‘Biggest Loser’s’ Jennifer Widerstrom talks workouts and more in Health

“The Biggest Loser” newbie Jennifer Widerstrom’s growing popularity lands her on the cover of the new issue of Health magazine, which hits newsstands today (Dec. 26).

Widerstrom and fellow trainer Jessie Pavelka joined the long-running NBC show when it kicked off its 16th season (Glory Days) in September.

In the Health article on the Lisle native, she talks about a wide range of subjects, such as who she’d like a chance to train: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. “I would make him move in interesting, complicated ways.”

Widerstrom’s ways have proven to be the ticket on “Biggest Loser,” which just marked 10 years of helping people lose weight and change their lives. Three of the original six contestants who started with her — Sonya, Woody and Chicago native Toma — were in the final six when the show wrapped its midseason finale on Dec. 18. That’s more than either of the other trainers. As those who watch the show know, she’s a tough, but encouraging, trainer who seems to connect well with the emotional struggles of the contestants.

Jennifer Widerstrom/Health

But does that success mean she trains herself when at the gym? No way; she goes to a trainer. “I need the help. I need the love,” she tells Health. “I need you training me! I don’t want to think about the workout. Just show me what my arms should be doing!”

Just like the rest of us, Widerstrom has things she hates (running) when it comes to working out. But the burpee? It’s tops with her, and she encourages others to embrace the burpee. “You work your upper body, your lower body and your cardiovascular system. You have to be coordinated and balanced,” she explains to Health. “You can do them fast and slow. You can do them in sets. And you can do them anywhere.”

Watch Widerstrom in action when “The Biggest Loser” returns Jan. 1.