idea [can we say that about ourselves?]: Lets talk to that pilates trainer! Lucky for us, Jess was happy to put us in touch and Cynthia was happy to be bothered by our incessant questioning. Here she is, looking all kinds of gorgeous herself, to talk about getting Jess in shape:

Jessica came to me with the goal of wanting to get in her best shape ever for this year's SI Swimsuit Issue. We had a good six weeks before the shoot so we made a game plan, adjusted some foods in her diet, and got down to business (I typically think 4-6 weeks is great time frame to get the body camera ready). She's naturally got a great physique, but she wanted to tighten up certain areas while maintaining her curves. Jessica's workouts were Pilates-based, utilizing the Reformer, Mat work, Pilates Jump Board, and Spring work on the Cadillac. Pilates is known for its incredible core work, but it has so many different modalities that you can really go in there and lengthen, strengthen, and sculpt a completely new physique, if you want!

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The Reformer is her favorite as it gives her a total body workout. We utilized the 'Foot Bar' for plies which really elongate and tone creating those beautiful dancers legs. 

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For her stomach we did the 'Hundreds', which draw the abdomen in giving her that 'corset' feeling along with warming up the system more thoroughly through the breath. 

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Adding more core and flexibility work, Jess does the 'Leg Strap Circles' and 'Froggies' which targets her inner and outer thighs. 

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For her arms, I have her do the 'Offering' exercise (also performed on the reformer) which engages the chest and biceps. In this exercise Jessica's core is strong enough that I have her balance in a kneeling position as the carriage is moving giving her the added benefit of more thigh and stability work. 

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We even integrated extended cardio sessions on the reformer with the 'Jump Board'. We tweaked the traditional routine to make it more plyometric intensive. Jess noticed a lift in her glutes only after a few sessions of  doing this technique.

Lastly, one aspect that Jess loves is the 'Breathing'; it's a major component that goes along with Pilates. Breath is synchronized while doing all the exercises in the Pilates repertoire, so she ended up having a well-rounded workout accompanied by a zen-like feeling when it was over.

My name is Cynthia Czarnecki. I am based in City of Angels where my studio (sweat box) is within the gym Train West Hollywood. Don't hesitate to email/call me if you have any questions! My email is cynthiaczarneckifitness@yahoo.com. 

Jessica Gomes :: Derek Kettela/SI