Fitness Fitness Tips

Rihanna’s Trainer Put Me Through a 15-Minute Workout, and I’m Still Sore

Zoe Weiner

January 11, 2019

Thumbnail for Rihanna’s trainer put me through a 15-minute workout, and I’m still sore

Full disclosure: I'm a sucker for a celebrity workout. The true reason I stepped foot into SoulCycle for the first time back in 2013 was because I heard I might run into Katie Holmes (don't worry—I have since started frequenting the studio for other reasons), and I'm guilty of Googling "J.Lo's butt workout" at least once a month while looking for a strength-training sequence for my backside. So when I was offered a chance to exercise with the ultimate A-List trainer, Harley Pasternak, I couldn't sign up fast enough.

Some of Hollywood's strongest celebs like Rihanna, Halle Berry, and Ariana Grande rely on Pasternak's sculpting advice, and after 15 minutes with him I now understand why. Recently, he put a group of editors through a rapid-fire fitness challenge, and while the whole thing lasted for less than five songs off a Drake playlist, 24 hours later, every part of my being is sore.

I guess you'd expect this from a stacked gym workout, but the truth is, this entire workout can be done in your living room. According to Pasternak, who's partnering with Marshalls to help us all stack our home gyms with affordable fitness gear, all you need at home is a resistance band, a set of dumbbells, and a foam roller.

"Fast at-home workouts can be done to keep you moving, and they’re increasing in popularity," Pasternak said. "A recent Marshalls survey found that 7 in 10 women work out from home every month and 87 percent of women would work out at home more often, compared to at the gym, if they had all the right exercise equipment to keep them going." And with that, we're here to tell you how to work out like a celeb without ever leaving your apartment.

Harley Pasternak's 15-minute, at-home workout

Round 1 (repeat 3 times):

Banded hip thrusts with dumbbell tricep extensions: Lie on your back with a small resistance loop around your thighs, just above your knees, and hold a set of dumbbells straight in the air. Raise your hips and bend your elbows to bring the dumbbells to the floor next to your ears, while squeezing your glutes and core, then lower your hips and return your arms to the starting position. Repeat for 90 seconds.

Banded planks: Flip over into a forearm plank with the resistance band still slightly above your knees. Hold for 60 seconds.

Round 2 (repeat 3 times):

Dumbbell reverse lunges: Holding dumbbells by your sides, step back into a reverse lunge one leg at a time, bending the front knee into a 90-degree angle (be sure that your knees don't go over your toes!). Repeat 20 times, alternating legs.

Dumbbell bicep curl with shoulder press: Start with dumbbells by your side, and curl them into bicep curls, then press straight up over your head with your hands facing into work your shoulders. Repeat 30 times.

Harley's right: At-home workouts are getting even bigger in 2019. Here's why the future of fitness is digital, and our favorite apps to help get you started.