Here Comes the (Buff) Bride

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• Published Spring 2005

Even when facing the prospect of more than a year of sweat and toil (the average engagement lasts sixteen months), this group of women doesn't get deterred. Without exception, trainers report that brides-to-be are the most committed of their clientele. "Their single-mindedness can be scary. I actually have to try to harness their manic energy," says trainer Christa Bache of David Barton Gym. This exuberance can also be helpful: Research shows that those with a specific objective, like a wedding, are usually the most motivated and the most likely to achieve their goals. "Because they have an end-date in mind, they let you push them more," explains Steffe.

As determined as brides-to-be are, they don't tend to exhibit latent Bridezilla tendencies in the gym. "In my job, I tell people what to do all day long. But when I was with my trainer, I was totally compliant," says Nicole Kraft, a 34-year-old investment banker who married in January. "I wanted to be told what to do, and never wanted to disappoint him." Even Star Jones Reynolds was sweet and undemanding when it came to her pre-wedding workouts with four trainers at E, the $24,000-a-year, executive fitness studio at Equinox on Columbus Circle that specializes in team training. "She was always on time, always ready, and always positive about trying new things," says Suzanne Meth, E's manager, who wouldn't divulge whether the three months of training was one of Jones Reynold's well-publicized wedding freebies. "By the end of the training she handled the workload 100 percent better. Where she had been breathing heavy before, she was bouncing around with energy," reports Meth, who says Jones Reynolds progressed from using one of the easiest cardio machines, the recumbent bike, to the most challenging, the treadmill and elliptical trainer.

That's not to say that the ongoing buildup of the usual wedding stressors, coupled with the pressures of a demanding job, doesn't lead to the occasional meltdown. Most at risk of imploding are novice exercisers, who find it more difficult to push - mentally and physically - than those who work out regularly. Ray Wallace, a New York Sports Club trainer who worked on the Buff Brides wedding reality show that aired on the Discovery Health Channel last year, recalls a constant complainer who was always on the verge of giving up. "As she got fitter, she was able to handle harder workouts. After four months, she lost seventeen pounds and looked better than any of the other brides in the program," he reports.

Brides-to-be are so consumed with the idea of being the sleek star of the day that even trainers, who'd you expect to already be in fantastic shape, hire trainers once they've got a ring on their finger. "When I got engaged, I got the crazy idea that being a size 4 for my wedding would be better than being a size 6. I was already teaching up to fifteen classes a week, but since I was used to those workouts, I needed a push," says Bonne Marano, a 37-year-old fitness instructor who started a Bridal Survival class at Crunch, as well as a Website that gets up to 7,500 visitors a month, fittobetiedonline.com. She found herself humbled by the boot-camp experience. "One day, I was in the middle of a forward lunge, but was so tired and stressed that I couldn't squeeze my butt muscles hard enough to get back up," she recalls. "I just broke down in tears." That incident helped her empathize when a client started sobbing mid-workout because her arms weren't becoming adequately chiseled. "I took out the tape measure and showed her that she'd lost an inch." Besides helping to perfect the physique, Marano knows firsthand what a critical component exercise can be in dealing with the stress that accompanies wedding planning. "When one of my bridesmaids dropped out at the last minute, my trainer put me through an arduous kickboxing session that really helped me vent."