Hi All!
Here’s the interview I had with Mike Heatlie. He’s so nice and really knows what he’s talking about!
How long have you been in the fitness industry for?
I started in the industry in 1991 and gained an excellent grounding as a gym instructor prior to becoming a Personal Trainer 1996. At the health club I worked at we had maybe 4-5 appointments every day, giving inductions and programming to new members and then following them up six weeks later. There was a strong emphasis on member retention. This provided me with great experience in working with hundreds of different individuals prior to becoming a PT. This process doesn’t seem to happen anymore. People are now becoming PTs without much, if any, experience as gym instructors first.
2. What made you decide to become a personal trainer?
I wanted to run my own business, be independent. I thought I had the personality and positivity to be successful and I have a great hard work ethic. The most successful people I have ever met in my career have been those who have worked harder than others. It wasn’t a difficult decision, although it was a nervous one as you’re immediately out of your comfort zone.
3. I understand you have a big celebrity client base. Which famous people have you trained?
I’ve worked for a few celebrities, but my main body of work has been for Gwen Stefani whom I have trained on and off since 1997. We’ve done over 5 world tours together as well as numerous spells in Los Angeles and London. You couldn’t hope to meet a nicer person than Gwen, she’s absolutely wonderful.
4. What do you think the biggest misconception about weight loss is?
Wow, where do I start? Firstly weight loss is almost all to do with food and fluid intake, not exercise. It’s maybe 75-90% foods. People want to lose weight and they join a health club. But there’s no nutritionist there and the trainers have only a limited conception about diet. The first thing I do when I meet clients who want to lose weight is go through the diet plan with them, not exercise.
Another misconception is that aerobic exercise will help you lose weight, it won’t, in fact it could make you fatter!
5. A lot of women are scared that if they do leg exercises they will become bulky. What do you have to say to them?
That’s impossible. For a muscle to grow it requires serious break down of the tissue, a lot of calories, and some quality testosterone! Women don’t produce the same amount of testosterone as men do, they don’t eat the same quantity of food, and don’t train their muscles like men do, so it’s impossible. When you see a women who has a large muscle mass, it’s anabolic androgens, no question about it. Women need to perform resistance training, it’s absolutely vital for them, more so than men.
6. How does a woman get her figure like Gwen Stefani’s?
I’m not going to lie to you, it’s not easy. My ebook ‘Lose 10 Pounds , 10 Years, in 5 Weeks!’ details the complete diet and exercise plan one needs to implement in order to look absolutely fabulous. Firstly get the diet right, set the correct goals for yourself, and then shape your body through the correct resistance exercises. Cardio is overrated! Going from the bike, to the cross trainer, the treadmill, then some fixed weight machines, and some sit-ups will get you no-where. My clients do very little cardio training, mostly interval training, but it’s resistance exercises that do the job in terms of changing your body shape. But for the fat to go, focus on……food…food….food!
7. What is the craziest/most extreme celebrity diet you’ve ever heard of?
Maybe Beyonce’s maple syrup diet. I don’t know if she included anything else in her diet but if she was fasting with just that maple syrup then I wouldn’t have liked to have been in her company during that time!
8. How important is nutrition when it comes to fat loss? Is it more important than exercise?
Yes 100% Like I’ve stated, it’s all to do with nutrition. You could lose weight easily without exercise, but exercise helps and has so many other benefits other than fat loss. We eat far too many carbohydrates, too much fat, portion sizes too large, and we usually eat through emotion or boredom, is it any wonder we’re in the middle of a global obesity epidemic?
9. What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Difficult question. Probably when I graduated with the highest honors from my degree course in sport and exercise science. I worked so hard to achieve that grade and was so happy when I finally made it. Life is all about challenging yourself and fulfilling your potential. I’m currently finishing my second Masters degree that is really stretching me also. Was also very happy to have written my ebook and it’s so nice to get back the success stories that people send me, that makes it all worth it.
10. This one is from the forum readers 
Whats the best way to tone the abs and get rid of that annoying layer of fat?
Best way to lose fat is through diet, but people shouldn’t do any sit-ups for sure, they’re a complete waste of time. The best way to stress the abs is through eccentric loading such as stability ball rollouts, the ab wheel, or leg raises. The one thing that drives me crazy is seeing people doing crunches on the stability ball, not much happening there I can assure you! Squats and deadlifts are awesome for ab work too, as well as being the best exercises for burning fat and toning your body.
Yep there you have it, words of wisdom from one of Hollywoods best. Click Here to purchase Mike’s book ‘Lose 10 Pounds,10 Years in 5 Weeks’
According to the poll, you want to know what the best diet is. I think the best celebrity diet is Gwen Stefanis. She always seems to bounce back into shape only weeks after giving birth. Remember how I spoke with Gwens personal trainer Mike Heatlie? He has written her exact diet and exercise plan in an ebook and its available to be found online.
I have a great post for you! It’s 2:27am so I’m going to go to bed now but tomorrow I will be posting the interview I had with Gwen Stefani’s Personal trainer. Oh yeah, is anybody able to download the .zip file for Jennifer Hawkin’s diet plan? Somebody said it wasn’t working so can you please let me know if you were able to download it successfully. Hope you are all doing well!