Russell Bateman is training the stars with The Skinny Bitch Collective

Russell Bateman set up probably one of the best-named and hippest fitness and nutrition programmes on the planet. Deirdre Reynolds caught up with the guru to the stars

Thu, 04 Jun, 2015 - 01:00

He may train superfit celebrities like Millie Mackintosh - but don’t call Russell Bateman a ‘celebrity trainer’.

“I hate that term,” retches the ‘personal trainer to the stars’, then. “I just train cool people.” “There are trainers out there who have that in their bio — ‘celebrity trainer’. I’m just sick in my own mouth when I see that.” British Bateman is the brains and brawn behind the worldwide health and fitness phenomenon known as The Skinny Bitch Collective.

Jetting into Dublin to help launch Tropicana’s new Essentials range, he explains: “In a nutshell, it’s an all-encompassing, 360-approach to female wellness and health. “It’s not just about exercise. It’s about nutrition, sleep, sex, self-confidence — and just completely rebuilding yourself into an all-round better person.

READ NEXT: Why strong, not skinny, is the new sexy

“A lot of the girls I train are 18-25,” adds the wellbeing coach, who previously worked in gym chain Virgin Active before branching out on his own. “They’re young up-and-coming actresses, musicians and models who are now learning what drinks to have, what food to eat, how to train properly, how not to take crap from anyone.” The ear-catching name, he reveals, came about after a pal quipped, ‘Got any more skinny bitches in today?’:

“I feel what I’m trying to do — especially with the name, which has certain connotations — is to get people to dig a bit deeper. When people look closer, they forget about the name, and see there’s some really good information in this.” Although he doesn’t just train ‘skinny bitches’, it’s viral videos of fitspirational stars such as Mackintosh and Suki Waterhouse sweating and grunting their way through his extreme exercise classes that have transformed Bateman into one of the most in-demand personal trainers on the planet right now.

“People who do SBC want people that follow them [on Twitter and Instagram] to know they’re doing it,” he tells. “If someone does SBC, they’re like, ‘Take a video of me!’, ‘Take a picture of me!’ “I never asked Millie to tweet or Instagram - she just did it. Then suddenly, by association, everybody’s like, ‘Oh, it’s Millie’s trainer - I want a body like Millie’s!’ “It’s fascinating - it’s like having the latest Chanel bag. People lie and say they do it; people say they’ve come to a class, and I’ve never heard of them.

“[But] I would never pull them up [on it] and say, ‘I don’t know who you are’.” Featuring covetously-toned SBC starlets working out in sun-kissed locations like Ibiza, Bateman has just launched an online Skinny Bitch Collective Experience in a bid to whip women across the world into mental and physical shape.

“The online thing is amazing,” he says. “It allows people from anywhere in the world to log in and do SBC. It’s quite extreme. The workouts are super tough and getting to your chosen level’s going to be tough.

“[But] if you do this, and you complete these seasons, you should be able to go to the MMA!” Despite his viral success, blogebrity Bateman says he’s not a fan of the ubiquitous ‘gym selfie’: “Taking pictures is like an inspirational tool, so anything that inspires people, I’m all for - but not when you’re working out. I can do that of them, but they can’t do it [themselves].

“There are girls who go to gyms and just take pictures of themselves,” he acknowledges. “It’s not optimal, but it depends on what the goals are for that girl. Is she just doing it because she needs attention, that’s what you need to think about.”

Strong may be the new skinny, as the dreaded bikini season approaches however, Bateman insists the two are not necessarily mutually exclusive: “In terms of that saying, I just think you can be lean and strong [and] you can be fat and strong - there should be no body shaming.

“If someone comes to me and says, ‘I want to get stronger’, I’ll get them stronger; if someone comes to me and says, ‘I want to get leaner’, I’ll get them stronger and leaner.

“That’s the goal: stronger, leaner, less body fat. You can [still] have a burger and chips - it’s not going to hurt you!” Fighting back against his ‘Mr Bitch’ image meanwhile, he jokes: “I’m not a scary guy - I like kittens and stuff!

“I’m a nice guy, but I don’t take any rubbish. If Millie’s in the class, and she’s looking at her phone, I’m like, ‘Millie, get on with it!’ Everyone gets treated the same.There’s always going to be someone out there who doesn’t like you,” adds Bateman. “I’ve got no time for those people.

“Ultimately, I just want to inspire others.”

Tropicana Essentials comes in three new flavours: Banana, Strawberry and Beetroot; Mango, Passion Fruit and Pumpkin; and Pineapple, Orange and Carrot, all of which are a natural source of Vitamin A, minerals and fibre.