If you’re looking for some serious workout inspiration, look no further than Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause. Not only does she look amazing while selling real estate (if you haven’t tuned in, here’s everything you need to know about season five of the hit Netflix show), she works seriously hard to sculpt those abs.
Stause has shared a number of her workouts with her personal trainer, Ocho, who is the founder of the Power 8 gym in Los Angeles. In an interview with Women’s Health, Ocho said Stause’s routine includes a lot of High-Intensity Interval Training — a form of exercise that involves short periods of intense exercise, mixed with recovery. HIIT training helps the body get maximal benefits in minimum time. Ocho said, “[Chrishell’s] schedule is very hectic, so we get in what we can, and HIIT training is one of the most efficient ways she can build muscle and burn fat at the same time."
Stause also favors Pilates, mixing up her training with Ocho to keep it interesting, and eating a good diet. She also appeared on Dancing with the Stars, which required her to dance for hours a day, seriously boosting her cardio. In an interview with Women’s Health, the 40-year-old said she was the healthiest she’s ever been during her time on the show.
Yet it goes without saying, what works for Stause might not work for you. And if you’re looking to lose weight or gain muscle, it’s worth talking to a personal trainer before drastically changing your exercise routine.
I tried working out like Selling Sunset’s Chrishell Stause — here’s what happened
To find out more, I unrolled my yoga mat, grabbed a pair of the best adjustable dumbbells and a resistance band (here are the best resistance bands for working out at home) and gave one of Stause’s workouts a go.
Ocho often shares Stause's workouts on his Instagram, and has launched his own training program online. Like Stause, I’m still doing most of my workouts from home, and opted to do three rounds of the circuit, as this is often the format of her weighted circuits (according to her ‘workout’ tab on her Instagram).
The full-body workout included a lot of compound exercises that work multiple muscle groups, giving you a lot of bang for your buck.
First up, for example, was a kettlebell swing (here’s how to do a kettlebell swing with perfect form) that moved into a forward lunge (here’s the lunge variations to try) with an overhead press. I opted for 15 reps on each leg, with 5kg dumbbells, and was feeling it by the end.
Next up, Stause performs a deadlift (no weights? Here’s how to deadlift with a resistance band) into a squat with an overhead press, before doing a push-up, into a bear crawl with a single-arm row. Without taking a break, I then followed Stause into a goblet squat, with a resistance band side kick, again, doing 15 reps on each leg, before finally getting to the V-sit crunches, which involved Stause raising and lowering her legs inside and outside two dumbbells.
There’s no doubt about it, this circuit is hard work, and it worked into all the major muscle groups of my body. I managed three repetitions, taking a 60-second break in between each, and felt I’d worked hard by the final finisher.
It wasn’t pretty, and I’m certain I didn’t look quite as glam as Stause did throughout. In this Instagram caption that accompanied this video, Ocho wrote, “doesn’t matter if you’re in a gym or the comfort of your home. The work can still be put in." And it’s true, without setting foot in a gym, I’d raised my heart rate and worked my body hard, and I definitely felt it in my legs the next day.
Stause proves that results come with consistent training and that you don’t need to spend hours slogging on the treadmill to build toned muscles — forget marathons, sign me up for more HIIT!
Looking for more workout inspiration? Here's what happened when I tried Chris Hemsworth's 35-minute bodyweight workout, how Natalie Portman got in shape to play The Mighty Thor, and the exercise that is better than squats at building your glutes.
