Wanna Train with the World’s Top Athletes?

Jen Heward (@hunnybunsfit on Instagram) is one of those enviable athletes. Although Heward is now ripped, her journey to peak fitness came with exhilarating ascents and painful declines. Along the way, she’s gained valuable experience that shaped her into the super fit femme we know today. Now in her thirties and never happier, she’s appreciative of the struggle. Because without resistance, how would you grow into the person you want to become?

Super active as a child, Heward shot into life like a rocket. “When we’d go camping, my mom would strap me into car seats—I was that hyper,” she laughs. “Everywhere we went, I was on one of those child leashes.”

Getting started

At age 16, Heward started hitting the gym. She was happy to be on the workout machines, building abs and doing lots of cardio—lots of cardio. But what goes up must come down. Her metabolism slowed. And the cardio couldn’t keep up.

“I had this wakeup moment where I thought to myself, ‘What am I doing?!’” Heward recalls. She realized she was overtaxing her body by focusing too much on cardio and dedicated herself anew to her bodywork.

During this reflective time, she realized that her weight wasn’t as important as how she felt in her body and about herself. She kept a journal, digging deep and asking herself the tough questions about her habits and the lifestyle she truly wanted.

“Now I know that nutrition is the key to everything. I’ve learned so much! We always learn something new, and lifestyle changes are huge,” she says with a big smile.

Today, Heward balances her nutrition with a sense of discipline. The essential complement to all the hard work is a sense of compassion for her body and her efforts.

Staying motivated

On those unavoidable days when motivation flagged and doubt set in, Heward would ask herself if she was physically unable to work out—or if it was simply a mental battle she needed to win. The power to motivate her trainees is now one of Heward’s greatest assets; she’s known for getting results—fast.

Heward loves weights. She believes the best way to build a toned, healthy physique is through strength training, which has been a priority for her since she started doing fitness competitions. Because you need to give it your all, strength training is the perfect start to every workout.

Having studied sports nutrition through the International Sports Sciences Association (ISSA), Heward also understands that weight fluctuations are a given. As a trainer, her success hinges on empowering and sustaining her followers with a positive message. Her advice? The lynchpin to any healthy lifestyle is a balance of the proper macronutrients (carbs, fat and protein) and micronutrients (vitamin, minerals, et cetera). An unwavering baseline of solid health is your best ally.

Leveling up

With goals in sight and nutrition in order, Heward trusted her process and hard work to deliver results. The climb to fitness expert has been a joyous grind, her experiences making her the athlete she is today. Now she’s looking to bring everyone else along for the ride in bigger, better and more effective ways.

Why does she love Fitplan? “Technology has really taken fitness to a whole new level,” she says. “It makes it so much easier for those new to fitness to walk into a gym with confidence and a winning game plan! They don’t have to fear the gym or avoid reaching their goals because they now have a gym buddy on their phone.”

Heward was inspired to team up with Fitplan to share her 60 Day Full Body Blast fitness plan. The program guides users through two critical phases of building a quality physique: the building phase followed by the burn phase.

Making it count

Heward’s workouts are always going to be burners, bottom line. Why? Because she emphasizes free weights over machines and dynamic range-of-motion exercises whenever possible. Oh yeah, and she’s not afraid of supersets (performing two exercises in a row—with no rest in between).

Despite developing deadly (yet doable) workouts, Heward has retained her bubbly personality and optimistic outlook. She sees obstacles as signposts. Difficulties, she says, are the guidelines that show us how to achieve our highest potential. They’re signals to renew our dedication.

“You have to believe in your goals and commit 100 percent. That’s the secret!” she says.

Sneak peek at Jen Heward’s 60 Day Full Body Blast

The first four weeks repeat a five-day fitness routine that brings individualized focus to each critical body part.

• Day 1: shoulders, triceps and core
• Day 2: hamstrings, glutes and calves
• Day 3: chest, arms and core
• Day 4: back and biceps
• Day 5: all about legs—quads, glutes and calves

The final four weeks add plyometrics (dynamic jumping, hopping and skipping moves) for more cardio intensity and leg- shredding effects.

• Day 1: shoulders and back, plus plyometric box jumps
• Day 2: chest, core and more plyos
• Day 3: more core and plyos, plus a triceps session
• Day 4: legs and plyos
• Day 5: arms, plyos—and more legs!
• Day 6: a full-body routine geared to improving any weak areas

If you’re ready to train like Jen Heward, go to fitplanapp.com for her full workout plan.

PHOTOS BY Robert Reiff