Ryan Reynolds' 6 Pack Rules

Imagine for a minute that you're in the final interview for your dream job. It's going great - you're nailing every answer, asking all the right questions, and you've even managed to make them laugh a few times. Now, you go in for the final handshake, and your would-be boss says, "We're actually going to need you to gain 20 pounds of muscle and lose a third of your body fat. Is that cool?" Most people would reconsider their career path. But when it happened to Ryan Reynolds back in 2004, he did as he was told and cut his body fat from 11 to 3 percent to play a vampire in Blade Trinity. How did he do it? A lot of time in the gym and a lot of time in the kitchen. Reynolds worked with trainer Darren Chapman for 2 to 3 hours a day. He'd usually start off with sit-ups - 500 to 1000 to be exact. In an interview with sixpacknow.com, Reynold's said he found the long sit-up session "meditative" at the beginning of his workout - which is understandable since an intense session of heavy weight lifting came next. Reynolds worked one body part per day, as in: chest day, back day, shoulder day, leg day, with arms mixed in. His biggest challenge was torching the thin layer of body fat covering the lower part of his abs. And while working out definitely helped Reynolds uncover his 6-pack, I can't stress enough how important it was for him to pay a lot of attention to nutrition. To keep his metabolism going, Reynold's ate every 2 to 3 hours. The majority of his carbohydrates came after a workout and he didn't eat any carbs after 8:00 p.m. Some of the staples in Reynold's kitchen were oatmeal, eggs, protein bars, chicken and fish. When filming came to a close, Reynold's modified his workout so he was only in the gym four or five times a week, instead of six. Recent photos show that he's slimmed down a little since Blade Trinity, but he still has the lean and cut look that Hollywood loves. To learn more celebrity diet and fitness secrets, check out other videos in this series.

To say that fitness is crucial to David Beckham's game is like saying oxygen is crucial to life. This is true for all soccer players -- which is why you've probably never seen a chubby guy on the field. But on top of his incredible cardiovascular fitness, Beckham also has speed, power and agility. If he didn't, there's no way he could control the ball with just his feet. So how did Beckham become one of the fittest men in the world? With a grueling conditioning plan developed by Chris Neville, the fitness coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy. Beckham's high-intensity interval workout is completely based on his maximum heart rate, not time or distance. Maximum heart rate, or MHR for short, is the highest number of times your heart can possibly pump in one minute. You can get a pretty good estimate of MHR, men should subtract their age from 220, and women should subtract their age from 226. Now, remembering that MHR is the fastest your heart can possibly pump before you'll keel over -- consider this typical cardio session for Beckham. He'll run for 5 minutes at 85 percent of his maximum heart rate, rest for 4 minutes, and then do it again 2 more times for a total of 3 sets. On a different day, Beckham may do 15 one-minute runs at 95 percent of his maximum heart rate, resting only one minute between each interval. Now for the disclaimer: David Beckham is one of the most physically fit players in one of the world's most physically demanding sports. So we're not expecting you to make it through his exact cardio routine. At least, not yet. But, high-intensity intervals are a great way for anyone to get in the best shape they can. So I recommend making a few slight adjustments to Beckham's workout. Try doing 5 or 6 one-minute sprints at 85 percent of your maximum heart rate, resting two minutes between each. Using a heart-rate monitor can help you figure out if you're training in the right zone. You may not be competing at the level of Beckham, but taking hints from his high-intensity interval plan will help you look like you do. To learn more celebrity training tips, check out other videos in this series.

You know him as the thrill-seeking bad boy in HBO's True Blood, but before Hollywood, Ryan Kwanten had a stint as a professional triathlete. His pro-racing days have been over for a while now, but he trains like he's still competing. Kwanten prefers being outside and running on the trails instead of paved roads. It's less boring, and the rough and uneven terrain means no two steps are ever same, so it challenges more of the tiny muscles in your legs and feet. Kwanten has also been known to go swimming, bungee jumping, biking, and he's even in a bowling league. He's got the variety aspect of his workout down. Which is important, because if your muscles get used the same workout every day, you'll stop seeing results. Kwanten also knows that if you really want to build your best body, you have to fit in a few strength-training sessions each week. The good news is you don't even need a gym membership. Kwanten has said that he trains at home with classic body-weight exercises like pushups, situps, pull ups and jumping rope. He uses a thick rubber jump rope and does varied intervals - he may do one minute of double bounces and then two minutes of singles. In you don't have the skills for double-dutch just yet, Matt, one of my trainers here at Peak Performance, is going to help me give you a few pointers.First, your weight should be on the balls of your feet and your knees slightly bent. Keep your body upright, eyes front, and elbows close to your body. The movement of the rope comes from making small circles with your wrists. Don't jump more than an inch off of the ground and remember that your feet should only make contact with the ground as briefly as possible. Start with 10 sets of 10 jumps and gradually work your way up to 100 jumps nonstop. Eventually, you'll do up to 5 to 10 minutes of continuous jumping. You can burn the same amount of calories in 10 minutes of jumping rope as you can in 30 minutes of jogging. So not only does Kwanten's workout build the lean, strong look that Hollywood loves, but he does it in less time than most other plans. To see more celebrity workout secrets, check out the other videos in this series.

If I had to describe Ryan Phillippe's approach to fitness in one word, it would be commitment. The guy has worked with the same trainer for 10 years, and he treats going to the gym like brushing his teeth. When you spend that much time fine-tuning your body, you end up trying a lot of different training techniques until you find the one that works best for you. For Ryan, it's usually a blend of cardio work with heavy weights and plyometrics for a total-body challenge. Plyometrics is a form of exercise that uses rapid movements to develop muscular power. It's a great addition to any workout because it allows your muscles to reach maximum power in the shortest time possible. Let's show you! Matt is one of our trainers here at Peak Performance, and he is going to demonstrate the plyometric version of one exercise you already know - the pushup. Start the same way you normally would. Hands slightly wider than and in line with your shoulders, arms straight, feet close together, and hips lifted so your body forms a straight line from your ankles to your head. Here's where it's a little different. You sill lower your body until your chest nearly touches the floor, but then you're going to explosively push up so that your hands leave the floor. Catch yourself. Lower and do it again. Whether you add plyometric moves to your workout or not, there's still a valuable lesson to take away from Ryan Phillipe's training. Even small changes to the exercises you already know can challenge your body in completely new ways. Whenever you start to feel comfortable, it's time to change things up. To learn more about celebrity training tips, check out other videos in this series.

Bradley Cooper had to get shredded fast for his role in The A-Team. And if you've seen the movie, you know he looked the part of Special Forces soldier. That's because his trainer, Ramona Braganza, knew exactly what Cooper had to do to build the body he wanted in the time he had. Cooper ate a low-calorie, high-protein diet. And his workouts combined cardio, strength training and core exercises with a method Braganza refers to as "3-2-1." Three cardio circuits, two strength-training circuits, and one core circuit, each about 10 minutes long. So Cooper was in and out of the gym in one hour - one intense hour. Here's how the 3-2-1 method breaks down: It kicks off with 10 minutes of steady cardio. Running outside or on a treadmill, using a stationary bike, rowing on a rowing machine - they all count. You follow that with a 10-minute strength-training circuit made up of 3 exercises that each work a different muscle group - pullups, squats, and bench press, for example. Cooper did each exercise one after another, resting as little as possible in between each, and then he kept repeating the circuit until 10 minutes was up. Next, another cardio circuit. But this time, it's high-intensity intervals. One option is to sprint for 30 seconds, and then rest for 90 seconds. And repeat that four more times. And on the second strength circuit, the same rule applies as before: 3 exercises of your choice, each targeting a different muscle group. Then, it's time for the last cardio circuit of your choice. The only rule is that you do it for 10 minutes. The workout ends with 10 minutes of core exercises. Again, you pick your poison, but in case you're overwhelmed by the options, you can't go wrong with planks - on your elbows or your side - mountain climbers, and V-ups. And that's it. Simple, right? I mean, the explanation. Actually doing the 6 circuits is a different story. Anyone can try Bradley Cooper's workout by adjusting the time to their fitness level. You may start with six 5-minute circuits and work your way up to the full 10 minutes. Remember: weight-training will help you build muscle, but you're not going to see it unless your body is lean. And that depends on what you're eating. Be sure to monitor your diet, too, and check with your doctor before making any major changes to your diet or fitness routine. To find out how more celebrities stay in shape, check out other videos in this series.

If you're like me, you probably never thought you'd be taking workout advice from a guy who made his fame dancing with basketballs. But when it comes down to it, Zac Efron has one of the best bodies in Hollywood-and it's not because of genetics. Efron is the perfect example of your classic ectomorph, or what some people call a "hardgainer." He's a naturally thin guy with low body fat. Plus-he's still really young, so he can take in a lot of calories and stay slim. This is great if you just want to avoid weight gain, but it makes things harder if you're trying to build lean muscle mass. To go from scrawny to brawny, Efron had pay close attention to his training routine, diet and post-workout recovery. His exact workout may vary depending on the day, but here are a few general rules that apply to any guy with Efron's body type who wants to build muscle mass. First, guys like Efron have to consistently eat enough nutrient-dense calories for their body to use to build muscle. All the weight training in the world won't result in muscle if there's not enough protein and calories for your body to use as building blocks. As far as workouts go, the focus should be on basic compound exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench press. Since these exercises use more than one muscle group, you maximize your body's ability to build muscle and you'll be able to lift heavier weights. It's also important to allow your muscles to rest for one full day before you work them again. So if you work your chest and back on Monday, focus on a different muscle group on Tuesday. This is to ensure maximum growth, because your muscle can only repair during rest periods. And the repair and recovery process is what makes them bigger and stronger. So obviously, it takes consistent hard work for a guy like Zac Efron to pack on muscle. But he's proof that the work pays off. To learn more celebrity training tips, check out other videos in this series.

Kellan Lutz is obviously in excellent physical shape. You don't need me to convince you of that. But one of my favorite things about this guy is that he flat out admits that he hates running and that he gets extremely bored at the gym. Now, that may not seem like a good thing, but it helps me prove an important point. There's more than one way to get in great shape and it's just as, if not more important, for you to find a workout that you actually enjoy doing so that you'll stick with it. For Lutz, that means trading long boring runs for hiking and swimming laps. He's also been known to wear a heart-rate monitor when he's walking around the set, just as a little form of motivation to look at it and see how many calories he's burning through out the day. But it took a little more than that for Lutz to win the number one spot on Men's Health's best summer bodies list. To stay in shape between filming, Lutz starts every workout with 5 minutes of cardio followed by core work. He'll then do a few sets of full-body exercises, followed by simpler moves that target specific muscles. When Lutz is too exhausted to use perfect form, his long-time training buddy Rich McDonald has him back off - even if he doesn't want to. It's more important to do things right than to risk hurting himself. The benefits of a tough workout are as much mental as they are physical for Lutz. He said in a recent interview that fitness teaches him to channel his energy, and he knows that when something bad happens, all he needs to do is head to the gym and work it off. To find out how more celebrities stay in shape, check out other videos in this series.

It doesn't matter if you're a man or a woman, when Usher gets on stage, you can't help but notice his physique and wonder what it takes for a guy to get a body like that. Most people think it's because celebrities like Usher have the luxury of hiring a personal trainer and a live in cook. That's not entirely untrue. A lot of celebrities can afford to hire the best trainers, but they also appear on magazine covers that, inside, almost always reveal their best workout secrets. And Usher's no exception. He told Men's Health that he stretches for 10 minutes before and after every workout and that he uses a combination of Pilates, yoga and massage to loosen himself up before his dance moves. Usher also boxes and break-dances for speed and agility, and he lifts weights and runs for strength and endurance. As for his abs, a lot of it has to do with his healthy diet of lean proteins and whole foods. But one of his secret weapons at the gym is a medicine ball. You've probably seen one laying around at your gym and wondered what it's for, so here's an example of how you can use a medicine ball in your routine to get a 6-pack like Usher. This exercise is called a medicine-ball leg drop. You'll start on your back holding a light medicine ball between your ankles. Keep your legs nearly straight and hold them directly above your hips. Now, allow your legs to drop straight down as far as possible without touching the floor, and then return your legs to the starting position as fast as you can. The motion is pretty quick, so when you lower your legs, you should feel like you hit the brakes just above the floor. This exercise really works your core and can help produce results similar to Usher's famous set of abs. To learn more celebrity fitness secrets, check out other videos in this series.

When celebrities are asked how they stay in such great shape, nobody wants to hear that their busy schedule just keeps them on-the-go or they just walk their dogs every day. If that were really their secret, a lot more people would have a body like Jessica Biel. It's true that hiking and walking her dogs play a role in Biel's active lifestyle, but the actress is no stranger to the gym. To maintain her perfectly toned body, Biel works out with trainer Jason Walsh three to five times a week. Walsh has said that they start every training session with walking lunges. Lunges target your quadriceps, but they also work all of the other muscles in your lower body like your butt, hamstrings and calves. When it comes to cardio training, Biel and Walsh hit the track for two 200-meter, 150-meter and 100-meter sprints. If you don't have access to a track or open area, you can do sprint intervals on the treadmill. Just alternate between running as fast as you can for 15 to 30 seconds and then hopping off the machine and resting for 15 to 30 seconds, and keep doing it for a total of 10 minutes. At the end of her training session, Biel works her core with hanging leg raises. Her trainer says this is one of the best moves for a flat stomach. One more tip to steal from Biel's workout is that it's super important to keep changing things up. Biel has been known to play volleyball on the weekends or take a random dance class. Breaking out of a routine not only challenges your body in new ways, but it keeps things fun so you won't dread going to the gym. To find out how more celebrities stay lean and fit, check out other videos in this series.

When you think about the best bodies in Hollywood, Fergie is probably one of the first people to come to mind. She's totally open about her dedication to fitness, and says she does some sort of workout every day. Some days, she'll spend up to 2 hours at the gym. While it's nice to hear a celebrity admit how hard it is to maintain a perfectly toned body, most people don't have time 2-hour training sessions. But that's okay. If you can set aside just 10 minutes twice a week, you can build abs like Fergie. How? By doing these three exercises I'm about to show you, one after another. First is "the plank". Start by getting into a pushup position, but instead of balancing on your hands, bend your elbows and rest your weight on your forearms. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles. And your elbows should be lined up directly below your shoulders. Hold this position for 30 seconds, rest for 30 second, and then repeat one more time before going on to the next move: "mountain climbers". For mountain climbers, start in a true pushup position with your arms completely straight. Lift your right foot off the floor and raise your knee as close to your chest as you can. Touch the floor with your right foot, and then return to the starting position and do the same thing with your left leg. Continue alternating your legs back and forth at a steady pace. Do it for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat one more time. Then it's time for the last exercise: "the side plank". Prop yourself up on your left elbow and forearm, keeping your hips raised and your head in line with your body. If you have trouble balancing, think about bracing your core as if someone was about to punch you in the stomach. Hold for 30 seconds, rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat one more time before switching to your other side. Just like the standard plank, this stability exercise looks a lot easier than it really is. Don't get discouraged if you can't hold it for the full 30 seconds - you'll still benefit from holding for 5 or 10 seconds, resting for 5 seconds, and then holding again. Just do it as many times as you need for your total holding time to add up to 30 seconds. Do all 3 moves twice a week, and you'll be on your way to having abs like Fergie. To learn more celebrity workout secrets, check out other videos in this series.

Ashlee Simpson-Wentz put on 50 pounds while she was pregnant with her son, Bronx. But recent pictures of the actress in a bikini make it pretty clear she had no problem getting her dancer's body back. Ashlee has said that she credits the quick rebound to youth and good genes, but she also had a personal gym set up in her L.A. home for circuit training. Circuit training is a great option for anyone not just for new moms trying to lose the baby weight. Here's how it works: you do set of 4-7 strength exercises one right after another, with little or no rest between each move. A round of all the exercises is considered one circuit. The key is to combine exercises that work different muscle groups. So do an upper-body exercise like pushups and then a lower-body exercise like lunges. This way, one muscle group rests while you work another. Since you're always doing something, it really gets your heart pumping. For the best results, do what Simpson did and combine strength moves and cardio. Her trainer, mike Alexander, told shape magazine that they did a lot of their training sessions right in Simpson's backyard. Typically, she'd run down a long flight of stairs and immediately do lunges for the length of the pool. Then she'd jog back up the stairs and do a set of squats. If you don't have access to a long flight of stairs, try jumping rope for one minute between each exercise. Trust me, it's a lot harder than you would think. But it's definitely worth it for the way your body will look in the end! To learn more celebrity workout secrets, check out other videos in this series.