‘Dancing With the Stars’ Pro Jenna Johnson Doubles Down on Her Favorite Toning Workout

Season 35 of Dancing With the Stars is in full swing, and after last night’s episode sent home a fan-favorite pair, the competition is really starting to heat up. One professional dancer vying for her third shot at a Mirrorball Trophy? Jenna Johnson, who took home the show’s ultimate prize in 2018 (alongside Olympic figure skater Adam Rippon) and once again in 2025 (with The Bachelor star Joey Graziadei).

This time around, Johnson is paired up with Glee and Grey’s Anatomy actor Harry Shum Jr., and the two are off to a great start. The 32-year-old professional Latin and ballroom dancer believes she and her partner, 44, have a good chance at taking home the coveted title this season.

“Harry is so thoughtful and intentional with telling stories through art and dance,” Johnson recently told SI Lifestyle. “It’s really inspired me creatively to rethink the way I approach the season and our choreography as a pair. I’m excited to tap into a deeper level of dance that I don’t think I’ve done before. And honestly, I truly cannot wait to share the stage with Harry. He is such an incredible performer and artist ... Even just being in the rehearsal space with him each day has filled my cup. I just love watching him work, and I love working with him.”

Outside of the ballroom, Johnson enjoys quality family time (she is married to fellow DWTS pro Val Chmerkovskiy, with whom she shares a 3-year-old son, Rome) and prioritizes the things that bring her joy. For example, the simple things like fall fashion (“I’m all about layering,” she says) and her workouts outside of the rehearsal studio.

And while exercise trends may come and go, Johnson’s most beloved workout has remained the same since we spoke with her last fall. As Dancing With the Stars fans well know, the dancer has some seriously defined abdominal muscles, which she credits to chiseling through her Pilates practice.

“I love Pilates even more now, if that’s even possible,” Johnson says. “For anyone that’s looking to tone every part of their body, heated mat Pilates is the one.”

Hot Pilates, which involves working out in a room heated to roughly 85°F to 100°F, has been proven to strengthen core muscles, improve posture and increase flexibility, so it’s a great low-impact workout. When we chatted with her last November, Johnson shared that Pilates has helped her to tone her lower abdominal muscles in particular.

“Getting into Pilates, really a lot of their structure is all about that pelvic floor and your lower abdominals, and so the movements felt like they were targeting areas of my abs that I’d never worked before,” she said, calling out V-ups and planks as a few favorite moves. “And when I started to focus on that, I feel like just everything started to sculpt in ways that I’d never had before.”

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