Celebrity Workouts - How Stars Get In Shape!

Usher has a pretty intense fitness workout routine.

Courtesy of BMG

Madonna keeps in shape by practicing Ashtanga Yoga.

Courtesy of Warner

Unfortunately, talent isn't the only thing that makes you go far in the entertainment biz - for better or for worse, lookin' good is a huge deal. Many stars adopt a hardcore fitness routine to ready themselves for a movie role. Get the scoop on how some of your fave celebs keep in shape!

Celebrity Workouts - Usher

If you looked up the expression "washboard abs" in the dictionary, you might find a picture of this R&B singer. How does Usher do it? He claims it's all because of good genes (not jeans... although he does look great in 'em), hard work and being disciplined - oh yeah, and 1,000 crunches a day. Usher also has a daily routine he calls "forty minutes of funk" which includes stretching, skipping and jumping jacks. Then he moves onto push-ups, leg raises and tricep dips. Usher watches what he eats too by munchin' on foods like chicken, fish, a moderate amount of carbohydrates (rice, pasta, potatoes etc.) and lots of fruits and leafy veggies.

Celebrity Workouts - Jessica Simpson

Singer Jessica Simpson started a new exercise routine to get in shape for her role as Megan Valentine in the upcoming film Major Movie Star. The star went through army-style training for the role, including climbing through tires and over walls in full army fatigues. She says she eats a lot of healthy carbs, brown rice, chicken and red snapper. She also turns to sugar-free Jell-O to curb her sweet tooth.

Celebrity Workouts - Gwyneth Paltrow

How does Gwyneth Paltrow keep her lean look? Gwyneth practices yoga or pilates most days and gets in some cardio by running after her two kids, Apple and Moses. Gwyneth used to be well-known for keeping to a super-strict macrobiotic diet but has chilled out since becoming a mom. Now she avoids excess sugar and dairy, eats organic veggies and enjoys plenty of whole grains and legumes.

Celebrity Workouts - Madonna

Madonna might be old enough to be a grandmother, but she's in amazing shape! Madonna is a devotee of Ashtanga Yoga, which is a particularly strenuous form of yoga. She also is regularly spotted cycling to the gym. That's two workouts in one! A healthy diet is also part of Madonna's game plan. She barely touches junk food, preferring a diet of natural unrefined foods, like whole grains and tons of vegetables.

Celebrity Workouts - Angelina Jolie

These days Angelina Jolie is looking more gaunt than she is buff, which she attributes to the toll of her mother's death and breastfeeding baby Shiloh. But back in her Tomb Raider days, she was the epitome of physical fitness. Angelina was on a strict, heavy protein diet of meat and fish like sardines! She learned kickboxing and practiced it regularly and she also learned bungee ballet, scuba diving and weapons training, months before the flick started filming. This was required in order to play the video game superhero, Lara Croft, but it also helped buff her up.

Lots of stars use a personal trainer to keep in shape, but most of us regular folk do other stuff to stay healthy. what you do to keep in shape!