The "Secret" Of Madonna's Fitness

“Her arms are toned and sinewy, her stomach harder than concrete and it is impossible to spot anything that looks as if it might ever wobble.” Why yes we are talking about Madonna! And some people are wondering exactly “how she does it.” We could tell them: money and a lot of work. But for those looking for specifics?

You’re in luck, because the Daily Mail has an interview with trainer-to-the-lean Tracy Anderson, she of Gwynnie and Madge.

On Motivation: “It comes down to whether or not you are a hard worker and someone who puts in 100 per cent. I prefer to train with the dedicated and these women aren’t afraid to work.” If you have Madonna-level dedication (hint: you don’t) her method is foolproof! “I set out to see if I could take any woman from any genetic background and give her a dancer’s body. And guess what? It’s definitive – it can be done.”

On Time Commitment: “Madonna spends at least two hours every day working-out and Gwyneth Paltrow has her own personal Pilates machine at each of her several homes. Not everyone has this kind of time and money. But you can move every day.”

On “Normal” Gyms And Their Inability To Make You Tiny: “Those things are the enemies of what I’m trying to achieve…you’ll get tighter and toned but you’re not going to go down a size. I’m doing something totally different.”

On Diets: She “doesn’t believe in them.” And then gives a diet plan.

The article then includes a lot of exercises to work different muscle groups and give you variety and a lot of things that would probably work very well indeed if one had a trainer barking repetitions. (Even Madonna, whom one can only assume has more willpower than approximately any human being in the world, seems to keep her as a constant fixture at her side.) But the bottom line is clear: work. And more work. In short, the same things that always get professionally fit people fit. By all means try her method out if you’re looking for a plan or just have a serious taste for naked greens. But don’t beat yourself up if you can’t hack it: sure, “it can be done.” But “it,” like most of Madonna’s lifestyle, isn’t really necessary for most of us.