Taraj P. Henson's personal trainer breaks down secrets of the 'Cookie Booty' workout

Taraji P. Henson's personal trailer reveals her workout secrets...

Oct 5, 2015

Taraji P. Henson always looks amazing when she graces our TV screens every week as Cookie Lyon on Fox’s Empire. But how does she do it?

“We specialize in shaping her body, particularly her glutes,” personal trainer Mike T revealed in a interview with PEOPLE. “We do the ‘Cookie Booty’ workout. It’s a lot of lunges, a lot of squats, and a lot of leg presses to get that round derriere.”

He went on to say that, when Henson first came to him, she was new to gyms. However, once they got started, she was committed to the course, and she can now squat 185 lbs!

“She’s very committed to the gym,” he said. “Taraji is very focused and very disciplined. She’s the type of person that if you tell her she can’t do something, she’ll do it even harder.”

Mike added that he and Henson to 60 to 80 minutes of cardio every day, as well as workouts for the shoulders and back, such as lateral raises with 3- to 7-lb. weights, lateral pull-downs, and the delt machine.

“We do a lot of building and shaping, along with toning, which consists of high repetitions with lighter weights,” he said. “A lot of women have a misconception that if you work out and use weights, you’re going to get bulky and build big muscles. It’s not true.”