New 'Biggest Loser' Trainers Determined to Prove Themselves

The new trainers on NBC's "The Biggest Loser" may come off all big and bad, but in reality the TV rookies still see themselves as underdogs. But that only adds more fuel to their fire.

This week's episode of "The Biggest Loser" finally led to the big reveal viewers had been anxiously waiting for: unveiling the identities of the two "mystery trainers" who've been helping half of this season's contestants lose weight, while the other half remain with famous TV trainers Jillian Michaels and Bob Harper.

The hard-bodied pair who emerged from the shadows turned out to be competitive female boxer Cara Castronuova and renowned martial arts guru Brett Hoebel.

The rookies spoke with the press, including AOL News, this week about their role on "The Biggest Loser" and how determined they are to prove themselves to contestants, viewers and their fellow trainers.

"Bob and Jillian have helped people lose over 25,000 pounds on this show, and they've inspired America. We want to do that too; we want to carry on their tradition. We don't intend on letting anyone down," explained Hoebel. "We're the underdogs, not the bad guys."

Castronuova said she considers Michaels and Harper "the best of the best" in the fitness world, and noted that working alongside the iconic trainers has pushed her to strive for excellence in her own training methods.

"I felt a lot of pressure when I first signed up for this. Bob and Jillian have been doing this for 11 seasons, but that pushes me even more. It's an honor to train next to the greats. It's a constant learning process," she said.

In the end, the TV newbies agreed that their actions on the show will speak louder than words.

They both said their main training technique is to "walk the talk" and exercise right alongside their batch of "Losers."

"We are right there, working out with them every single time. We want to show them that it's possible by actually doing it with them. That's our way of motivating them," said Hoebel.

"I like to make them see how strong they can be both physically and mentally. As a competitive athlete, I've been trained to keep pushing and fighting. When times get rough, you have to keep a fighter's mentality," added Castronuova.

As for more specific workout tips, the trainers both have plenty of tricks up their sleeves to help contestants slim down.

Hoebel, for instance, swears by interval training to help speed up your metabolism.

"If you do enough intervals while lifting weights or running on a treadmill, you will continue to burn calories even after you're done working out. A simple way to do this is by going outside and running really fast for 30 seconds and then walking for one minute. Do these intervals for about 20 minutes," he explained.

Meanwhile, boxing champ Castronuova recommends shadowboxing to burn calories.

"You don't need any equipment for this, and it's great exercise," she said. "You just sit on your couch or stand in your living room and punch into the air. If you put some music on, you'll really get into it."

Castronuova said contestants have really taken to shadowboxing this season and even hold their own competitions when the cameras are off to see who can burn the most calories.

Because of the immense pressure to prove themselves and their training skills, you can bet Castronuova and Hoebel won't be cutting contestants any slack. They said they plan on pushing them to their limits, just as they've been pushed.

"I was an overweight kid, and I went through the same hard work," said Hoebel. "I consider my training style transformational because I want to change them mentally, emotionally and physically."

"I'd say my training style is hard, with a capital H and like 10 exclamation points at the end," said Castronuova with a laugh. "I want to prove to them that they can do it."

Though the trainers certainly feel like underdogs, they both said that tough-as-nails Michaels and Harper have been nothing but supportive toward them. After all, they are one big, fiercely fit family.

"The contestants are in a competition, but it doesn't feel like a competition among the trainers," explained Hoebel. "We're not being pitted against Jillian and Bob. It's like we're a four-person coalition, and four trainers are better than two."

"The Biggest Loser: Couples" airs at 8 p.m. Tuesdays on NBC.