Describing the newest Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model as “very spunky, a real go-getter,” Justin Gelband had only the best things to say about Kate Upton when we spoke this afternoon. The 19-year-old is making a splash this week in a barely-there string bikini on her first Swimsuit Issue cover, just a year after earning the Rookie of the Year title from the publication. 
When the personal trainer first met Kate a year-and-a-half ago, he says she walked in with serious goals and objectives. “I want the best trainer there is,” she told her agency, and that’s how the two started working together. Upon meeting her, Justin recalled thinking “This is a superstar.” How right he was!
The creator of a workout method he calls Model Fit says he customizes every workout and nutrition plan for each client, whether a Victoria’s Secret model, swimsuit model, or the moms he trains in his New York studio. Before divulging Kate’s fitness plan for the swimsuit shoot, he was clear that while anyone can get Kate’s results, no one should try to mimic her methods to get them.
“Get the best body for you,” he told us. “Be fit for you, don’t worry about what everyone else is doing.”
So, if you’re still curious, Justin says he and Kate worked out five days a week for the three months leading up to her Sports Illustrated shoot. “She loves movement and motion,” he said. Based on that, he ran Kate through circuit training workouts that resembled an obstacle course. He described a workout as starting with a light run on the treadmill, then kickboxing that lead to stretching with elastic bands to work her back and legs, followed by quick feet movement, work on the BOSU and core board, then step ups, and finally the use of a step ladder. (more…)
