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Trainer and life coach Mark Jenkins has enjoyed a successful career in the fitness industry, catering to a number of high-profile celebrity clients. The exercises trainer Mark Jenkins has incorporated into his programs include Pilates movements.

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Workouts from Hip Hop’s Top Trainers – Kanye and Rihanna’s Fitness Regimen

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Workouts from Hip Hop’s Top Trainers – Kanye and Rihanna’s Fitness Regimen

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In the music industry, there's a lot of swagger-and a lot of chiseled abs. We asked three top celebrity fitness trainers how they mold artists into performance-ready demigods with seemingly inhuman lung capacities. Read on for their best advice, workouts, and mental motivation so you, too, will be ready to take the stage-or at least look like it.

Do the Mental Work

Mark Jenkins, the man responsible for D'Angelo's washboard stomach, has also worked with Busta Rhymes, L.L. Cool J, Q-Tip, and Sean "Diddy" Combs. His philosophy for fitness is equal parts physical and mental. "I initially started implementing yoga as an injury prevention measure," he says. "But I found that my clients were able to use the breathing and relaxation techniques both in their mental work and before getting on stage."

Jenkins starts each workout session with meditation and visualization. He recommends focusing on your breathing and visualizing what you want your body to look like, how you want it to feel. "When you're slacking," he says, "tell yourself, 'Remember your intention.'"

Mark Jenkins' Go-To Moves
1. Leg Raises with a Stability Ball
Instead of lying on a bench for leg raises (a.k.a. reverse crunches), balance your upper body on a stability ball. You'll still be working your lower abs, but since you also have to keep your body balanced, it's a total core workout.

2 sets of 10 leg raises + 30 regular crunches = a quick and effective ab workout.
2. One-Leg Squat
With a dumbbell in each hand, elevate one leg behind you with the top of your foot resting on a bench. Make sure your front leg is at a 90-degree angle with your knee right over your toes.

Bend until the knee of your back leg is almost touching the floor, then come back up, pushing through your front heel. Don't lock the leg out. Do 25 reps on each leg.

"When you lock out," Jenkins warns, "you transfer the tension from the muscle to your joints, and that stops your results. Keep the tension in your muscle in every move."

Interval Train for Stamina

Gunnar Peterson is the man behind some of Hollywood's most famous curves, from a Kardashian or two ( plus a Jenner) to R&B artist Ciara. He's also helped top performers on the hardwood like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love get into all-star shape. His key to working with performers is "to make sure they have the stamina to get through an entire show."

Which is why Peterson focuses on intense cardio intervals combined with strength moves. "If you think about their stage performances, they're not up there repeating the same song for two hours," he says. "They do a two-minute song, stop to acknowledge the audience, give a shout out to the city, and then start all over again. That's straight-up interval training. Their fitness training should mimic that."

Gunnar's 5-Sequence Challenge

1.25 squats while curling a pull-up bar.
2.Rack the bar. 25 pull ups.
3.Hit the Stairmaster for 30 seconds of a crossover step facing left. (In other words, turn to your left and then continuously step your left foot over the right.)

*Pivot. 30 seconds of crossover step facing right.

*Center yourself, increase the speed, and go straight up the Stairmaster for 1 minute.

4.Drop to the floor for 25 crunches with a medicine ball toss at the top, keeping your hands straight out over your head. (If you don't have a partner, just keep the ball high overhead the entire time.)

5.Flip over into a plank for 1 minute. (If you have a partner, have him push on your lower back, shoulders, calves and thighs in different directions so your core muscles have to work to keep in position.)

"With five moves, I've hit the lower and upper extremities, I've taxed their cardiovascular system, and I've challenged them in their core," Peterson says. "If I were Zorro, I'd emblaze a giant Z in their chiseled core, stand next to it and say 'I did that.'" We'd go with 'G', Gunnar.

Take It on the Road

With a client roster that includes some of the best artists in hip hop (Kanye West, Common, Pusha T) and other A-List entertainers (Adam Levine, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna), Harley Pasternak knows a thing or two about getting into top, performance-ready shape. The trainer has his clients stick to five daily habits.

"These people are constantly traveling," he says. "They're always on the road. When they know they have to stick to these five habits, it's easier to maintain."

Pasternak's 5 Habits for Peak Fitness

1. Take 10,000 steps-every day. (Pasternak has his clients wear a Fitbit).

"If my clients are doing rehearsals and getting tons of physical activity on stage, then there's no need to strap them to a treadmill at the end of the day," Pasternak says. "But if it's a travel day and their steps are low, they know they need to hit the hotel gym or go for a walk."
2. Get at least 7 hours of sleep a night. 3. Stay hydrated.
4. Use resistance exercises to train your whole body over the course of the week.

"It doesn't always have to be an entire body workout," says Pasternak. "Focus on one body part, one exercise per day. It can be as simple as 5-7 minutes."

5. Eat protein and fiber five times a day.

That means for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a snack between each. Pasternak swears that when you focus on protein and fiber, you're less likely to choose a quick fix of sugar.

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Hip, Hop, and Hard: How Top Performers Stay in Peak Condition

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The trainers of hip hop's biggest stars share the fitness secrets for how their clients stay strong and in shape. Check out the biggest workouts in hip hop here.

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I love indoor cycling as much as the next SoulCycler, and I also enjoy running (well, to a point). But in order to maintain my several-times-a-week cardio regimen, I've had to branch out. To get my heart rate up when I'm just not feeling run or another indoor cycling class, I either dance or jump rope. Some people just aren't dancers, I know, but if you're in a cardio rut, I can't recommend jumping rope enough. It's loved by Victoria's Secret models and pro boxers alike, and it doesn't require you take a fancy class or work one-on-one with a trainer. Plus it's a way more versatile tool than you might think.

Still not convinced? Mark Jenkins, a celebrity trainer who has worked with Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Missy Elliott, and Brandy, considers the jump rope one of the staples of his workout method. Here, he breaks down five reasons it's worth adding to your fitness regimen.

It works for all fitness levels

Whether you work out six days a week or never, the jump rope never stops being challenging. If you're new to it, Jenkins suggests starting out with five minutes, then adding one to two minutes every session. "Or you can just keep your allotted time frame and see if you can pick up the number of jumps you can do within that time frame. There are a lot of ways to make it exciting," Jenkins says. Rather than counting himself, Jenkins uses the new Smart Rope ($90), available on StarShop, which has an LED display that shows you how many reps you've done in mid-air and links to an app that keeps track of progress in jump counts, calories burned, and workout times.

It keeps your heart rate up

Jenkins suggests using jumping rope as a form of active rest between strength-training sets-something especially useful if you're at the gym doing consecutive seated exercises. "I use it with my clients to keep their heart rate elevated between sets so they continue to burn fat and build muscle at the same time," he says. Typically, he'll have clients do 100 skips at a time, as fast as possible.

It's the quickest, most effective form of cardio

"Just doing five minutes, depending on how fast you jump, can be equivalent to running a half mile to a mile," Jenkins claims. It's a good low-impact alternative to pounding the pavement.

It makes you focus to get more out of your workout

"What I like about jumping rope is that, because it's a rope, you have to think about what you're doing," Jenkins says. "It doesn't become mindless, like riding a bike does or doing the treadmill. You actually have to think about your timing, development, and your reflexes at the same time as working your heart rate."

It's extremely versatile

Aside from being extremely portable, there is a surprising variety of exercises you can do with a jump rope to work different parts of your body. Jenkins says to target your thighs, you can do lunge jumps or squat jumps; if you want to work out your abs, kick your knees above the belly button. Or you can work on calves and arms by doing quicker double unders (rotating the rope under your body twice in one jump). Additionally, jumping rope can balance your body's strength when you do single-legged exercises-right away you feel which side is weaker and can form a training plan around that.

Try this starter jump rope workout (it's quick! 7 to 9 minutes, max) from Jenkins:

1. Start with 60 seconds of regular skipping.

2. Alternate between 30 second "bursts," kicking the knees above the belly button, and standard jumping for 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Cool down with another 60 seconds of skipping.

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Former trainer to Beyoncé and Mary J. Blige shares his tips for using the versatile cardio tool.

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Celebrity trainer explains how to get Beyonce's shape - INSIDER

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Celebrity trainer explains how to get Beyonce's shape - INSIDER

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Beyonce's former trainer reveals the secret to getting her hourglass shape - and it doesn't involve a single sit-up

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INSIDER spoke with celebrity trainer Mark Jenkins about how to create the elusive hourglass shape - and his recommendation doesn't include a single crunch.

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Mary J. Blige Makes Power Moves With Celebrity Fitness Trainer Mark Jenkins in New DVD - Essence

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Mary J. Blige Makes Power Moves With Celebrity Fitness Trainer Mark Jenkins in New DVD - Essence

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ESSENCE.COM
View photos of celebrities who have trained with Mark Jenkins "
If you've been wondering who's responsible for Mary J. Blige's heavenly transformation, meet her secret weapon-Mark Jenkins. Not only is the celebrity fitness trainer solid as a rock, but the New York native and navy vet has whipped some of our most beloved starlets and hunks into shape. D'Angelo, LL Cool J, Beyonce, Brandy, Eve, Busta Rhymes and more have all benefited from Jenkins's astute body assessments and hardcore workouts. In February 2009, couch potatoes can step up their game from the comfort of their homes with Jenkins and Blige.

"In 2001, I was introduced to Mark Jenkins. When I first hooked up with him, I was out of shape and overweight," said MJB. "He woke up muscles I really didn't know existed. The fat was knocked off immediately, and he let me know that it was really and truly all about the nutrition, eating six meals a day. My legs, my abs, my arms...they look incredible. Thanks to Mark Jenkins, I'm in the best shape of my life. I am happy!"

After sevenyears of flexing her muscles with Jenkins, the Queen of Hip-hop Soul is sharing health and fitness tips as well as butt-kicking exercise routines with her fans. Jenkins and Blige will deliver a breakdown of their power moves through demonstration and discussion. The as-yet-untitled DVD, which will be approximately an hour-formatted program, will be formatted as a day in the life of the songstress and will include jump rope exercises, stretching and weight training with a Swiss ball and dumbbells. The packaging will include a jump rope, a copy of Jenkins's best-selling book "The Jump Off (Harper Collins)," as well as a DVD guest appearance from MJB's personal chef preparing a few of her favorite recipes.

"The best part about this video is that you will get my perspective as a trainer and Mary's point of view as the trainee," said Jenkins, the spokesperson for O Water, a revitalized vitamin water supplement available in formulas like wildberry and peach. "You will get to see how early MJB goes to sleep and all the things she has to do throughout the course of a day, even trying to reschedule training sessions that she missed.

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Mary J. Blige Makes Power Moves With Celebrity Fitness Trainer Mark Jenkins in New DVD - Essence

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ESSENCE.COM View photos of celebrities who have trained with Mark Jenkins " If you've been wondering who's responsible for Mary J. Blige's heavenly transformation, meet her secret weapon-Mark Jenkins. Not only is the celebrity fitness trainer solid as a rock, but the New York native and navy vet has whipped some of our most beloved starlets and hunks into shape.