STEPHEN PASTERINO of P.volve is back on The Skinny Confidential guys. His fitness podcast episode was a hit with the community ( if you haven’t listened, you HAVE to- SO MANY TAKEAWAYS ) so I wanted to bring him back to discuss BUTTS. There’s so many misconceptions about fitness- especially with social media- but I feel like Stephen’s method is LEGIT. Tried & true. Like P.volve doesn’t make your cortisol go crazy, it’s low intensity with big results, & the workout leans the body as opposed to bulking it.

I have worked out with Stephen many times in NYC & LA & always feel AMAZING after- the movements are ones that you would do in your daily life. THIS TIDBIT matters. Here’s why: if you do an exercise that has different moves than you’re used to doing in real life the body will gain muscles in areas that look unnatural. The online platform is badass- a bunch of you have e-mailed me your results & they’re insane. The equipment is minimal & the workout are with him & presented in a VERY clear way. You can stalk his online platform here. It’s also worth a mention that he trains a bunch of the Victoria’s Secret models. No big deal.

( + Also from a friend perspective- he’s cool as a cucumber, his wife is a badass ( she’s an amazing cook ) & the whole P.volve team is incredible really ).

Anyway Stephen is really THE ASS MASTER- I mean GQ named him that SOOOOOOooooo there’s that! As you can see it’s absolutely no surprise that he knows his stuff when it comes to getting a tight ass. He recently launched a butt program & I am very much about it. Read on about how you can sculpt the butt of your dreams at-home ( & be SURE to enter the giveaway at the end of this post ).

Alright let’s hear from THE ASS MASTER himself: Stephen Pasterino of P.Volve:

Introduce yourself for anyone who hasn’t listen to the podcast. Tell us your backstory and how you got involved in health and fitness.

Stephen Pasterino: My name is Stephen Pasterino and I’ve been involved in health and fitness since I was about 14. My small town was very much a “Varsity Blues” American town where everyone was obsessed with football. For a small boy playing sports and growing up there, football is all that matters.

At this point when you’re playing football, were you also obsessed with the body?

SP: I was obsessed with the body, obsessed with working out, obsessed with food and diet. Everyone’s dad liked to workout so it passed down to the boys. At 14 years old we all had mentors already. Dads, coaches & teachers were all heavy into working out and this lifestyle, so that right there catapulted us into the world of health and fitness from a young age.

How do you go from being obsessed with the body and football to developing P.volve?

SP: That life started with sports, getting as strong as possible, gaining as much muscle as possible, being able to run as fast possible, getting 6-pack abs, getting jacked and being the best-looking kid at college parties. It went from being all about sports to being all about looks and body building.

Body building is one of the most intense forms of fitness out there. You really learn how to manipulate your body through diet, proportions, ratios and movement; you can make parts of your body smaller, so other parts look bigger. I brought a bit of that into the P.volve program.

I’ve done the P.Volve workout, so I know the difference between it and body building. Your body is amazing, and you don’t look like a body builder, so can you tell the audience the main difference?

SP: I hate mentioning body building when talking about P.volve because I feel like people misunderstand me and just think of huge, jacked muscles. But body building is the foundation of P.volve. In body building you learn how to manipulate your muscles by making things smaller so other things look bigger, and through your diet you can strategically work on your proportions. Body building is great, but it’s non-functional. P.volve is all about everyday, functional movements and working your body in a way that you would do in your everyday life.

I find it very interesting how great you are at understanding and sculpting the female body even though males can also do your workout. Can you tell us a bit more about this?

SP: Around age 26 I felt like I’d learned so much about the male physique and how to really perfect it. I walked into a gym in New York and I noticed almost everyone was a woman and started wondering what feminine physique they were looking for. It’s that long, sleek, flat stomach, a great ass, chiseled arms – and then the lightbulb switched on.

As an expert in sports training and body building, I know that 98% of the most known exercises are out because they’re going to build out shoulders, widen the back, and bulk up thighs and calves. So, everything I know is going out the window if I’m going to sculpt the perfect female physique. There are negative effects to the body when training like an athlete. These people are training for extreme situations and there is no reason the everyday woman should be training like one.

I started looking into Pilates, yoga and barre and it didn’t take me long to realize that these are way better for the body than all the other heavy lifting stuff. But I also realized these lighter exercises are not perfect. I felt that these exercises and movements were taking people only 75% of the way to their full potential.

That’s so nuts and it’s why I love this interview. It’s so different from everything we’ve been told. So how does P.volve get you that extra 25%?

SP: By doing functional movements with body weight or light weights and focusing on the butt. Pilates and barre classes are very repetitive and you’re putting a ton of impact on your thighs and knees, which leads to bulking. They’re non-functional movements that you don’t do in everyday life. Non-functional exercise yields an unnatural physique. Pilates, yoga and barre classes are great; it burns, and it works you, but everyone can look even better.

I want to talk about Karen. She’s a girl I made up who lives in Minnesota. She’s 30-40 lbs overweight, she doesn’t have the best diet, she gets up at 6 and gets home at 6 from her 9-5 desk job, she’s exhausted, she makes dinner and goes to bed. What are your recommendations for her since she can’t come see you in NYC or LA? Tell us her plan.

SP: That is a very typical lifestyle and to change it you really need to commit to more movement and a healthy diet. When you sit all day, you aren’t expending very many calories and most offices are full of snacks which contributes to mindless eating. In my opinion, most people eat too often and even when ordering a salad for lunch, it’s filled with fatty foods like eggs and avocado. Those are healthy foods but not in excess when you’re trying to lose weight.

I would tell Karen to start with my butt program and do it 5-6 days a week. Adding in 1 hour of walking a few times a week would be great too. She should also try eating just 2 meals a day, whether that’s breakfast and lunch, or breakfast and dinner – she can figure out what works for her. If she is committed and follows a good diet I see no reason why she couldn’t lose 20 lbs in 2 months.

Should Karen start running to get her heart rate going or is walking good enough?

SP: Unfortunately, when you’re 40 lbs overweight, you don’t get to run. Even being 15 lbs overweight can do tremendous damage to your joints. Our joints can only take so much wear and tear and over the course of my life, I’ve had a lot of joint pain. It’s horrible and taking pressure off our joints is one of my biggest focuses when developing P.volve.

Heart health isn’t all related to exercise. Diet and your arteries play a huge part in heart health. You don’t have to run or do cardio to have a healthy heart. My workout totally gets your heart going and your blood pumping. Running when you’re overweight can do more damage than good.

You said that Karen should start with your butt program. Why?

SP: The butt program will fully activate the butt which is the most important thing. The more the butt is activated the better, because the butt is the foundation of the body.

Interesting. Tell us more about that.

SP: The glutes are the biggest and strongest muscles in the body. It’s dead center and everything sits on top of it. It propels your every movement and what goes on below. It works in conjunction with your thighs, hips and stomach and is actually the powerhouse of the body. If you pretend your body is a car, then the butt is the engine. You want your engine functioning at its best, and if it’s not, everything else take the brunt. So, if your butt isn’t functioning optimally, then your thighs and hips do more work which is going to bulk them up. You’ll get knee aches and lower back aches because your other muscles have to compensate for your butt.

That’s where the functional exercises come in. We need to make sure the butt is fully activated so the rest of the body does what it’s supposed to do in conjunction with the glutes, so your body is moving in the best possible way.

I’m so bummed out that Pilates isn’t functional.

SP: No no no! I’m not saying Pilates, barre, or yoga is bad. I’m saying it’s just not the best. It doesn’t take your body to the place it can go.

I love working out with you in person, but more and more people are working out at home. What you’re actually selling is time, which is what everyone needs more of. We don’t need to go the gym and we can do your workouts at home, but do we need all the equipment?

SP: If you want to get the best bang for your buck and give yourself a real chance at getting the best results, then yes. You want to get the arm band, the ankle weights, the hand weights because all these little bits of resistance are going to help activate your muscles further, without overbearing them. I know it’s annoying but that’s why we have all the stuff; it’s useful. The exercises are still extremely effective without equipment but I’m constantly coming up with the new things and adding programs, so the equipment is necessary to keep the body’s stimuli changing. It’ll help you see results quicker.

Will people lose weight on your program?

SP: Yes, but that’s not the main focus. In my opinion, there are 3 main factors to health: being strong and healthy, feeling good, and looking good. When you work on a healthy diet, and sculpting and getting into amazing shape, weight loss naturally follows. It goes back to functional exercise creating your natural body. It’s about muscle activation, proportion, building glutes, sculpting thighs, fixing posture and leaning out your stomach. When you do all those things, weight loss will naturally follow.

If all the women in the world followed your program do you think they’d all be happier?

SP: Definitely! I think there would be a lot less frustration & a lot more confidence.

I’ve had many conversations with you and I really think your program is what you say it is. It’s not a gimmick.

SP: No, it’s not. The results speak for themselves. I’m very fortunate because over the last 5 years I’ve led group classes in NYC with all different body types and ages and have seen results first hand. I know it works and the results are amazing. I’ve seen people’s bodies and personalities change!

We’ve had girls from all over the world send us bikini pics and the results are amazing. This can really transform your body and you don’t need heavy weights, squats, lunges or deadlifts to do it. Working with Victoria’s Secret models is great, but I don’t want to be known for that. It’s not what I’m most proud of. I want everyone to have their best body and feel amazing.

P.volve workouts are for everyone and I’ve had a lot of experience with a wide range of people who get results. I want men and women who are anywhere from 20-50 years old to be able to do my workouts and feel amazing. That’s what I’m most proud of.

Can you tell us a few more specifics about the butt program? Sell us!

SP: The butt program is a 21-day program with 5 different videos. We break down the butt into different sections and focus on its different muscles. It shows you how to sculpt the middle of your butt, the inner and outer areas of your butt, how to get the smile, etc. I teach you how to work your entire butt, not just the middle ( which is the only thing a squat does ).

As I said, the butt is the powerhouse and you need to get it switched on and working properly to let everything else fall into place. You’re not going to get the legs or stomach you want if your butt isn’t working properly. And, let’s be honest, who doesn’t want a great ass!

BUT RIGHT? THANKS STEPHEN FOR YOUR INFO!! 

SO GUYS I was totally sold after having many convos with Stephen, having him on the podcast, & working out with him in person a few times. He really knows his shit. He even predicted that Michael would have back problems from wearing his cowboy boots…& guess what? Ya, here we are. A few weeks ago, Michael told me Stephen was right, his back is hurting, and so he started wearing sneakers. He needs P.volve & a chiropractor stat. You can catch me on IG Stories working out with Stephen when I’m in NYC or jumping on his butt program in my living room.

In the meantime, as promised Stephen is doing a huge giveaway for all TSC readers. You ready? TO WIN a Skype workout session with Stephen + $525 Varley gift card simply tell us how many days you sit on your ass ( for me…it’s a lot- the computer is killer, LOL ) on my latest Instagram. And for extra credit TAG A FRIEND ON INSTAGRAM to enter too!

See you tomorrow, x lauryn

+  STALK STEPHEN & P.volve: website | Stephen’s Instagram | P.volve IG 

++ YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS OUTFIT IS HEAD TO TOE BY WEAR WONE. I am obsessed with their stuff. They make their all black outfits out of material that you can wash OVER & OVER again. It’s so, so good- I have been wearing their bra & leggings especially. I cannot get enough. If you’re looking for black basics, I have never in my life found a better brand. I mean that with every ounce of my being. I kid you not their stuff is INSANE. They’re sold out of some of my favorites but if you message them on Instagram they will help you out. Get the bra & leggings to start…but this top I am wearing is good too. You will love it all- TRUST ME on this one. Oh, & black sunglasses are found here, fanny pack here, & sneakers here. x

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