Two to four
times a week, Holly Perkins works with "Entourage"
star Adrian Grenier, putting him through sets of lunges and
stepping exercises to keep him buff.
When director
Chris Weitz is filming a movie, as he is now in Canada with
the "Twilight" sequel, "New Moon,"
Perkins sends him workouts on DVDs.
Celebrities
like Grenier and Weitz have the means to dish out big
dollars for Perkins' workouts - she charges $150 for a
1½-hour private session - but you can access her fitness
know-how free of charge on Exercise TV.
Perkins, who
once worked in cardiac rehabilitation at Beaumont Hospital
in Troy, Mich., is now one of dozens of celebrity trainers -
including Jillian Michaels of NBC's "The Biggest
Loser" - who make shows for Exercise TV, available
through Comcast's On Demand or online at www.exercisetv.tv.
"I wish
everyone in the world could have a personal trainer,"
says Perkins from her home in Los Angeles. "So I really
try to personalize it like a private training session with
me and you in your living room."
Founded by
Jake Steinfeld of "Body by Jake" fame, the
Exercise TV channel and Web site feature hundreds of
workouts that can be viewed and streamed without charge.
For anyone
who doesn't have the money for a gym membership or for those
who "have kids and want to get a workout in early in
the morning or late at night, we're good news," says
Steinfeld from his offices in Brentwood, Calif. "We get
thousands of e-mails from women around the country who are
absolutely wild for Exercise TV because they're able to have
a life."
Unlike
workouts on linear cable shows, users treat Exercise TV like
a personal fitness library, selecting a specific type of
workout at any given time. They can pick from trendy,
innovative exercises like "Power Bhangra," which
is based on Indian dance, to core fitness routines that
focus on abdominals and arms. Other categories include yoga,
Pilates, kickboxing and strength training, and range from
one minute to one hour.
Steinfeld
started the channel three years ago; it rotates in 100 new
shows each month.
"There's
really no limitation if you want to work out," says
Chris Mansolillo, general manager of Exercise TV. "You
can do it online or on your portable device or at home. The
only thing you can't do is have the trainer fly out to your
house. But they're pretty much there anyhow."