Lindsey Vonn, 35, is famously fit. With three Olympic medals to her name it’s no surprise the downhill skier has legs — and glutes — to kill for. So, when we got the chance to speak to her personal trainer Gunnar Peterson we had to find out what workout her recommends to get toned legs like Lindsey.
Speaking to HollywoodLife while promoting the unique CoQ10 supplement, MitoQ, Gunnar EXCLUSIVELY revealed the top five exercises to get legs like Lindsey.
“Deadlifts – stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Place a barbell or dumbbells in front of you on the ground. Now with knees slightly bent hinge forward at your hips and grab the barbell. With your shoulders back, squeeze your glutes and core as you stand up straight. Push through your heels and stand up and tuck your pelvis as you reach the top and pause for a moment before slowly lowering the barbell back down to the ground.
“Squats – stand straight with feet hip-width apart. Tighten your abs, squat down, as if you are sitting in an invisible chair. Straighten your legs and stand back up.
“Hip Thrust – lay with your shoulder blades flat against a bench, your arms spread across it for stability, your knees bent to 90 degrees and your feet flat against the floor. Tighten your core, squeeze your glutes, drive your hips up and hold for 2 seconds.
“Lateral Lunge – start with your feet together, both feet pointing forward. Take a large step out to the right and lower into a lunge by sinking your hips back and bending your right knee, keeping it directly in line with your right foot, left leg extends and you should feel the stretch. Push your right foot into the floor and straighten your right leg, return to the starting position. Repeat to the other side.
“Bulgarian Split Squat W/Hop – stand facing away from a low bench or step. Place one leg behind you on top of the bench or step, keeping your other leg on the ground. Make sure the knee of your standing leg is directly over your foot when you lower down into a squat. Once you reach your lowest point at the bottom of the movement, return to the starting position by using an explosive movement rather than just standing up. Push your grounded leg off the floor into a hop. This exercise is meant to be a continuous movement, so when you land from the hop immediately lower back down into a single leg squat and into the next hop. Find a rhythm and continue until you reach the desired number of repetitions.”
When it comes to how many reps to do of each exercise Gunnar told HL, “Rep range varies depending on the phase we are in but think generally between 6-15, usually 3-5 sets. Try to add resistance even if you are at home, and if you really can’t find any weights then double (or maybe even triple) your reps-I mean, we are talking about Lindsey here!”
Gunnar is the go to trainer for athletes like Lindsey as well as stars like Jennifer Lopez and Khloe Kardashian, just to name a few. He’s up with the sun most days to meet his A-list clients in the gym and he told HL that his morning CoQ10 supplement, MitoQ, is his secret to keeping his energy stable all day.
“I take it every morning because it’s like I’m laying the foundation for a great day,” Gunnar told HL. “I am giving myself a natural boost and setting the table early to be able to crush my day. You hear people talk about treating the problem not just the symptom and that is exactly what I am doing! I don’t go nuclear in the afternoon because I go cellular in the morning! My energy is steady, my immune system is fortified, and I’m able to perform at a higher level for a longer period of time.