Scarlet and Sophia Stallone have been putting in hard work at Dogpound gym in West Hollywood — the duo’s trainer Kevin Mejia told HollywoodLife in an exclusive interview. The darling daughters of legendary actor, Sylvester Stallone were photographed during an outdoor workout at the go-to celeb gym on August 11, and they’ve never looked better. Therefore, we had to enlist Mejia, founding trainer of Dogpound LA, to spill the Stallone sisters’ fitness secrets. Mejia has also worked with Scarlet and Sophia’s sister Sistine Stallone, as well as Hailey Baldwin and Sophia Richie.
“Our sessions are filled with jokes and a good time, coupled with the great intensity, and they bring it every time we workout,” Mejia said about what it’s like to train Scarlet, 18, and Sophia, 23. “They conquer some of the toughest exercises in the gym with ease. We focus sessions on consistent toning and core work. They love the bands, but never shy away from weights,” he admitted, adding, “I always remind my clients, as long as you bring intensity you’ll conquer your goal in the gym and that guides my work with them.”
Mejia went on to describe what a “typical” workout is like with the Stallone sisters. “For a standard workout, we’ll start out with some type of activation exercises, such as bridges or monster walks, because a great workout always starts with a great warm up,” he said. Editor’s note: Each workout is detailed below so you can try at home.
“After activation work, we’ll go into single sided work like, ankle weighted rainbow kicks,” Mejia said, explaining, “This allows for a mind muscle connection, which a lot of people lack in the gym — but it later helps people contract or squeeze the right muscles.”
Next up, Mejia detailed his strength work set he instructs the sisters to do. “It’s a set or two of wide stance squats and chest presses into flies,” he explained, noting that the last 15-20 minutes of each session is “straight core work.” For example: “Exercises like hanging knee raises are one of my favorite exercises to give them — and to most of my clients, because it lengthens the body and targets the lower abs along with improving grip strength,” he revealed. “And then we usually end with a fun game of HORSE in basketball!”
Mejia added that the women also do sets of squats while carrying a “hydrocore bag” over their shoulders. Tip: “The weighted bag uses water to challenge stability and it’s super comfy and easy to travel with.”
Mejia’s breakdown of each workout mentioned above:
Bridges: “Laying flat on your back, bring legs in line with your shoulders. From here, you are going to slightly tilt your lower back, followed by striking your glutes straight into the air until glutes are fully contracted. — Bridges are great at the beginning of a workout or at the end as finishers. Shoot for about 20 reps for about 3-4 sets.”
Monster Walks: “Using a small resistance band, slip both legs into the band and bring the band right above your knees. From here you are going to bring your feet right in line with your shoulders, then come into an athletic squat position. From here, you’e going to take a big lateral side step and have the other foot follow back into a neutral athletic position. — Shoot for 10-15 steps in a direction (right or left) then back the other way to where you began for 2 to 3 sets.”
Ankle weighted rainbow kicks: “Place ankle weights anywhere from 1lbs to 4lbs on the ankle. From here, you’re going to be in an all 4s position on the ground or mat. Then, straighten out whatever leg you desire first. While engaging your core and locking out your elbows, you’re going to lift that leg up and then rainbow it over to the opposite side, then back over. — Shoot for about 15-20 reps for 3 sets.”
Wide stance squats: “With a barbell or kettlebell you’re going to bring your feet outside of the shoulders this time while slightly pointing your toes out. From here, you’re going to perform a squat. The wide stance allows for targeting the glutes and inner thighs. Keeping the core engaged, you’re going to lower down and shoot through the glutes on the way up. — Stay relatively light with the weight and shoot for about 15 reps for 3-4 sets.”
Chest presses into flies: “Using very light dumbbells, you’re going to lay back on a bench, arms come up in the air and legs wide for a solid base. From here, you’re going to fly those arms out, all while keeping your elbows slightly bent, then bringing them back right in front of your chest. The cue I give here is to pretend like you are giving a big bear a hug.”
Knee raises: “Hang from any type of supported pull bar. While completely hanging, lift the knees into the chest while squeezing the abs as hard as you can, then lower your legs. This is a tough exercise for people since not everyone has really good grip strength to hold their bodies up for short period of time, so it’s great to develop grip strength. — Shoot for about 15-20 reps for 4 sets.”
Leg raise into a candle stick core move: “For beginners, start off on the ground laying completely flat, preferably holding onto something supported. From here, as you lift your legs into the air you’re going to ‘kick the ceiling up’ which is the ‘candlestick part’ — meaning your hips come off the ground. Then, lower your hips back onto the ground while lowering your legs together and then lifting again before they touch the ground. Shoot for about 20 reps for 3 sets back into a neutral athletic position. Shoot for 10-15 steps in a direction (right or left) then back the other way to where you began. Try to do 2 to 3 sets.”