Guess Who's Back

Spoiler alert: it’s you. Come out of hibernation stronger than ever with these five golden rules for getting ripped, from the Hollywood trainer who transformed the devil himself.

- Wanita Nicol

When gyms closed way back in March, it hit all of us for six. And every month they stayed shut was a personal affront to our dwindling gains. But it’s time to stop crying into your KFC bucket and start your comeback. And who better to help you than the guy who whips Hollywood actors like Lucifer’s Tom Ellis and Kevin Alejandro into shape (not literally – he uses burpees). Tom and Kevin had four months before filming started (catch season 5 on Netflix this month). You have four months until December holidays. You got this.

1 / Go in with a plan.

Forcing yourself to go for the odd run will get you somewhere. But not necessarily where you want to be. “One of the biggest factors in fitness is matching your goals to the form of training you do, and that training should also match your lifestyle,” says Paolo. “There is no one way of training. There is no such thing as one-diet-fits-all. I believe that if you start working out with a trainer, and he tells you that he knows exactly what will work for you, then that trainer does not know anything; he is just trying to sell you something. There is no magic pill – it’s a process of trying, and sometimes failing, until you find what works for each individual.”

2 / Train smart.

Paolo specialises in building “Hollywood bodies” – the kind of physique that becomes a tabloid headline but is functionally capable enough to throw a punch or, you know, a table as the script demands. If that sounds pretty sweet after six months of mooching around in elasticated waistbands, meet your new workout buddies.