Harley Pasternak

He was born in Toronto, Canada and later moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the fitness industry. Pasternak is Jewish and grew up in a 'typical Ashkenazi household'.[1]

Pasternak graduated from York Mills Collegiate Institute and holds an honor's degree in kinesiology from the University of Western Ontario and a master's degree in exercise physiology and nutritional sciences from the University of Toronto.

During his time at University of Toronto, Pasternak served as a nutrition and exercise scientist at Department of National Defence's Defence and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine from 2005 to 2007. As a scientist, he focused on performance physiology and nutrition, with a specialty in caffeine and ephedrine. His work was published in the scientific journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise in June 2003[2] and in The Canadian Journal of Sports Medicine. Pasternak is also certified by the American College of Sports Medicine and is an IDEA Master Trainer.[3]

Pasternak has worked extensively with numerous celebrities.[4][5]

In 1999, Dr. Marvin Waxman introduced Pasternak to producer Don Carmody, who hired Pasternak to work with Jim Caviezel and cast on his film Angel Eyes.[6] After several subsequent films, Carmody hired Pasternak to train Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., and Penélope Cruz on the set of Gothika in Montreal. Berry suggested Pasternak move permanently from Toronto to Los Angeles to continue to work together, which he did.[7][6]

In 2004, Berry played the title role in Catwoman, a role for which she trained exclusively with Pasternak. Pasternak appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss Berry's training.[8] After Winfrey suggested that he write a book about his program,[9] he published 5-Factor Fitness: The Diet and Fitness Secret of Hollywood's A-List in 2005.

In 2022, Pasternak cut ties with rapper Kanye West after West posted a series of anti-Semitic messages on social media. Pasternak was West's former personal trainer, and said that West had a history of mental health issues.[10] In response, West released a tweet which showed texts between the two, alleging that he had been "drugged out of [his] mind to make [him] a manageable well-behaved celebrity" and that Pasternak had threatened to do that again and put him into "zombieland."[11][12]

In addition to his hosting on The Revolution,[13] Pasternak has made appearances on American and Canadian morning daytime talk shows and news programs, along with serving as a guest judge on Germany's Next Topmodel and Canada's Next Top Model. Pasternak has been a frequent contributor on The Today Show as well as Good Morning America. Additionally, Pasternak co-stars in all three seasons of Khloe Kardashian's series Revenge Body.

In January 2012, Pasternak punched two men during a dispute over the use of a basketball court. He took a plea deal requiring anger management classes; a civil case was also filed.[14]

Pasternak has published four books.

• 5-Factor Fitness (Putnam Penguin)
• 5-Factor Diet (Ballantine Books)
• 5-Factor World Diet (Ballantine Books)
• 5-Factor World Diet (Viking Books Canada)
• The Body Reset Diet (Rodale)
• The Body Reset Diet Cookbook (Viking Books Canada)
• The Body Reset Diet Revised Edition (Rodale)
• 5 Pounds (Rodale)

Pasternak appears as himself doing a fitness routine with Megan Fox in the 2014 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film.[15] He also appeared as himself as Jessica Simpson's personal trainer in Private Valentine: Blonde & Dangerous in 2008.