Getting 'The Red Carpet Look'
An Interview with Valerie Waters
by Chad Waterbury

I've met a lot of fitness experts in this industry. Some can quote scientific studies ad nauseam. Others don't know a biochemistry textbook from a hole in the ground. But in either case, it doesn't really matter. What matters are results. I surround myself with experts who get results because anything less is just hyperbole and mindless self-promotion.

One fitness expert, in particular, has really piqued my interest. I say this because almost half of my clientele over the years have been women. Most of the ladies who hired me didn't want to look like Dorian Yates in a bikini. Most of them wanted to slim down their proportions and develop a svelte, sexy body. Indeed, the words "ripped" and "jacked" weren't even in their vocabulary.

When I wrote Sexy Female Training it really opened my eyes. I had no idea how many guy's had a wife, girlfriend, or sister who didn't want six-pack abs, monstrous quads, and cannonball delts. They just wanted to look good in a bikini.

No one, and I mean no one has built more sexy, female bodies than Valerie Waters. Her A-list clientele is as long as a country mile. She's the person responsible for developing many of the lovely actresses that make both men and women drool. I'm talking about Jennifer Garner, Jessica Biel, Kate Beckinsale, Kerry Washington, Lauren Holly, Elizabeth Berkeley, Jennifer Lopez, Cindy Crawford, and many others. Chances are, if you've watched a movie and thought, "Wow, I really want to look like that girl," Valerie has trained her.

Jessica Biel.

Since I have so much respect for Valerie Waters I decided to introduce her to Muscle With Attitude.For some of you, her methods won't coincide with your goals. And that's perfectly fine. For others, she's an absolute Godsend. If you're at all interested in developing a body that's similar to her clients, Valerie is the woman who'll tell it like it is. After all, she's proven herself in this industry for more than a decade in Los Angeles where results are expected in record time.

Not many people impress me, but Valerie Waters is one of them. As I said in the beginning: it's all about results. She knows how to get them.

Without further ado, here's Valerie!

CW: Tell us a little bit about your history. How did you get started in the fitness business?

VW: From the moment I first picked up a barbell, I loved weight training. For years I studied and mimicked what the body builders were doing. This was the late eighties, before it became too extreme, but also when everyone else was doing aerobics. I moved to LA and got a job in a very fancy boutique gym that I would never be able to afford to join. They hired me to do sales. It was straight commission and I wasn't very good at it so I never made any money.

To make a long story... not so long... I quit and came back to the same job 4 times. I quit because I couldn't make my rent but I would come back because I missed being in the gym. The fourth time they hired me back I said, "I'll still sell memberships but I also need to know I'll have a pay check. I'll work the front desk. Anything." They said, "Why don't you train people?"

This was one of the first gyms to really promote personal training. I said, "I don't know how to train people," and they said, "Christ, you work out 3 hours a day, we can teach you how to train people." So they put me through their program and one month after starting I was booked solid eight hours a day.

I knew then that I had found my calling. Eventually the gym went under, as did the next three gyms I moved my clients to. It was a rough time but I was learning so much. A couple of years later, I picked up Cindy Crawford as a client and she ended up training with me for over 15 years. She was at the height of her supermodel-ness when we met and this helped me get some attention. I also started training her then-boyfriend Richard Gere to help him prepare for several movie roles.

Cindy Crawford.

At one point, someone referred Lauren Holly to me. She was nervous about working with a trainer because the previous ones had made her "too bulky" and she didn't want that look. I had already moved past my bodybuilding and body-part split routines toward my own style of circuit training. Lauren loved the workouts and her new body. Six weeks after we started I had her camera ready for a film role and soon she was on the cover of In Style. It was around this time that my number seemed to be on speed dial of all the major talent agents and managers. I became known for delivering results fast!

Lauren Holly.

CW: What type of look do most female celebrities want from you?

VW: They want a long, lean look.

CW: Uh, long muscles?

VW: Now before you jump all over me, I know I am not making the muscles "longer." This is the language a client might use to describe what they want. They might also say they want to get toned, lose a little weight or lean-out. They never say, "I want to look muscular," or "I want to build muscles." They use this language to communicate a very specific look. Fortunately, I speak the same language and I know how to deliver the results they want, even if that means I am building muscle.

CW: You've coined the term "The Red Carpet Look." What does that term mean?

VW: I use the term, "The Red Carpet look" or "Red Carpet Ready" to describe a client's ideal self. I coined this term because I am so often called to get someone ready for a Red Carpet Event, like the Oscars or a movie premiere.

Sometimes it's a bikini photo shoot or a love scene. But you don't have to be a movie star to have your own "Red Carpet" event. Your event may simply be the first beach vacation with a new boyfriend or a vacation with your husband and his best friend, and the friend's new supermodel girlfriend! Think about sitting poolside next to a Victoria's Secret model, and then see if you log some extra gym time! This was really the case with one of my superstar clients.

Jennifer Garner on the red carpet.

CW: Okay, so to build that type of physique there are obviously many key elements. For starters, what training techniques should most women avoid if they want "The Red Carpet Look?"

VW: Basically I avoid body part split routines. Do we really need a day for just arms? I also believe that while squats and lunges are excellent exercises, if you continue to increase the weight you'll end up with big thighs — not something my clients are trying to achieve.

What I loved about your Sexy Female Training article was that I finally found someone who was able to articulate what I had been doing for years. I don't feel it should be so difficult to grasp that there's different programming involved for different aesthetic goals, just like a soccer player is going to train differently than a football player. Someone desiring to be a fitness competitor is going to train different than someone wanting a slim, toned, sexy female body. I'm not putting judgment on any one body type. I am simply creating programming that I know will deliver the results that my niche market is requesting. Like you said in your article Chad, it's as much about what you don't do as it is about what you do.

CW: Jennifer Garner looked incredible in the movie Elektra. Give us an idea of how a typical training session was organized for her for that role?

VW: Thank you! I am very proud of Jen's body in that movie. We went into the training with a very clear idea of what we wanted the character to look like. Because Jen does a lot of her own stunts, I wanted to make sure she was strong where I felt she would need it most. We did a lot of core work like planks and bridges and more shoulder work than usual because of the weapons she would be wielding. Of course you can't be a super hero without a super body, so the cosmetic aspect was important.

The workouts prior to shooting were high intensity circuits, often mixed with running intervals. I used big circuits and would usually alternate between lower body and upper body with some core mixed in. Because she also had fight training and weapons training, I had to keep an eye on her upper body. With all the extra work with weapons there was a chance her upper body would get over-developed. The character Electra is not really a super hero with special powers. She is more like a Ninja, so we wanted a lean athletic look, like a martial artist.

Once shooting started I made sure we did what we needed to do but not more. Her body was already there so I just needed to maintain it. It was more important that I managed her energy. She was often filming 12-15 hours per day so it didn't make sense to blow her out in a workout. We most often worked out first thing in the morning (which often meant 4AM) because it would get her nervous system fired up and her muscles already switched on so she was ready for the fight scenes. To maintain her low body fat, she had to be even more strict than usual on her diet, with only one cheat meal allowed each week. If you have seen the costume you can understand why.

Garner as Elektra.

CW: Yes, after seeing her in that costume I can attest that all the right curves were showing! Tell us about the nutritional strategies that most of your clients follow.

VW: First and foremost I want my clients to eat "real" food in as close to its natural state as possible and quit eating what I call "fake" foods, which are any foods overly processed or refined. In other words, eat grilled chicken and a salad instead of a fast food chicken sandwich or a "Lean Cuisine" chicken stir fry. I believe in eating 5-6 small meals per day and building each meal around the protein source. The majority of carbs should come from vegetables and fruits and if you do eat starchy foods, make sure they are whole grain. Basically what I am trying to do is control their blood sugar, thus their insulin production. In a nutshell here are my rules:

• Eat 5-6 small meals per day. Usually this means three meals and 2-3 snacks.

• Always eat breakfast.

• Have some protein every time you eat: four ounces at meals (or a protein drink) and 1-2 ounces with snacks.

• Eliminate white flour, sugar, and foods made with them. Get the majority of your carbs from fibrous vegetables like broccoli and asparagus.

• Drink 80-100 ounces of water per day.

• Limit alcohol to no more than two drinks per week.

• And last but not least: pre-plan and organize your food. Don't leave it to chance.

Kate Beckinsale,

CW: Tell us about your top five exercises for achieving "The Red Carpet Look."

VW: My girls all want a great butt, but not at the expense of over developing their quads. To get a great butt it takes work but I can't rely on simply loading more weight on the squat bar. I will use a combination of squats and lunges but also isolated floor work like donkey kicks and single leg glute bridges. I also have a secret weapon and it's called the Valslide.

The Valslide.

This very simple exercise tool mimics many slide board exercises, but the Valslide takes up a lot less room. It's a piece of foot-sized specially formulated plastic and non-skid foam that slides in a controlled manner to activate the muscles in your lower body. Because of the continuous tension on the muscle being worked, you can expect to get results faster than with traditional exercises. I like exercises that work a lot of muscles at once and consequently burn a ton of calories.

It's hard to pick just five, but here goes:

1) Single leg step up to a high step or a bench (for glutes) (**Even though the photo shows them being done with weights, in most cases I recommend doing them without weights)

2) Valslide reverse lunge with a 2-arm row (a full body exercise)

3) Valslide side lunge with shoulder press (for glutes, abductor, shoulders, core)

4) Valslide mountain climber (for abs)

5) Valslide, 1 arm slide (for abs)

And here are some exercises that definitely deserve honorable mention: single leg Romanian deadlift, donkey kick, single leg glute bridge, chest press on stability ball, and the seated cable row or bent over row.

CW: Great stuff, Val. Where can readers find out more about you?

VW: Anyone can check out my website www.valeriewaters.com for more information.

Finally, I would like to say thank you for this interview. Besides being a fan of MWA, I'm also a huge fan of yours, as you might have guessed when I acted like a star struck school girl upon meeting you. I have read your "Sexy Female Training" article so many times now it is practically memorized!

CW: Thanks Val! It's been a real pleasure interviewing you. I'm sure Muscle With Attitude will be seeing more of you in the future.

Jessica Biel on the red carpet.

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