In SELF’s new Hot Stuff series, we’re asking celebrities, athletes, and other notable people to share the habits, rituals, and products that boost their confidence and help them feel sexy.
If you’re looking for proof that confidence is contagious, might we suggest a Peloton ride with Cody Rigsby? The beloved fitness instructor turned celebrity embodies the best kind of hot: the kind that makes everyone in his orbit feel like their best selves too.
Rigsby rocketed to stardom during the height of the workout-from-home era in 2020, and while his fans came for his killer spin sessions, they stayed for his unmatched energy, infectious sense of humor, and unfiltered opinions. It quickly became clear that the world wanted to hear more from Rigsby, and thankfully, he obliged: He released his debut memoir, Xoxo, Cody, last year, launched his new podcast, Tactful Pettiness, with best friend Andrew Chappelle over the summer, and serves his 1.3 million Instagram followers nuggets of blunt, quippy realness daily.
When it comes to self-esteem, Rigsby is exactly the kind of person you’d actually want to give you advice: He’s not one to sugarcoat things (in fact, he’s told SELF that an advocate for “reading your friends…with intention”), but his objective is always to uplift. It’s what makes his classes and platforms feel so welcoming and warm, and yes, it’s a strong contributor to what makes him feel hot.
Below, Rigsby gives us the scoop on the daily habits and essential products that help him show up as his strongest, sexiest self—whatever his day might bring.
1. Moving my body, even if it’s just a small amount every day.
This is so on the nose, but I truly do think exercise makes you more confident: It makes you feel hot, strong, and resilient. I say this a lot in my Peloton classes: When you accomplish a workout and feel really empowered, it reminds you that when you put on your normal clothes and go back into your normal life, you really can achieve whatever the hell you put your mind to. And things won’t always go exactly how you want them to, but when you stick it out and sit in the discomfort, you can get that promotion, get that raise, get your kids into some bougie-ass boarding school—whatever, just go off!
I feel that after-class-glow the most after strength training, and I’ve also been taking a lot of hiking classes on the Peloton Tread that I have at my house. I love working out at a high incline and a slow speed: I get the feeling of a good run at a lower-intensity and impact. Plus, there’s definitely some strutting and beveling in the hip. I took a class with Olivia Amato the other day, and the playlist was so banging, I was living my best life.
2. A banging playlist.
I’m such a music-driven person. I’ll use it to hype myself up when I’m getting ready to go out, but I also love it when I’m getting up in the morning and when I’m doing my nighttime routine. There’s something that’s so empowering about being home, bumping your playlist, dancing your ass off in your underwear and not caring if your neighbors see it. And honestly, if they do, congratulations to them. I’m a big pop girly, but when I go out, I tend to lean into house and techno music—I love New York’s nightlife scene right now. But pop music is really delivering this year! The legendary pop stars—Katy Perry, Beyoncé—have put out great albums, but I’m really excited about the youngbloods—Tate McCrae, Sabrina Carpenter, Troye Sivan—because we need new faces and people to push pop music into the future.
3. A tongue scraper is game-changing.
Listen to me. If you’re going out into this world—maybe on a date or going out dancing, where you’ll be talking to someone in close proximity (or you might kiss a stranger)—you need to make sure that your breath is good. Nothing is more off-putting than speaking to someone and being able to smell what they had for dinner. So brush your teeth, use some mouthwash, and scrape that tongue, because you’re going to get those last morsels of stink out of your mouth and you’re going to feel so confident.
4. Lululemon Pace Breaker Short
Here’s my thing: The Pace Breaker Short has this little line on the side of it that enhances every person’s ass. It makes it look 20–30% better no matter who’s wearing it or how often they do squats. And I have ass—so it really takes me from platinum to diamond, if you know what I’m saying. I actually like a longer short—I typically love a seven-inch, and I can even do a nine-inch. The five-inch tends to ride up too much, whereas with the longer ones, I can focus on my workout without worrying about giving too much thigh.
Pace Breaker Lined Short 7″
5. Disconnecting from social media in the morning.
There’s nothing hot about comparing yourself to some hoe on Instagram, okay? So let’s not start a day off like that. I really believe that a quiet morning is a luxury in life. When you jump right into social media, it’s already triggering those dopamine hits in your head…it’s distracting, and it’s not really purposeful. I think mornings should be for collecting myself mentally, emotionally, and physically. So I try to set an alarm that’s not my phone. (I’ve tried nine alarms, but lately I’ve just been using my Alexa.) I try to take a full hour before I get on my phone and look at social media. I love the ritual of morning coffee, typically when I’m meditating. And if I really feel the itch to use technology, I’ll get a little bit of work done first thing—check email or make a playlist for my ride—and there’s something super productive about that first hour.
6. Meditating or taking five deep breaths—especially before I do something that scares me.
I always take 5 to 10 minutes out of my day to meditate: Just being with my thoughts helps me turn off my brain a little bit. I feel like we’re all overstimulated—with social media, work, emails, big cities, situationships, all of the above—so it’s good to take a moment of pause. Even on a really busy day, if I can just take five deep breaths to calm my nervous system, it always does me well. That method is really clutch when I am taking on new things. Last year I used it a lot when I was on my book tour because live television makes me very nervous. I feel like I got more confident at that, and so I feel like the effects of practicing those grounding have been really good for me.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
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