Chip Gaines is showing off his (no pun intended) gains after deciding to get back on track and hit the gym with his wife, Joanna Gaines. Since 2024, the former “Fixer Upper” hosts have been training with Blake Lively’s coach, Don Saladino, to work on their strength and prioritize their overall fitness and health. “Last year @donsaladino did the impossible and got Chip and me in a gym TOGETHER for the first time in 25 years,” Joanna wrote in a June 2025 Instagram post promoting Saladino’s podcast. “Chip showed up in his boots and Don thought he was joking (Chip finally converted to tennis shoes). We have honestly loved the workouts so much.”
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Chip, who was rumored to have suffered a heart attack in 2019, looked fit as a fiddle as he and Joanna posed inside their home gym. His biceps bulged under the sleeves of his T-shirt from all those months of weight training with Saladino — clearly, he hasn’t skipped arm day. “Health is the greatest wealth! Good job Chip!” one user cheered. Another couldn’t help but notice his muscles, gushing, “Chip’s arms are definitely bigger!!”
The Magnolia hosts also gave a tour of their home gym in Waco, Texas after teaming up with Saladino to upgrade the space by adding a few new machinery and equipment. Reacting to a user who quipped that none of those machines would probably end up getting used, the celebrity trainer defended the couple and said, “[They’ve] been using it everyday.” He also praised Chip’s dedication, stressing, “Chip does very well in the gym” and that the home renovation expert “works hard in everything that he does.”
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Chip Gaines used to be an athlete
Ahead of his 50th year, Chip Gaines embarked on a fitness journey by joining his wife, Joanna Gaines, in the gym after years of letting his health take a back seat. On Instagram, he opened about his fitness struggles and admitted he has not actively worked out in decades. “This is what it looks like to ‘try and get into shape’ at 50. @donsaladino has got his work cut out for him because I haven’t ‘worked out’ since college (unless running counts) and I’m the worst at drinking enough water,” Chip confessed. However, working with Saladino has proven to be a real game-changer: “He’s kicking my butt … and I’ve gotta say that I feel better today than I have in years!”
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A former athlete, Chip played baseball throughout his time in high school and college and was even recruited to play for Baylor University in Texas. Unfortunately, he didn’t end up pursuing the sport after the coach who scouted him retired during his sophomore year. Over time, he fell in love with running and helped launch the annual Silo District Marathon in honor of his friend, distance runner Gabe Grunewald, who died of cancer in 2019. Not only has staying active done wonders for Chip in terms of his physical health, but working out with Joanna has been surprisingly great for their relationship as well.
“It’s just us pushing each other and holding each other accountable,” Joanna told People in a 2025 interview. “It’s been this whole other thing, and it feels good to do it. So it’s been fun — we’ve done so much together in the past that it’s like this whole new stage in our marriage,” she added.
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