Squats, push-ups, lunges, sit-ups: these are the physical drills most of us have been familiar with since elementary school gym class. And according to Will Torres — the personal trainer behind Willspace whose clientele includes Calvin Klein, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld, Andy Cohen and the model Ashley Smith — they’re the basis to achieving your ideal body. That may sound like an overly simplistic notion, especially in this era of hybridized fitness routines, but at Torres’s intimate West Village studio, it’s the focus on precision and consistency that render these timeless workouts effective. “There’s no point in progressing to a new exercise if you haven’t perfected fundamental movements like hinging and torque,” Torres says. “And you don’t need a lot of equipment.”
Torres describes his particular style of training as “designed to make you fit for life,” whether that means looking flawless on the catwalk, fulfilling mayoral duties or baring one’s assets in a swimsuit this season. For the studio’s jet-set clientele, fitting in regular sessions can be a rigorous challenge in itself, especially at this time of year. Some travel abroad, while many relocate to the Hamptons, where Torres also heads for the season, busying himself with house calls. For the clients he’s unable to train in person, Torres created the above total-body summertime workout, featuring a tactical sandbag and demonstrated by the Willspace trainer Mike Bell. “A sandbag offers a unique challenge for the body because the sand is always shifting from one side to the other, challenging core and joint stabilizers to control the weight,” Torres explains. “You can throw the bag over your shoulders for weighted lower body movements, too.
The workout is meant to be short and sweaty. You should be moving constantly to get your heart rate up, your breathing heavy and your body drenched. I do it on the beach with clients between dips into the ocean. It’s also great to throw on your lawn and get a quick workout in.” To get started, he recommends ordering this model from Rogue Fitness in 50-pound weights for men, 25 pounds for women.