What Exercises does Jennifer Lopez Include in Her Routine to Maintain a Slim Figure?

JLo added some weight training routines to her workouts because she discovered she was losing muscle mass. We'll tell you all about the singer's routine here.

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Leonardo Biolatto.

Written by Leonardo Biolatto

Last update: 27 May, 2022

It’s hard to imagine the exercise routine Jennifer Lopez follows when we see her figure, especially if we don’t know her age. A quick internet search reveals that she’s past 50. But what does she do in the gym?

The singer’s belly has always been the talk of the town because of its rock-hard appearance. However, more and more attention was drawn to the development of muscle mass in her arms, for example. Was it something the diva was looking for?

According to her statements in different media, Jennifer Lopez added bodybuilding at some point in her life so that the fitness and work routine wouldn’t affect her muscles. In doing this, JLo is preventing sarcopenia. We’ll explain all about this here.

What is sarcopenia, and what did Jennifer Lopez notice to change her routine?

The diva’s job is to dance and sing. This can be part of an intense schedule when there are concerts and appearances in the near future.

According to her account, she began to notice that she was losing muscle mass due to the overexertion of movement. That is to say, after doing so much pure aerobic exercises without anaerobic components, her muscles couldn’t replace what they were losing. It’s also likely that a sports medicine professional verified this.

The truth is that what JLo is referring to has a technical name: sarcopenia. It’s a situation of reduction of muscle mass as time goes by. Therefore, it’s something to be expected with aging. However, more and more people are looking for ways to slow it down or halt it.

Sarcopenia is associated with the following complications:

• A loss of strength to perform daily activities
• A reduced metabolic rate in favor of fat accumulation
• Reduced oxygen intake to the body with early onset of fatigue

In short, sarcopenia makes you weaker, more tired, and with serious possibilities that you will be more and more dependent as you age. Therefore, others will have to help you to do many things.

Why isn’t it enough to just do aerobics?

Thanks to Jennifer Lopez’s muscle-building routine, we can take a piece of advice for everyone, which was also ratified by science a long time ago: if you lose muscle mass, you have less aerobic capacity. In other words, less oxygen enters your body, and you make less use of it, even if you go running or cycling.

Researchers increasingly support the influence of anaerobic exercise in improving oxygenation. Running is not enough. Cardio alone is not enough. JLo knows this, and she complimented her training plan with these sets that we share with you now.

Jennifer Lopez’s abs routine

Gunnar Peterson is in charge of the singer’s abs. His plans are followed by several Hollywood stars. In the basic terms, what he prepared for Jennifer is as follows:

• Bicycle crunches: In a lying position, the hands go on the back of the neck and, when bending the trunk in the classic way for crunches, the right knee seeks the left elbow. Then vice versa. The speed of execution is key, as long as the proper movements of the technique are respected.
• Inverted crunches: They’re called “inverted” because you move your legs and not your torso. You must be lying on your back, and the upper limbs are one on each side, extended. Then, you raise your lower limbs to form a right angle. You should repeat as many times as you need.
• Lateral bridge: Here, the complexity of execution is increased. You lean on one side of your body, but you only touch the floor with your forearm and the side of your lower limb. You then raise and lower your core and do the same on the other side. This requires balance, and it’s best to have mastered other variations of the gluteal bridge and plank to advance to this level.
• Planks while suspending your hand to your shoulder: This is another next-level exercise. It’s only for those who have mastered the conventional plank and want to move on to something that’s a little more challenging. You do this exericse the traditional position, but with the palms of your hands on the floor. Then, you must remain in suspension and bring your right hand to your left shoulder. Then do the same with the other limb.
• Air chops: Finally, this exercise can be static or dynamic. It’s about acquiring a position in which your core muscles are in tension, and their contractility is sustained. To do is, you should spread your legs standing, while you join your hands above your head and lower as if cutting the air in front of you. The pose can be held, or you can raise and lower your upper limbs.

Machines and dumbbells are also involved

With her other trainer, Jay Cardiello, Jennifer Lopez’s routine complements the abs and adds machine and dumbbell work. With pulleys, she strengthens the back muscles, and she concentrates on her biceps and shoulders with some variable weights.

Movements with counterweights and special attachments are useful to add to routines that use calisthenics, i.e., the body’s own weight. The important thing is to make changes to the movements every 4-6 weeks so that different muscle groups are stimulated.

This is paramount if we want to avoid sarcopenia, like JLo. Mechanical stimuli should focus on the diversity that makes up the body. If we forget any muscle, it will lose muscle mass over time and we could even suffer an imbalance.

However, if you don’t have access to a gym and want to follow some tips from the diva singer, then stick to the abdominal routine that we shared with you. Be consistent.

Remember that the important thing is not to have a marked six-pack, but to sustain healthy muscles for optimal aging. If in addition to this we achieve the physique of Jennifer Lopez, it goes without saying that the routine will be welcome!