Harry Hanson Gives Hollywood a Lift
CBN.com Get Your Rear in Gear
Harry Hanson is the fitness trainer behind the hot bods of Tinseltown… literally. He’s helped shape the derrières of some of Hollywood’s biggest celebrities, including supermodel Tyra Banks.
Hanson says, "We tweak everything to suit each person. For instance, Tyra's biggest trouble area is her thighs, so she would do an hour on the Stairmaster, then 45 minutes of squats and lunges."
Hanson recommends squeezing in a minimum of half an hour (a full hour if possible) three times weekly. He adds, “Squats, lunges and balances — with or without a beam — are the nuts and bolts of strengthening."
Hanson realizes it’s not just celebrities who want to improve their backsides. In an informal survey for GQ Magazine, an overwhelming number of women and men said that the body part they most wanted to improve upon was their butt. In his book, Get Your Rear in Gear: Firming, Toning, and Shaping Your Butt, Hanson shares his comprehensive fitness program, which people of all fitness levels can adopt to tone, life, shape and tighten their backsides.
He includes 59 of the best butt exercises, both for at home and in the gym, but also includes motivational tips, nutritional guidelines and recommendations for aerobic exercises. "There's no such thing as spot reduction," he says. "All the 'six-minute abs' and everything are just a fantasy. You have to bring down body fat, eat a healthy diet, and do cardio and strength conditioning to see results."
What's Behind His Success and Ahead in His Career
Hanson is recognized as one of the foremost personal trainers in the country. He’s helped stars such as Sharon Stone, Demi Moore, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise and Eric Dane get into shape. He was voted celebrity fitness trainer of the year by MSNBC in 2004. He has opened three workout facilities in New York City. He’s appeared in magazine articles and on numerous television shows, including The View and Entertainment Tonight.
Through his experience as a personal trainer, Hanson has become passionate about another cause. He is using his notoriety to improve the standards of the personal training. He says, “You really only have to pass a short test to call yourself a ‘Certified Personal Trainer,’ so we’re launching a program where we’ll be the first company that’s licensed by the New York State Department of Education to certify personal trainers through our own intensive specialized method.”
He says that right now anyone can go online and pay for certification to become a personal trainer, even if they’ve never been to a gym! There is no licensing required for personal trainers, even though they will work with clients who could have medical or physical conditions that should require a trained professional. Meanwhile, you must be licensed to cut hair or do nails, both of which have fewer risks to the consumer.
He’s also working on developing a software-driven product, called the Nutribowl, which is going to help people keep tabs on their weight. “It’s going to change the way people think about nutrition, and how they track their calories, their carbohydrates, their iron, and their potassium every single day. It’s going to be a whole new way of looking at it.“
