How Does Ryan Seacrest Juggle 8 Jobs? Double-Session Workouts.
By Ryan Seacrest's own count, he has eight jobs. When American Idol is rolling, he’s on live TV six days a week, flying from New York to L.A. to host the show Sunday night after cohosting Live with Kelly and Ryan Monday through Friday. Then he takes a red-eye back to the Big Apple to do Live on Monday morning, followed by On Air with Ryan Seacrest on KIIS-FM and AT40 with Ryan Seacrest on iHeartRadio. He just released a new men’s skin-care line, Polished, and has a clothing collection at Macy’s.
So his day is organized down to the second. He has exactly 90 seconds to make it from Live to On Air, which is why the radio studio was built right below the Live set. And he has exactly 14 minutes, from 12:02 to 12:16 P.M., to eat lunch during an On Air commercial break.
But none of that is on his mind on this Monday afternoon at 3:00 as he sits on a sidewalk in the rain, thrashing his arms to make waves with two battle ropes while doing twisting situps. He grimaces only after his set. “Man, they’re heavy when they’re wet,” he says.
Not that it bothers him. Workouts like this one at the Dogpound, one of Seacrest’s favorite Manhattan gyms, are precisely what keep him going. The way the 44-year-old sees it, the more he concentrates in the gym, the more energy he’ll have when he leaves it, surfing an endorphin wave the rest of the day and into the next morning.
“I really have to focus on exercise, as well as eating and sleeping right,” he says, “so that I can make it through the day without being less than energetic, or even falling asleep.”
And TV’s busiest man can never have an off day. He got into training as a kid, partly because he was a “chubby young adolescent” who hated taking off his shirt. But now his workouts are even more important, which is why he aims to do two of them a day. His TV/radio gauntlet wraps up at 2:00 P.M., and his first stop is often Gotham Gym, a boxing spot, for 45 minutes of bag work. Then he heads to the Dogpound to meet trainer Rhys Athayde, making sure to leave his phone in his locker. It’s the earliest he can find time to exercise.
Seacrest is disconnected from his jobs when he trains, which ensures that he can have fun. Between sets, he paces about the space, cracks jokes with Athayde, and tells the gym staff to switch up the tunes.
“Turn up that Bublé!” he chirps between reps of cable flies as the Canadian crooner’s “Home” blares across the sound system. “It sort of eases the brain,” he says.
Seacrest goes hard for the rest of the workout, battling through bench presses one moment, sprinting 200-meter intervals on a SkiErg the next. He wraps things up by smacking a massive tire with a 20-pound sledgehammer. And immediately after the last smack, he shakes a few hands, gives Athayde a hug, then catches a cab.
“Broke a little sweat,” he says. “So I can feel satisfied with that.”
Time to get back to work.
Quick Questions from Between Sets
Workout goal?
“I’d like to put on a little more volume, muscle size. Also, I need to get more flexible.”
Post-workout routine?
“I have a skin-care line called Polished, so I use that. I micro-scrub in the shower, and I put on SPF moisturizer afterward, every time.”
Favorite training music?
“I listen to ballads when I run. It could be any cheesy song, like ‘She’s Like theWind’ by Patrick Swayze. I find that when I pass people, I think, If they could only hear what I’m listening to when I’m running. I was listening to Andrea Bocelli most recently while jogging.”
Cheat meal?
“Great pizza, thin-crust pizza. There’s a place in Los Angeles called Gjelina that makes a four-onion pizza. It’s shallot, red onion, caramelized onion, and scallion. And it’s amazing.”
Workout hero?
“I have photos of David Beckham on my refrigerator. Okay, I don’t, but I would if I were to put somebody on my refrigerator.”
The Break of Brawn
How does Seacrest train on the road? By taking a run, or by working through hotel room burners like this 7-minute, no-equipment crusher from Rhys Athayde, his Dogpound trainer. Try it when you need a dumbbell-free sweat.
Start By Burning Fat in 3 Minutes
Do each move for 20 seconds. Do 3 rounds.
Pushup
Start in pushup position. Lower your chest until it’s an inch off the floor. Push back up.
V-Up
Lie on your back, legs straight and arms extended overhead. Raise your legs as high as possible; simultaneously touch your hands to your toes.
Mountain Climber
Set up in pushup position. Keeping your core tight, drive your right knee to your chest, then return to pushup position; repeat with your left knee.
Do This 1-Minute Torcher
Start in pushup position, focusing on keeping your core tight. Hold for 30 seconds. Now tense your core even more and lift your right hand; touch it to your left shoulder. Return it to the floor and quickly lift your left hand; touch it to your right shoulder. Repeat this pattern for 30 seconds, fighting any urge to let your hips shift up and down.
Finish With This 3-Minute Burnout
Set a timer for 3 minutes. Try to complete the circuit below as many times as possible. Rest as needed.
Squat to Tuck Jump
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart and core tight. Bend at the knees and hips until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Stand back up and jump off the floor, tucking your knees to your chest. That’s 1 rep; do 30.
Burpee to Jump
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, then shift into pushup position and touch your chest to the floor. Stand back up and explosively and jump. That's 1 rep; do 20.
Plank to Pushup
Start in plank position, core tight. Keeping your hips level, push from your right elbow to your right hand, then do the same on the left side. You’re now in pushup position. Do a pushup, then shift back into an elbow plank. That’s 1 rep; do 10 leading with the right hand, then 10 leading with the lefthand, always keeping your hips steady.
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