By Ashley Mateo, SELF magazine

 Angelina Jolie is back just the way we like her: kicking ass and taking names. In Salt, she plays a CIA agent accused of becoming a Russian spy. We talked to her stunt instructor to find out how she got in secret-agent shape.

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SELF: Angelina Jolie looks great in the Salt trailer, but first, we want to know, how did you teach her how to run in those stilettos without falling on her butt?!  Simon Crane: Women look great in stilettos, but they are totally impractical. We had to have several other shoes standing by, ranging from same-colored sneakers to slightly lower heels.

What kind of padding did she have on her body when jumping from that bridge on to a moving truck? Was there something suspending her in air or was she just free-falling? When she did the jump/fall, she was wearing a rucksack which we put a lot of soft padding in. She also wore elbow, hip and knee pads. The stunt was accomplished by a combination of real fall and wire work.

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Did she suffer any broken body parts? At the very least, did you count her bruises? Angie throws herself into everything fully, be it rehearsals or the actual shooting. We rehearse and test everything to the smallest detail with her stunt double, Eunice Huthart, before she ever tries anything. But saying that, as any athlete knows, there is no gain without pain!

We often used to joke about making her suffer, especially when wearing a harness. But she wouldn’t show me the bruises from that! There was a small incident on set, during her final fight with Liev [Schrieber]. She had to dive through an opening door firing a gun. The dive was great, but as she carried the sequence on, she rushed into a corner piece of a set and bumped her head, resulting in the scheduled fight sequence to be postponed and Angie taking a precautionary trip to the hospital (arguing against it all the way…she can be stubborn!).

How do you prepare an actress to handle a role like Salt? I have worked with Angie for several years and on several films. I know her strengths and how to capitalize on them. The most important thing with her is allowing rehearsal time where one can develop of change the action accordingly.

Related: Want to makeover your upper body? Click here for some simple moves

For her fight training, we got her learning a combination of Muay Thai and Krav Magha very early on. We would then pick the moves she was best at and combine them into a sequence. The training, at the early stages, took up about three to four sessions a week, lasting approximately two hours each. When we started filming, we trained during lunch breaks or on the weekends.

One of the important issues was to bring her body and mind up to a level of fitness that would enable her to take on same of the physical pressures of Salt. I work with my usual team and her stunt double, Eunice, is also her trainer (which is lucky, really, since Angie does 99 percent of her own stuns, Eunice would otherwise be unemployed!).

How often do you practice the stunts before filming them? We practice every little thing so much that we are actually bored of it by the time we come to film it. Testing and practice helps minimize risk and enable you to push the boundaries and keep it safe. Also, it’s the testing process where you can come up with great new ideas without having the pressures of having to film them. I have a great team that works with me, led by Wade Eastwood and approximately six others.

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Is there a specific diet Angelina had to follow to maintain her body weight and/or physique for the film? Our strategy was (can you keep a secret?): she has to have 70% carbohydrates and 30% protein diet with an anaerobic training regime as opposed to aerobic, so she can put muscle on without losing weight. Sticking to four or five meals a day routine as much as possible. Then when she reaches a good body level that we like, we change it to 60%/40% favoring carbs. No junk food, no empty calories, and alcohol only on weekends (now that’s hard!).

Which was the hardest stunt to pull off and why? For one sequence, she had to fall through a helicopter door backwards whilst being handcuffed. We had rehearsed a lot with the team and Eunice, but we didn’t have much time to rehearse with Angie. Needless to say, she was great on the first take.

Watch Angelina Jolie take on the CIA in Salt, in theaters Friday, July 23!

The founder of Shape Shifter Fitness a unique fitness training methodology created by certified fitness trainer and martial artist Thomas George has created Shape Shifter FitWear  his own athletic apparel label with an interesting twist. When you purchase his FitWear  he is dedicated to helping you actually get fit.  As a professional personal trainer  who has helped hundreds of people reach their fitness goals, he understands the challenges many people face today when it comes to their health and wellness. People need guidance and motivation when it comes to fitness, minus all the misconceptions, hype and disinformation about fitness, diet and exercise in the marketplace.

This is a new concept says Thomas but one I feel it’s time has come. We already offer online personal training with Shape Shifter Fitness and with the advent of all the new and emerging technology related to fitness, people can easily access the training programs and support system created for them with Shape Shifter FitWear. Just for another example there are now many good fitness apps available for the Apple iPhone. I use some of these now with my existing client’s so I think FitWear is here to stay.  

Shape Shifter Fitness helps it’s practitioners build high levels of strength, endurance, flexibility, fluidity, grace and poise. It is a well balanced system of fitness training that was actually inspired by my love of martial arts and the great Bruce Lee. There is more then one aspect to a persons level of fitness. It is important to develop the total package and this is what Shape Shifter Fitness is all about. Because Shape Shifter Fitness is a training methodology it can be delivered to the masses and Shape Shifter FitWear  can build a brand by delivering the goods so to speak.  

The logo is iconic and fluid, like poetry in motion, it screams movement. Just look at it, the Big S, the little S and the F are all somehow there, it is like magic. visit http://www.shapeshifterfitwear.com today to get your unique fitness apparel and your fitness trainer that comes with it.

The Lowdown on Personal Trainers

Kavita Devgan / New Delhi July 17, 2010, 0:22 IST

Can a personal trainer really add value to your exercise regime? Or is it just hype, a status symbol, or both? What do you need to look out for before you hire one? Kavita Devgan has some answers

For most people, exercising is as simple as getting up half-an-hour earlier and going for a walk. Increasingly, for many others, a personal trainer is a must-have. Such as Vice Admiral D Sai Prasad Varma (retd.), a very fit 62-year-old who is now working with the Defence Research & Development Organisation in Delhi. “My job is sedentary, so to keep fit and healthy I exercise every single day — an hour of any cardio exercise. Sometimes I go to the gym if I have the time, but I prefer to work out at home with a personal trainer at least twice a week as that saves me the travel time,” he says.

“This trend is fairly recent in India; I have seen it evolve over the last three years or so. It seems to be fast catching up,” says Dr Chandra S Siddaiah, Head, Department of Sports Medicine, Manipal Hospital, Bangalore. Nisha Varma, Reebok Master Trainer (North India), who has been teaching, training and doing personal training for the last 18 years, is emphatic about the benefits. “Personal training is very result-oriented — it gives you more results in a shorter time. When you are accountable to someone (other than yourself), it always pushes you to deliver; secondly an expert knows which muscles to work and how to get good results. Plus a good trainer can design your exercise workout programmes specific to your body and your needs, help you maximise the time versus dividends ratio (efficiency of your workouts). Thirdly, a trainer can keep the exercise regime fresh, new, and changing — thus challenging and interesting to stick to.”

That sounds pretty convincing. It would appear that there are five categories of people who usually opt for personal trainers — those who can afford one and like the idea of having a personal trainer as a status symbol; busy professionals who understand the need to stay fit but don’t have the time to follow regular fitness regimens; those who are too famous and well known to avail public options for security reasons; people who have a specific physical reason — either are grossly obese, or have a medical condition or an injury that needs special assistance such as depression, heart problems, post-operative problems relating to knee, back, shoulder etc; or those who have specific training goals (running a marathon, competitive sports).

While personal fitness training can be considered a necessity for the second, third, fourth and fifth categories, the first category of people will probably benefit more by opting for a gym or a group fitness class (like aerobics or yoga). “For a normal healthy adult working out in a group can be extremely therapeutic,” Varma emphasises. Siddaiah too believes that learning how to do an exercise in the right manner is more important than doing it under constant supervision all the time. “With the hi-tech equipment that are now available there is not much worry about going wrong. But when dealing with free weights like dumbbells, etc, you do need proper guidance,” he adds.

Choose right
The crux here is that a personal trainer  needs to be fully qualified and experienced to help you achieve your health and fitness exercise goals within an optimum time frame and safely. ‘Trained’ is the operative word here. Make sure you are not taken in by tall claims ( trainer of a famous person); and make sure you check his/her credentials.

Is the trainer qualified?
“A personal recommendation does work, but before hiring ask for a resume, and proof of his/her basic fitness trainer certification. Ideally your trainer should have first aid and CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) certification as well. There are many international bodies like ACE (American Council on Exercise), ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) and NSCA (National Strength & Conditioning Association) which certify, after a training schedule and stringent tests. In India too, many organizations such as Reebok, YMCA and Talwalkars certify trainers,” explains Siddaiah. “But the problem is that there is no central accreditation board (like the Medical Council for doctors) which can keep a check on the standards and quality, so be extremely careful in choosing your trainer,” he adds.

Know your needs
The trainer’s approach to fitness and your goals must match. Perhaps you believe in going slow and steady but he wants to hasten things; maybe you just want good cardio health and he likes to give his clients a sculpted body — it’s important to remember that different fitness goals require different exercise workouts. For example, weight loss workouts are very different from muscle toning, bodybuilding or strength training exercises. Finally there should be a degree of comfort and rapport with the trainer.

Trainers vs nutritionists
Fitness trainers are not nutritionists so they are not supposed to give diet advice — no supplementation advice, no suggestions about multivitamins, fat burners, steroids, even proteins or hormonal pills. Ishi Khosla, Delhi-based consultant nutritionist, adds that the excess egg white, creatinine, protein powders and so on that most trainers ask their clients to have are simply not necessary. “You will only end up gaining weight,” she says. “Steroid peddling is also rampant. I have even come across people (even school children) undergoing 2-3 hours of intensive training with no additional water, electrolytes, salt replacement, and glucose. Make sure that you are not making this mistake,” she points out.

“Concentrated proteins can ruin your system, hormonal pills can load your kidneys and liver, weaken your bones, and even mess up your immunity,” adds Dr Rommel Tickoo, consultant, Internal Medicine, Max Hospital, Delhi. “It’s important to do your own research, consult your physician or a nutritionist before agreeing to eat/drink anything. There is a thin line between acceptable supplements and those that are best avoided,” advises Khosla. “In fact, always talk to your doctor about any supplements before taking them, especially if you’re on any other medication which may be affected by other supplements. If your trainer forces you to take something you’re not sure about, let him know your concerns,” adds Tickoo. There were recent reports in the papers about an actor who went into complete muscle failure as he was trying out two kinds of workouts and diets at the same time, preparing for two different roles.

One is company
If you need it and can afford it, hiring a qualified personal trainer is a good idea. If you can’t, there are alternatives. You could consider hiring a personal trainer for a short time in the beginning, say a two week period and then go it alone. Or train under one for a few days a week like Delhi-based Anil Mehra, 48, director, BEC Conduits. “I play tennis four times every week and do strength training twice a week, supervised by my wife who is a personal trainer. On Sundays, I chill out, rest and eat,” he says.

Tickoo is of the opinion that “unless body building is on your agenda, 20 minutes of treadmill, some cross training and light weights, and a brisk walk a few times a week are just perfect to keep you fit”.
 

SAMPLE REGIMEN

A 6-week plan for a forty-plus individual beginner who is generally healthy

Exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes every day, slowly increasing the time up to one hour at the end of six weeks.

Three days of cardio exercises for 30 minutes at low to moderate intensity (for example, walking at the speed of 10 minutes/kilometre, or level one or two of the cross-trainer or cycling).

Three days of strength (resistance training with dumbbells, tubes, stability ball) and flexibility exercises. One day yoga/pilates/taichi and two days of strength-training in a circuit format to work most of the major muscle groups in the body.

Final day of the week — anything fun and recreational such as playing with children, taking the dog out for a long walk, walking in the mall, or playing a sport like basketball, tennis etc.

  At the end of six weeks, the next level begins in which the resistance and difficulty level of all exercises are increased.

(Nisha Varma, Reebok Master Trainer)

THE COST

A personal trainer charges either on an hourly basis or monthly. It can start at about Rs 750 for beginners and go up to Rs 2,000 an hour for specialised cases (average cost is usually Rs 1,000-Rs 1,200 per hour). So depending on how many hours you engage the trainer, it can cost you anywhere between Rs 12,000 to Rs 30,000 a month. ‘Celebrity’ trainers charge more, of course.

Special thanks to Kavita Devgan who is a Delhi-based nutrionist and writer