Photo credit: Franz Steiner
Corey Calliet may not be a name you recognize at first, but you’ve definitely seen his work all over Hollywood. Most recently, his training has been displayed on Revenge Body with Khloe Kardashian and in posts alongside the show on his social media profiles. Corey has coined his exercise routine ‘The Calliet Way’ and we have to admit, from what we’ve seen – it looks hard, but it also looks worth it.
As Corey says, that’s the way it goes. He has a ‘no excuses’ policy in his journey to good health, and it’s not just about what you do in the gym either. Corey knows that eating is a big part of your progress, you’ve got to do it all right. His advice is sound, so sound in fact, that his first client was himself. There’s no way to believe in something more than when you see it happen yourself and once he transformed his own body, he wanted to help others.
Corey is fit, he’s sculpted, and he’s handsome – so of course, it was easy to see why he was chosen for Revenge Body. However, he’s also been behind toning and training bodies for the big screen. Michael B Jordan turned to Corey when he prepared for Creed and Corey is currently working with some of the biggest superheroes today.
That’s right, soon, you’ll be seeing his work on Marvel’s ‘Black Panther’. For these reasons, and then some, we had a chat with Corey about fitness, what it takes to get the body of your dreams, and how he feels when he sees hard work pay off.
First things first: congratulations on your episode of Revenge Body. What was it like to work on the show, and to work with Khloe?
It was an amazing experience I loved working with Khloé and also was honored that she chose me to be apart of such an amazing show like that. Transforming my two clients on the show meant more to me than just the transformation. I was able to see two individuals lives completely change through fitness. Seeing them now is much different than the first day I met them. Not only do they look different and better, their confidence is through the roof. The way they walk around and their energy is so radiant. I love every bit of it. I can actually say I’m really happy with seeing more than just the body transformation but a life transformation through those two.
You worked with Michael B Jordan to get him ready for ‘Creed’, what was that training regiment like?
For the movie creed training, we did a lot of boxing conditioning and plyometric training. The goal was to make him look like a real boxer who was trying to act and not an actor trying to play a boxer and that was displayed when you saw it on screen.
We were sent an Instagram video of a 12-week transformation and you say it’s hard work and dedication. What advice do you have for people who have found out that the fad diets and quick tricks don’t work?
Simple, don’t do it. Anything easy doesn’t last long, anything quick goes away faster. Take your time, go through the process, and take it one day one meal one step at a time!!
This month houses eating disorder awareness week. What can you tell anyone reading this about over-doing it with healthy eating or exercising? How do you find a balance?
You have to make time! Which we really do have consistently make good choices and not be lazy! It’s always bad to try to get a week’s worth of training done in a day because we use the excuse we don’t have time which in all actuality we do we just don’t use it wisely. What that does is it hurt us more than help you. When doing that you take a risk of hurting yourself and more importantly – training wrong because you’re trying to cram everything in. Don’t miss or skip meals and then overeat. Also, don’t skip eating altogether. Both will cause your body more harm than good! If you’re in a rush your gonna make bad decisions which are a setback and if you don’t eat your body goes into starvation mode. You start to hold on to fat because your body doesn’t know when it’s gonna eat again so it retains the fat instead of burning it! Make time, be prepared, and don’t make excuses for yourself.
You’re also working on ‘Black Panther’ – we are HUGE Marvel fans so we’re really impressed. What’s it like knowing that you’re training stars for the roles of their lifetimes, and roles that are so important to fans all over the world?
It’s unreal to actually be a part of a Marvel Comic movie and such a big one like this. It’s a proud moment when I get to see my work on the big screen and also seeing my name in the credits blows my mind!
How did your own journey to fitness start?
My fitness journey started spring 02 in college when back then my goal was to fine, not chubby anymore (haha)! I tried everything from training, boxing, long runs, quick healthy choice meals, and you name it – I tried it. In 2008, I did my first bodybuilding show and finally got the body I always wanted in 8 weeks. I had been trying to do that for the last 6 years! Then, I became obsessed with training. It became an addiction, all I wanted to do was learn and get better. That became my mission, to make people look the best they ever could look fast as possible. Now, here I am today. training some of the biggest stars in Hollywood.
For someone who is just about to start a workout plan for the first time, or someone who is thinking of looking into them – what is the first thing anyone should know?
Start from the ground up by picking some form of exercise you will enjoy. Whether it is weight training, cross-fit, pilates, spinning, or etc. The worst thing to do is trying to jump into the deep end too soon. Going to a gym and not having any idea what to do will discourage you and 9 times out of ten you will get on a treadmill, get bored, and then go home. Hire a trainer, in the beginning, to get you started or take fitness classes just to get direction and consistency. Remember fitness is a marathon, not a sprint!
Physical transformations often lead to mental/emotional ones as well – what has been the most rewarding thing for you as you see those happen in front of you?
The overall transformation, seeing how I took a person’s body and turn them into what I call a masterpiece. The result of finally achieving the body you want changes your confidence. You feel good about yourself, you no longer walk around feeling unwanted or insecure, your mindset changes. That then changes your reality and before you know it, life starts to look a whole lot better and brighter.
Where can we go to find out more about you and the work that you do?
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and my Snapchat profile can be found @therealmrcalliet.
We have to say, after chatting with Corey and looking through his social media profiles, we are not only motivated and inspired but wishing we lived close enough to join one of his training programs. If you haven’t checked him out yet, do so soon. You won’t regret it.