Who's afraid of Taylor Swift's little old workout? Not many gym-goers, judging by the messages Dogpound trainer Zay Washington receives.
After the 14-time Grammy winner provided a peek this past April at the very-not-delicate routine she sweats her way through under the guidance of Dogpound's legion of professionals, "I get random DMs from people like, 'Oh my God, I just need the Swift workout. What is that like?'" the lead trainer revealed in an exclusive interview with E! News. "We get that a lot from clients: 'I want to do exactly what she did. I want to look just like her.'"
But considering Swift's Era Tours prep involved singing her entire three-hour set list on a treadmill even before stepping foot in the L.A.- or New York City-based gym, sometimes Washington has to concede that they may not be...ready for it.
"I'm like, 'You might not be on the same fitness level as them, but we're going to work to get there,'" he shared of fielding requests to recreate Swift's exact plan or that of the gym's other famed clientele (think: Hugh Jackman, Adam Levine or Karlie Kloss).
Because while it may not be possible to emerge from their hour-long session with Wolverine's ultra-defined pecs, dedicated exercisers can claw their way to the best version of themselves.
"We get to lay out this plan and say, 'Hey, this is what it's going to look like and the steps that we're going to take in order to get you to that level,'" he explained. "So it also helps us when it comes down to the drawing board."
And Washington and the other pros at Dogpound—founded by Kirk Myers, who's been training Swift for the better part of a decade—take their bespoke approach quite seriously. The luxury fitness brand recently announced its transition to a becoming a members-only training facility, its four tiers affording devotees access to a dedicated team of trainers, unlimited class bookings and exclusive access to Dogpound events.
"When each client comes in, we have them sit down and we create an overall strategy of how we're going to attack their goals and get them from point A to point B," Washington said, noting that it's not uncommon for, say, an actor to request some help in bulking up for a specific role. "Then we will be like, 'Okay, this requires you to do four days heavy strength training, working your whole entire body with three days of rest.' We go case-by-case."
But each session begins with shaking off a bit of rust.
"We always, always start with a good dynamic warm-up," the former college football player said of doing movements that loosen up the entire body. "We want to raise their core temperature before we begin."
From there, he'll fill in the blank spaces with a mix of supersets ("That might be a bench press with a cable row"), machines or cardio—the Dogpound team being partial to the effectiveness of the air bike and the ski-row, a sort of elevated, standing rowing machine.
"It transforms our clients because it's a movement that you simply can't mimic in any other way," he raved. "And it's cardio, but it's total body. So it's very, very, very effective."
Speaking of which...while few are truly ready for the challenge of Swift's workouts, Washington provided a preview of what an intense AF Dogpound session might look like.
After the typical dynamic warm-up, "We might immediately jump into a set of battle ropes, jump squats and a core move," he detailed, "either some hanging knee-raises or sit-ups."
With heart rates elevated, "We're going to go right into some heavy weights," he continued, "then we're going to jump back into some more cardio."
Following a few rounds on the ski-row, it'd be back to the weights: "A lat pulldown followed by some triceps," Washington shared. "And then we finish off the day with a good round of a sled or air bike. And you are good to go."
And while we're not confident we could do that with a broken heart or all the protein shakes in the world, Washington stressed the importance of working at your own pace.
Start with simply getting to the gym five days a week for some total body strength training using heavy resistance and a touch of cardio.
"We want to focus on a push, a pull, a squat, a hinge and a core movement, followed by a cardio," he explained, adding that it's best to reach for moderate weights that allow you to maintain good form "because that's going to help you produce good results."
Most importantly, he added, "Remember it's one brick at a time. Each workout is another brick that you're adding to your house. Rome wasn't built in a day, your fitness isn't going to be built in a day. We take small steps and we just keep building our house."
After all, look what they made Swift do—the musician showing off her athleticism every night on stage. Dedicated Swifties know all too well how impressive her performance is, but if you're looking for more proof, allow these pics to fill that blank space.
The singer opens her first show of her The Eras tour in Glendale, Arizona on March 17, 2023.
The singer performs songs from her "evermore" era.
The star performs the song at the piano.
The singer performs her song from her "Lover" era.
The singer performs songs from her "Fearless" era.
The singer performs her 2014 hit single.
Ssssssspectacular.
Swift performs her 10-minute hit ballad from her "Red" era.
It's snazzy business-casual for Swift when it comes to her "Lover" era.
Swift performs her 2014 hit single.
Swift performs one song from her "Speak Now" era.
Swift performs a track from her "Midnights" era.
Swift performs songs from her "Red" era.
The singer shows cases a romantic, dusty rose style.
The singer closes the show in a fringed outfit.