Celebrity Fitness Trainer, Kacy Duke, cofounder of Equinox Fitness Clubs, is the author of The Show It Love Workout: Celebrate the Body You Have, Get the Body You Want. New York magazine named her one of the top ten fitness gurus in her native New York City.
Kacy Duke’s red-carpet ready clientele includes Denzel Washington, Julianne Moore, Yoko Ono, Kirsten Dunst, Iman, Bruce Willis, Lenny Kravitz,Gwen Stefani, Greta Cavazzoni, Anne V, and Mary J. Blige.
The mother of a young man, the seemingly ageless Kacy Duke insists, “It’s not how old you are, it’s how old you feel.”
Kelly: Kacy, is fitness only for the wealthy?
Kacy: No, no way. It’s the easiest thing for everyone to have. It’s like breathing and requires no equipment. You can do pushups or run outside. Though physical results aren’t instant, you get a sense of accomplishment by exercising and eating the right foods. That’s instant. It’s getting in the game. Changing the body is an evolution, not a revolution.
You’ve been named one of the top 10 fitness gurus in NYC. What has made you a successful trainer to celebrities?
Once I spoke at a training seminar for trainers and was asked the same question. I’m asked this a lot, and there’s no clear answer. It’s important to be a good trainer, and not just do it for the money. Instead there must be a passion that comes from watching people’s bodies transform. It makes you creative.
Just today, a client of mine told me that I’m leagues away from any trainer she’s ever had. I’m contagious, she says! Answering her, I replied, “I don’t know about being contagious, but it’s nice to be appreciated!”
I also treat celebrities and non-celebs the same. Celebrities want to be treated like people. That’s how they see themselves - as people. It’s a fair exchange of energy and I’m not in awe of them. They don’t have to worry about impressing anyone with me. “She’s really cool,” - the word’s out there.
Do you tailor-fit each celebrity’s workout program?
I always ask a client what’s on their wish list - what they’d like to work on.) Then, I tell them that I’d like to do a little something here or there with their body. “ Oh yeah!” she or he answers, and then we’re partners.
Everyone is different. I’m an intuitive trainer; I listen to the body. When I look at a body, the body tells me what to do. I really can’t explain this ability. It’s like a kinesthetic energy. It helps me find ways to target the area that needs work.
Article comments
1 - True Balance Fitness
I agree with Kacy. My experiences with clients have been similar (although I don't have any celebrity clients - yet :). I love her personal fitness professional philosophy.