During the last portion of the workout, Johnson and Worthington focused specifically on the areas she wanted to work on, which were usually glutes and abs. “We did a lot of single leg glute work, which tends to make it a little easier for people to focus on the specific muscles they’re trying to work,” says Worthington. “Other glute-specific exercises we used a lot were single leg hip thrusts, TRX hip abductions, and single leg deadlifts.” Meanwhile, for abs, Johnson did TRX pikes, cable wood chops, and angled rollouts using an ab wheel, all of which created shape at the waist, while also honing the V-shape below the navel.
Of course, dedicated cardio was also key – not least because Dakota enjoys getting her heart rate up. For that, the pair did a lot of boxing “which is what I call disguised cardio”, says Worthington, “because you’re focused on learning and practicing the skill, rather than on how hard you’re working”. Walking was also integral, and Johnson walked home from the gym (which took around 40 minutes) after her workouts, regardless of how late or rainy it was.
“Walking is a great form of low-intensity steady state cardio (or LISS). LISS training has been shown to have positive effects on emotional well-being, sleep patterns, and even hormonal health,” says Worthington. “The advantage of LISS over something like HIIT training is that there is a much better risk: reward ratio – we can all enjoy the same benefits with minimal-to-no risk of injury, and no real recovery time required. You can walk every day.” Great for the respiratory, digestive, and lymphatic systems, walking effectively works as a mechanical pump every time we take a step – an easy fitness tip for the next time you’re considering what exercise to do.
One of his favorite clients to date, Worthington lauds Johnson’s “diligent” work ethic: “No matter how long her days were, we would get the workout done,” he says. “Dakota is more of an owl than a lark, so workouts were often late at night, rather than early morning – we were quite often at the gym at 9 pm.” Dedication, diligence, and a little bit of walking: maybe it’s time to try it.
