Harley Pasternak: You Have to Try This Workout Straight from the NBA

The trainer shares tips straight from one of the NBA's top trainers

<a href="https://people.com/tag/kanye-west/" data-inlink="true">Kanye West</a>, Kobe Bryant, Harley Pasternak

Harley Pasternak is a celebrity trainer and nutrition expert who has worked with stars from Halle Berry and Lady Gaga to Robert Pattinson and Robert Downey Jr. He’s also a New York Times best-selling author, with titles including The Body Reset Diet and The 5-Factor Diet. His new book 5 Pounds hits shelves in March. Tweet him @harleypasternak.

In October, I had one of those mornings every sports fan can only dream of. One of my favorite all-time athletes, Kobe Bryant, invited me and my friend Kanye West (who, by the way, is a far better basketball player than I) to train with him in one of his grueling off-season morning workouts. Ecstatic, I accepted and we arrived at the practice facility ready for whatever Kobe was going to throw at us.

From strength moves and flexibility exercises to wind sprints and agility drills, I quickly realized that Kobe is undoubtedly the hardest-working man in basketball. I also decided that Kobe’s trainer, L.A. Lakers head strength and conditioning coach Tim DiFrancesco (@tdathletesedge), was the meanest man in the world (and a brilliant trainer). It was as though all of the actor and musician clients I’ve made sore from my own sadistic workouts over the years got together and hired Kobe and Tim to make us run ragged till we surrendered.

Well, it’s been several weeks since that humbling morning, and I decided if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! So I reached out to my new friend Tim to come visit me at my studio to show me a few great moves I could share with my People.com readers.

These moves are not only great for athletes, they are fantastic moves for anyone wanting to tone up, and they don’t require a gym membership. Enjoy!

Bench Bridge

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Tim: “Having strong hips and glutes is very important to help protect the low back. The bench bridge is excellent for developing hip and gluteal strength and power.”

Start with your upper back on a sturdy bench and your butt on the ground, feet flat on the ground about shoulder-width apart and about six inches from your butt. Push through your heels and raise your butt up, forming a tabletop position (a straight line from your forehead to your knees). Contract your glutes at the top of the position. Lower down until your butt is almost touching the ground again and bring back to tabletop. Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps.

Bridge to Hamstring Curl

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Tim: “This exercise is critical to strengthen the hamstrings eccentrically (lengthening the muscle while contracting) and concentrically (shortening the muscle while contracting) which is important in any running-based activity. It’s also a great core exercise.”

Using a towel under your heels on a smooth surface, bridge your butt up toward the ceiling, with your heels under your knees. Let your heels slide out from under your body, maintaining the bridge while you do that. Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps.

Spiderman Pushup

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Tim: “I love this move for core strength as well as upper body and chest strength and endurance.”

Start in the ‘up’ position of a pushup, Make sure your butt is flat and your glutes are tight. Lower yourself down into the bottom of the pushup position while simultaneously bringing your right knee to your right elbow. Return to the top of the pushup position and then lower and repeat the same on the left side. Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps.

Bowler Squat

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Tim: “This exercise is perfect for runners, or any athlete really, because it enhances single-leg balance and stability”

Start in a single-leg stance. Take a bow and rotate your arm across your body and reach back with the same-side leg, bringing your heel diagonally behind you toward the ceiling. Return to the top to a straight position, but be careful not to rock back into hip or low-back extension. Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps.

Half-Kneeling Medicine Ball Toss with Rotation

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Tim: “This is a great core exercise. You’re trying to keep your core still, quiet and strong while you throw the ball in a rotational manner.”

Using a medicine ball and a partner (or a sturdy wall), start with the ball down toward the bottom knee. Throw the ball across your body, then catch the ball and repeat. Keep your shoulders and chest straight ahead and core strong — don’t let your chest follow the direction of the ball. Repeat for 2 sets of 20 reps.

RELATED: All of Harley’s Blogs and Training Advice

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