What do Rachel Weisz, Abbie Cornish, Stella McCartney and Andrea Riseborough all have in common? They put the fate of their bodies in the hands of trainer Nicole Winhoffer.
It's not just that lot either - super fitness fanatic Madonna (who has an insanely impressive body whatever you think of her lean-and-mean arms) enlisted Nicole after parting ways with her former trainer Tracy Anderson, eventually making her creative director of the Addicted To Sweat programme at Madge's own Hard Candy Fitness studios.
Now Nicole has officially crossed the pond and lent her method to London fitness chain Gymbox for one of their new classes, NW Method, which works all the major muscle groups using moves specifically choreographed to music, for an enhanced mind-and-body workout.
According to Nicole, working out shouldn't be a static or repetitive method, using music simply as a backing soundtrack - she likes to shock the body every single time and cherry-picks tracks to enhance the psychological connection between the body and each exercise move. She trained as a professional dancer before becoming a 'fitness artist', a term she prefers to personal trainer, so her workouts are more about killer choreography than endless squat thrusts.
We caught up with her as she gears up to introduce her method to the UK...
How would you describe your training style?
Fitness is really commercial these days and I want to bring something different, so my training style is an expression, pop culture - cool with current trends and new music. The workout fatigues the major muscle groups and wakes up the smaller ones. The purpose is to have the most time-effective, challenging workout that's fun, shocks the body, and opens the mind to connect with your personal power. It's more than a class, it's an experience.
There are quite a few dance-based workouts out there - what do you deliver that no-one else does?
Originality; moves that people have never seen before. I pull inspiration from every type of current music from hip-hop to balefunk to techno, and bring it all into one experience. And it's fun!
What's your favourite activewear item?
The booty shorts from Adidas by Stella McCartney - I absolutely love them!
What would you say to someone who struggles to stick to a workout plan?
Beware of your own thoughts because everything you think becomes your cells, your muscles and your body. Every time you have a thought, just pause and see if it is positive or negative, then let it go.
Secondly, so many people fail to plan and when you don't have a plan then you go through life being stimulated by marketing, advertising, on-the-go unhealthy foods, excuses to not work out. If it's in your schedule as a fixed plan, 99Slideshow-191894%