Workout with Jeannie D

Summer is here and we all know that means one thing: get fit – and fast! This month I show you a few exclusive, killer slim-down secrets from Jeannie D and her personal trainer, Johno Meintjes from Transfit. These should help you get rid of that winter weight and have a sexy little figure that every girl wants

Story Natalie Brownlie-Protoulis, Photos Angie Lázaro and supplied

Jeannie D is looking sexier then ever and I met up with her at her gym, Transfit Ultimate Fitness Conditioning, along with her personal trainer, Johno Meintjes, to get the scoop on her diet and workout routine.

First up I asked Jeannie what had been her biggest challenge and lesson learned through her journey of fitness with Johno. 'There’s no quick fixes! Crash diets don’t work!' she laughed. 'It’s about consistency and discipline – if you skip gym for two weeks you can’t maintain a good body. It’s about maintaining a healthy lifestyle.'

So what keeps Jeannie D motivated for a healthy lifestyle? 'If you look good you feel good!' she replied. 'I eat very healthily – eggs on wheat-free rye bread for breakfast, and I snack on protein bars, nuts, fruit or biltong! Lunch and dinner ranges from sushi to grilled chicken and rice, fish and veggies to big healthy salads.' Jeannie follows a diet set for her by Johno, but she admits that she loves her carbs and eats them in moderation.

After watching Johno putting her through a full workout, I quizzed Jeannie on how she's achieved such great results. 'I love training. I’d say the explosive jumps are my favourite because it’s challenging and you see results almost instantaneously!'

And which exercise has she found to be the most effective? 'There’s not one exercise that can change your body… that’s why I have a trainer! It's a culmination of many different actions and movements that make the difference. My legs and butt are my target zones, as my tummy and core have always been strong from many years of doing yoga… but there’s nothing better than firm, slim legs in the summer!' Read on for Johno's explanation of each of Jeannie's exercises.

3. BLOCK OR BOSU
BALL PUSH
For this exercise we use a rectang-ular 20-kilogram block which is pushed along a carpeted area. This is a very taxing exercise as the block is extremely heavy – so for people at home I would suggest the same movement but pushing a Bosu ball along the ground as it does not provide the same resistance. The muscle groups we are looking to target here are the gluteus, quadriceps and hamstrings and (more importantly) to get them moving together under extreme pressure. This endurance-based workout will firm up these areas with unbelievable results and serves as a great fat burner. We would do three sets of two-minute intervals along a 20-metre area, with a 30-second break in-between. We would follow this up with 10 20-metre push sprints, with a 10-second break in-between to finish.

5. LUNGE TO PUSH ON THE HUBER

The Huber is an extremely functional core-stability-based machine which works on a rotating plate to promote core-stability. We do a number of functional exercises on the Huber but an extremely functional one which Jeannie has responded to is the static lunge-to-plate push on the Huber. The whole aim is to hold a static lunge while pressing a 5-10kg plate out in a pushing action. As the plate is rotating it will cause the individual to stabilise their core to hold the lunge position. Breathing is very important while doing this exercise, so make sure you are exhaling on the push. There are very few Hubers in the country, so an alternative would be to perform the same exercise while standing on two Bosu balls. The time frame would be three sets of one minute on each front leg.