After displaying a slimmer physique and toner body toward the end of last year, 51-year-old Andy Cohen revealed he had made the decision to cut back on alcohol — a bold move for a late-night host who often drinks with his guests — after realizing his “suits were getting tight.” He also said “beach season” was fast approaching, and he didn’t want to be that guy wearing the T-shirt.
Though the Bravo boss did admit to “watching” his diet in addition to abstaining from booze, there’s more to the story, according to his personal trainer.
“There’s a few things I can say about this,” Ukraine-born Stanislav (Stan) Kravchenko told TooFab Monday. “He became a dad, so I think he prioritizes his health right now and fitness more than he used to. He changed his nutrition. He cut his carbs, too. And he did cut down on drinking.”
Stan — who’s on occasion bartended in the Bravo Clubhouse during Cohen’s nightly “Watch What Happens Live” — said he was actually sober for a full month before convincing Andy to give it a shot.
“What’s funny is I was doing a sober month, and when I was doing the sober month, I didn’t drink any alcohol,” Stan recalled. “And I was sharing with him, ‘Listen, I love it. I have more energy. It’s so good.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, yeah. I will try it, I will try it. Now’s not a good time for me.'” Toward the end of Stan’s sober month, which he started in July 2019, Andy saw the benefits and decided to begin his. “I remember the day because he was going on vacation, and he wanted to look good on the beach!” he told us.
“Once he started a whole month with no alcohol, that’s when he realized his body really… He lost a lot of body fat and looked amazing,” Stan said. “And then after that, he was like, ‘I’m really thinking I should cut down on the alcohol because I don’t see the point anymore. I have a baby, I have this, I have that, I look great, I feel good.”
Originally from Eastern Europe, Stan spent 10 years (ages 5 to 15) practicing gymnastics, then took on body-building competitions. Though he studied communication systems in his home country, he ultimately moved to the United States in 2010 to pursue his passion, which “was always fitness.”
Once in New York, Stan did what he had to do to make ends meet, all while doing what he loved. He worked at McDonald’s, with a moving company and as a security guard. And ironically, it was his first “celebrity” client — one of the higher-ups at the Christian Dior store on 57th Avenue, where he was working security — who suggested he pursue fitness full time.
After taking classes at the National Academy of Sports Medicine, Stan became certified in personal training. Five years ago, he began his next chapter at Equinox in Greenwich Village, where he met Andy the following year after training Cohen’s friend, Pablo.
“Pablo recommended Andy to me, and I didn’t know who Andy was! I had no idea,” Stan told us. “I am from Ukraine. I don’t watch TV. So that was funny meeting with him. So he came and we finished the session, [and I said], ‘Don’t forget to pay for my session!'”
Stan said he and Andy “both quit” Equinox about a year ago. “He’s my private client now,” he explained, adding, “Andy is… I love him. He’s a super funny guy and super dad right now. He’s really motivated, and he comes… I’ll be honest with you, if he’s in New York City, he comes every day. He always finds the time for fitness and health. It’s really impressive for me because I know how busy he is. We all know how busy he is with ‘Real Housewives,’ ‘Watch What Happens Live,’ radio show in the mornings — like, wow.”
“I have my own style, the way I train clients, and my training routine [for Andy] is a lot of supersets,” Stan told us. “I combine a lot of weights with the body weight; meaning, let’s say we do chest and back, we’ll do jumping jacks in between. Or crunches. Some exercise that keeps your heart rate always elevated.”
“So you’re basically doing your weight-lifting, and you’re doing your cardio as well,” he went on. “Burning body fat, working your muscles, keeping you busy. You’re getting the most that you can in a one-hour session.”
During that one-hour session, though, Andy’s admittedly glued to his phone. But Stan actually believes that works in both of their favors.
Noting the calls, texts and emails are a combination of “work and personal,” Stan told us, “The funny part about Andy is that he’s motivated. He comes every day, right? And he’s busy. He’s like, ‘Oh my God, I have a conference call!’ And I’m like, ‘Sure!’ I found it really working well with him because he’s less resistant to me. When I tell him, ‘Oh, today’s leg day. We’re doing some legs,’ he’s like, ‘Ugh, f–k! Okay, we’ll do it.’ But when he’s on the phone call, I get him to do double-squats, and he doesn’t even realize it!”
Of course, we needed to know if Stan’s ever overheard a call with a Housewife or been privy to any show drama, but he said Andy leaves all of that at the door when it’s time to work out.
“He’s an optimistic guy. He leaves his drama at home,” Stan said. “Me, if I have something dramatically happen, I’m like all day sad. It affects me. But with him, he knows how to balance it out. He comes to the sessions with no drama, nothing, all good. That’s what I respect, and that’s what I really like about him because he knows how to balance out everything in life. It’s very impressive.”
But not everyone has Andy Cohen’s never-ending energy or financial means to pay for a personal trainer. So what’s Stan’s advice to working parents who struggle to find the time to exercise? NEOU. It’s a live-streaming service program that allows users to work out at home, at a gym or on the go, with fitness classes and routines, courtesy of trainers like Stan.
“It’s me. This is what I love. This is what I do,” he said, adding that “finding balance” in life is key.
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