Glam Slam: Drop Two Dress Sizes In Four Weeks Like Poppy Montgomery

“Unforgettable” is one of CBS’ biggest new hits and the show’s title pretty much sums up how star Poppy Montgomery looks -unforgettable! Her body rocks!

According to her trainer Joe Dowdell, who has also worked with Natalie Portman, Eva Mendes, Anne Hathaway and Claire Danes, Poppy actually dropped two sizes in four weeks. (Check out her before photo below and the after shot at the top!)

How’d she do it? Joe shares the workout regimen that can help you get in “unforgettable” shape up too.

POPPY’S WORKOUT DETAILS:
“Poppy is very athletic and likes to train hard,” Joe says. “She wanted to continue to get lean and stay strong, and like most women, she wanted her legs and butt to look great. Since she plays a cop she also needs to be badass. Fortunately, she had been working with Val Waters in LA, so she already had very good training technique. As a result, I was able to push the intensity of her training sessions right from the start, which is why we were able to achieve such amazing results in such a short period of time. She actually dropped two sizes in four weeks and the wardrobe team had to update her clothes for the pilot. Her body is lean, toned and strong. We were both very happy with her results and will maintain them during the series.”

“We trained 4 days per week for an hour each session. I alternated the training sessions between lower body & core on one day, and upper body the next. On the lower body and core day, I used the treadmill as part of the interval portion of the workout. On the upper body day, I used the stationary bike. I would vary the work intervals between 1-2 minutes depending on the day. Typically, for the treadmill intervals we performed two minutes of running, and for the stationary bike intervals we performed 60 seconds of hill climbs.”

“Poppy’s favorite move is the Hand Walk in Plank. This total body exercise is great for developing the strength and stability of upper body as it encompasses your arms, shoulders, chest and back. But, more specifically, it really is designed to target the core musculature as the movement forces you to stabilize your core as you ‘hand walk’ forward. Poppy loved this exercise because she had never done it before and it was challenging yet very effective. She was strong enough to start out in the push-up position and was able to perform three sets of about 30 feet.”

“Also, diet is the key to leanness. Poppy eats very well. She eats lean protein, like salmon, and lots of fibrous veggies. Plus, she drinks a lot of water so she stays well hydrated.”

“Eat Better, Move Smarter, Get Leaner is the slogan that my co-author Dr. Brooke Kalanick and I used for our book, Ultimate You. The only other thing that I would add is that getting 7-8 hours of quality sleep is critical for getting lean.”

3 Moves You Can Do to Get a Body Like Poppy’s:

Single Arm DB Rows
Set Up:
Place your left knee and your left hand on top of the bench for support, and extend your right leg back. While holding a dumbbell in your right arm, allow the arm to hang down (directly in line with your shoulder joint) and make sure your palm is facing inward.

Execution:
While keeping your hips and shoulders level to the ground, pull your right arm up until your upper arm is parallel to the floor or slightly above, making sure that your hand comes to the outside of the ribcage. Keep a slight arch in the Lumbar spine, and keep your core muscles braced throughout the movement. Return to the start position. Perform 10-12 repetitions on one side, then repeat on the opposite side.

Medicine Ball Chest Pass
Set Up:
Stand with your feet parallel to each other and about shoulder width apart. Make sure you are in an athletic “ready” position (i.e., knees slightly bent; torso angled slightly forward and spine in a neutral position). Hold a medicine ball at chest level like you were going to perform a basketball chest pass. A 4 or 6 lb Med Ball should be sufficient.

Execution:
You can perform it one of two ways:
1) You can stand in front of a concrete wall (about 3 feet away from the wall) and powerfully extend your arms and throw the ball into the wall and catch it as it rebounds off of the wall. Once, you catch it, repeat for 8-10 reps.

2) Or, find a clear area, like a park or inside a training studio at the gym, and assume the same starting position. This time instead of throwing the Med Ball into a wall, you are going to throw it as far as you can away from you. After throwing it, you can either walk or jog over and retrieve the ball and repeat in the opposite direction. If you are performing the toss and retrieve version make sure you use a non-bounce Med Ball. Throw and retrieve 5 times each way. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xciiof_athletic-body-care-medicine-ball-ch_sport

Hand Walk in Plank
Step 1: Place a pair of Valslides (or paper plates) close to your feet and extend your body into the “top of a pushup” position, with your legs extended behind you, balls of the feet on the floor, wrists positioned under your shoulders, hands flat on the floor, arms straight and abs pulled up in.

Step 2: From this position, place the ball of each foot onto the Valslides, keeping legs straight. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles with your core braced and your glutes tightened.

Step 3: Begin to “walk” forward by moving your left hand forward, followed by your right (a few inches at a time). Keep your legs completely straight and drag your feet behind you, using only your hands to move forward. Make sure you keep your shoulders and hips level with the floor throughout the set.

Do not let the abdomen or hips drop toward the floor. Maintain a neutral lumbar spine position throughout the movement. Only extend the hands out in front of your body as far as you can while maintaining good body position.

Step 4: Performing 3 sets, moving 20-30 feet per set. Hand walk at a slow to moderate pace; rest 60 seconds and repeat.

Modified Version:
Set up in plank position exactly as above, but move the body forward 4 “steps” with your hands, then lower knees to floor and rest 15 to 20 seconds. Then move another 4 “steps” and rest. Continue until you have moved 30 feet across the floor. Progress to 6 “steps,” then 8 “steps” in a row until you can move 30 feet across the floor without putting your knees down.