kickboxer
Forget that wimpy "feel the burn" stuff. When stars train with this six-time world kickboxing champion, they're going to hurt. "I can take them right to the edge," says Hollywood martial artist Urquidez, 42, "without tearing, snapping or breaking." The $150 per-hour, merciless workout at a Malibu dojo develops flexibility, strength and self-confidence in such clients as Patrick Swayze and Juliette Lewis. Actor Brian Dennehy lost 41 pounds in 10 weeks by kicking with Urquidez, while Nicole Kidman, training for Batman Forever, "was very aggressive." says the teacher. "I had to reprogram her to have fun."
Actor John Cusack, a star student since 1989. says, "I don't know any other workout that's this hard." And Gun N' Roses guitarist Duff (Michael McKagan) believes he owes his life to Urquidez. Duff nearly died of pancreatitis brought on by alcohol abuse in 1994. His recovery program included two-hour daily sessions with Urquidez. "I'm a different person inside," Duff says. Some of the sassier stars, though, have to learn humility by getting their lumps. "They get real macho," says Urquidez. "If I say 'bob left' and they bob right, I clock them in the eye. Not enough to hurt, just enough to teach."
KRISTINA HURRELL
traveling spa leader
Can't stand the smell of sneakers in the morning? For a mere $4,000 (plus first-class airfare, of course), Hurrell's Global Fitness Adventures lets you perspire for two weeks in Bali, Nepal or the Alps, among other, rarer climes. For the past nine years, the 45-year-old former model has helped remodel the likes of Tom Selleck and Cathy Lee Crosby on her far-flung aerobic hiking trips. "The way to have people open their hearts is to take them into the wilderness," says Hurrell, "to detoxify them with vegetarian food and quiet their minds through meditation." There's no roughing it at these prices, though. A masseuse for those aching feet and a chef (pumpkin dumplings with orange sauce) come along. For actress Kelly LeBrock, in the process of divorcing hubby of seven years, action star Steven Seagal, a recent session at Hurrell's Aspen base camp was more than trimming and toning. "I've had a very sheltered 10 years [of marriage]," says the mother of three. "It was very important for me to meet the world again in a safe and loving environment. Kristina gives you the confidence to try new things."
BILLY BLANKS
karate champ
You would think that their own workouts would satisfy, but pros like the NBA's Shaquille O'Neal, hockey's top goal-getter Wayne Gretzky and pop's Energizer Bunny Paula Abdul never seem to get enough. When they really want to push the physical envelope, they head for Billy Blanks's World Training Center in a modest Sherman Oaks, Calif., strip mall. A seven-time world karate champion, ballet dancer and small-role action actor (Tango & Cash, The Last Boy Scout), Blanks takes his famous charges to the limit of their endurance with his own high-octane combination of weights, shadow boxing, hip-hop dancing and aerobics.
Blanks, who only charges $8 per group session, believes the most important effect of his workouts isn't abs of platinum, but a sense of achievement. "Wayne never lifted weights before," says Blanks. "Now he sees that his hockey will be better. Same with Shaq. Now he can pick up over 300 pounds. That makes him feel good about himself." Blanks polices some slackers, though. "His workouts are exhausting," says Abdul. "There have been times when he's caught me edging toward the door and pulled me right back in."
KAREN VOIGHT
dance and aerobics instructor
You may have spotted this 39-year-old former dancer at your gym—at least, the most extraordinary parts of her. A poster for Voight's bestselling 1990 video, Lean Legs and Buns, adorns many a workout wall. And when celebrities including Bette Midler, Helen Hunt and James Taylor need to build biceps for a tour or lose love handles for a role, they head for Voight's West Hollywood studio. Her rigorous blend of low-fat/high-protein diet and aerobics targeted at specific body areas requires relentless vigilance. Even for stars, she points out, "motivation is the biggest problem."
Tina Turner, though, needed no nagging when preparing for her 1993 What's Love Got to Do with It tour. For 10 weeks, in daily two-hour sessions, Turner tuned up on an inclined treadmill (to firm up the buttocks and the back of the thighs), lifted weights (to sculpt triceps), did 60 abdominal crunches and survived on macrobiotic meals. Longtime client Elle Macpherson, who came to Voight last year to shed the 20 pounds she put on for her role in Sirens, hired the guru to choreograph her new fitness video, Your Personal Best Workout. Elle, who lost the weight via an energy-boosting diet and treadmill workouts, appreciates Voight's direct approach: "She kept me motivated by her personality. She's positive and pleasant without being fluffy. I didn't want fluffy."
Saved by the Bell Reunion
The hookups, the meltdowns, the memoires
The case reveals what was really going on what they think of each other now!
