If Senada Greca Were Your Personal Trainer, She’d Tell You This

Senada Greca is responsible for training some of Hollywood’s most iconic bodies and has amassed an incredible following for her straightforward approach to fitness and health. She’s not into gimmicks; she’s into hard work and results.

Her approach is balanced, intentional, and all about the long game (no quick fixes, here). You don’t get a body like hers overnight, that’s for sure.

I was grateful to grab a little of her time to hear what routines and lifestyle habits she’s found most successful for herself and her roster of A-list clients.

I’ll admit, for someone as ultra-fit as Greca, with such high-performing clients (like Kim Kardashian, Selena Gomez, and Eva Longoria, just to name a few), I kind of expected her to recommend a stricter and perhaps even slightly unattainable training schedule. But right away, she emphasized the importance of choosing a training program that’s right for your life and fits your schedule. Her eyes are set on creating something sustainable. 

“I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, because there are working moms, like my sister with four kids, who has a full-time job and runs a business. If you shove a six-day program onto someone who can realistically only dedicate three to four days working out, the sustainability aspect isn’t there.”

Greca takes this into account with her programming as she urges each client, as well as anyone using of her WeRise app, to customize a weekly workout schedule that feels exciting, but certainly not impossible.

She emphasizes that the magic happens in the simple act of showing up, again and again, even if that starts with just five minutes every day. This builds what she calls “self-trust”—empowerment, loyalty to yourself, and the drive to keep progressing. 

A weekly training snapshot

While personalization is important, that’s not to say some extra time and effort doesn’t come with extra benefits (I mean, just look at her). 

“The ideal workout routine for a woman who wants to live a long and healthy life? I would personally recommend at least three strength training days and then a sprinting day where you'll really work those fast-twitch muscles.” 

She noted that’s an ideal minimum, and that exercise as a whole comes with plenty of benefits beyond what we see, like reducing the risk of everything from Alzheimer’s to cardiovascular disease to cancer. 

“I really value working on lower body strength. They did a twin study where the twin that had stronger, bigger leg muscles had a bigger hippocampus. So basically, in simpler terms: bigger legs, bigger brain.” 

Here’s Greca's no-nonsense ideal weekly breakdown:

Feeding the body you want

Showing up and staying consistent is one thing for muscle gains, but that’s not going to have maximum benefits if you aren’t paying attention to your diet. You probably won’t be surprised to learn that protein is a foundational piece of this equation.

“I'm always thinking, what am I about to put in my body? How is that going to affect my body? In what ways is it going to add or diminish it?” Greca shares.

“A lot of people think of protein as this static thing, like a piece of chicken, but it's the ingredients behind the protein, those essential amino acids that we need for our body to function properly.”

But that doesn’t mean she’s strictly protein. Greca acknowledges the black-and-white thinking that’s run rampant in the nutrition space and where that’s led women astray. “The villainization of carbs is such a big thing that we've had shoved down our throats for such a long time. That's our fast energy, we need that. Our brains need that. So, it's about eating smart carbs versus villainizing carbs altogether.”

Too often, she’s seen women restricting during the day and struggling not to finish the whole box of cookies at night. She likens food restriction to a spring: When we keep tightening it and winding it up, coiling it again, it’s going to burst out. 

The solution? Eating in a way that nourishes your body’s physical and mental needs. Greca admits to having a sweet tooth and enjoying the occasional dessert, but she strives to make sure she’s had her protein first.

The takeaway

Building strength, gaining muscle, and finding mental and physical confidence is something every woman deserves. And contrary to what decades of crash-diets and wacky fitness trends wanted us to believe, it’s not about the extremes. 

Senada Greca urges us to show up for ourselves consistently, lift heavy weights, run fast, and enjoy dessert once in a while (we earned it).

 "I'm always about sustainable fitness and sustainable nourishment. That is the only way that you'll be able to work out and eat well for the long term."