“Gunnar Peterson is a Beverly Hills-based personal trainer whose clients include celebrities, professional athletes, and everyday people. Gunnar works with each on an individual basis, focusing on achieving long-term results through challenging and constantly varied workouts. He is widely recognized for his expertise in functional training and his commitment to developing and implementing innovative fitness techniques. With over 20 years in the fitness industry, Gunnar’s dynamic approach, boundless energy, and humor only add to the effectiveness of the experience his clients enjoy. To learn more about Gunnar, go to his website!”
What type of sports did you participate in as a kid?
I played EVERYTHING! Ski team, cross-country team, track and field, soccer, basketball, baseball, football, and yes, even the bowling team… I wasn’t great at any of them (except ski- team) but I participated!
How would you define functional training and how does it best apply to the post 45 athlete?
Functional training involves exercise movements that help improve your function in real life. Movements that challenge you in different planes of motion, that use more than one muscle group at a time, and that oftentimes require a balance component. I would say it depends on what that particular post 45 athlete does! The skiing athlete has different requirements than the weekend basketball playing athlete has. Regardless, the program for each should be comprehensive and include strength, work, cardiovascular work, movement components, as well as flexibility and balance challenges.
What adversity have you had to overcome as an athlete and a trainer?
The biggest obstacle for me is making sure my family tolerates my training and that they know that what I do in my workouts serves us all as a group long term! Really, making the time for training is usually the main adversity I face.
For the advanced post 45 athlete who has plateaued- what advice would you give them for taking things to the next level?
Either take a few days off, train at a different time of day or switch up the main modality focus of your training. If you are a runner, pull back on the running and take an indoor cycling class or a tennis lesson or do a week with a trainer and focus on strength work. Mixing it up and throwing your mind and body a curveball works wonders for breaking plateaus.
What is your #1 injury prevention tip?
Warm up and stretch. I know stretching study results vary but since you asked ME, I’m telling you what works for ME! Listen to your body. If you feel something iffy, listen to it, change your foot position, grip, intensity, check your core engagement, and proceed slowly. If it persists, skip it. Live to train another day.
What 3 supplements provide the most bang for your buck for the post 45 athletes looking to maximize their performance in the gym?
I can’t speak to what has value but I can tell you what I use regularly: Multi-vitamins, B-Complex, Glutamine. I never get sick, I almost never get injured, I never miss my workouts, and my energy is pretty steady all week long. I trust my process, and those 3 supplements to get me over the goal line every time.
