Dalton Wong, founder of fitness studio TwentyTwo Training in London, is the performance coach behind the bodies of A-listers like Jennifer Lawrence, and Oscar-winner Olivia Colman, who has been working with Wong throughout this awards season.
After putting on two-and-a-half stone to portray a clinically obese Queen Anne in The Favourite, Colman is now on fighting form thanks to her hard work with Wong. 'We trained two-to-three times a week focusing on posture, resistance training and also cardio,' Wong tells Bazaar. 'She also had soft-tissue work at least every week which helped improve her flexibility and reduce tension in her body.'
'Dalton has changed the way I look at fitness and nutrition,' says Colman, of her newfound body confidence. 'He’s been an absolute rock to me and helped me change my body shape completely. He definitely delivers.'
Here, the body whisperer shares his secrets that we can all live by for a fitter, leaner life.
Perform different levels of cardio
Wong explains that there are three cardio levels, which are all equally important.
'Not all cardio exercise has to be high intensity. I suggest that you perform all three levels of cardio during your week:
Steady: (where you maintain normal breathing but you perform the activity for 90min-plus) in the form of long walks, cycling, hiking or swimming.
Increases pace: (a pace where you are slightly out of breath but can maintain a conversation, for 30-50min) in the form of spinning, a light jog, or increased resistance on the cardio machine.
Sprint: (an all-out push during cardio activities, for about 10-20 seconds max. but done repeatedly with the appropriate rest breaks) in the form of sprinting and heavy weight training.'
Wong does all of these three types of cardio training at TwentyTwo Training. 'They have various health benefits from weight-loss, to heart health, increased blood flow and muscle performance,' he tells us.
Work on increasing your lean muscles mass
Wong says this is achieved by starting off with bodyweight training and then progressing to resistance-based training.
'It’s really important that you increase your lean muscles mass the older you get. As we age, we have a tendency to just do activities we are good at. At TwentyTwo Training our main aim is that the work you do in the gym or at home improves your life! We use all various forms of resistance training from weights, kettlebells, medicine balls and cables.'
This can be done at home, too. 'One of the secrets to our success for all our clients – from actors to working mothers and families – is bringing the gym to their home. My Mini band and Glider package is the perfect at-home resistance-based program.
Improving your posture is key
'This is a key element that most people miss when devising an exercise plan,' Wong says. 'Posture is really important for all our clients, for those who walk down a red carpet and those who just want to look and feel better.'
He says the trick is adding various posture exercises to a program. 'It could be resistance-based ones you use in a workout, Pilates exercises that focus on the core, or yoga flow for your days off.'
And the best bit? Treatments. 'At TwentyTwo Training we like to suggest that clients get a massage or soft-tissue treatment at least once or twice a month. Treatments are really important as they can calm the nervous system, improve joint health and increase flexibility. For those who can’t, we advise a daily pre-bedtime stretching and breathing session to help aid a restful night sleep.'
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