On Monday we got to witness an hour-long infomercial of lingerie, perfect physiques and Lady Gaga in the 2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. While you may feel like these angels are the only girls on this planet capable of achieving a flawless look, it turns out that their appearance goes way beyond just winning the genetic lottery. These angels train for the show the same way an athlete trains for the Olympics, and prepare for this occasion months in advance.
If the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show left you feeling like you need to step your fitness game up, then fear not. Here at 20some, we have created a roundup of the Angel’s workouts of choice, and the fitness gurus behind these perfectly sculpted bodies. With resolution season just around the corner, instead of making the clichéd “I need to lose weight” resolution (come on, we are all guilty of that one), which seems vague and difficult to attain because it lacks direction, we should all aspire to #trainlikeanangel in 2017!
So here is what it takes to obtain an Angel-status body:
Ballet Training:
Ever since she trained Natalie Portman for Black Swan, Mary Helen Bowers has gained a cult like following among Victoria’s Secret Angels. Her ballet inspired moves help create the long and lean muscles and those enviable abs. Among her Angel following we can find: Doutzen Kroes, Romee Strijd, Isabeli Fontana and Lily Aldridge.
Boxing:
It may sound like an oxymoron that the world’s most delicate Angels can beat pretty much anyone in a street fight, but boxing is the sport of choice for Angels like Adriana Lima, who has been boxing with trainer Michael Olajide Jr. for the past 10 years. Other model boxers include: Gigi Hadid, Sara Sampaio, Cara Delevingne, Kendall Jenner, Maryna Linchuk and Constance Jablonski. Their boxing gyms of choice include: Aerospace High Performance Center, Mendez Boxing and the Insta-famous Gotham Gym.
Soul-Cycle:
There are many brands of indoor cycling studios, but none with the model following that Soul-Cycle has. On any given day you may bump into Angels like Alessandra Ambrosio, Karlie Kloss and Lily Aldrigde in their peaceful yet heart-pumping classes. Because we all feel a little more motivated to turn up the resistance in our bikes when we have an Angel pedaling next to us.
Body-Sculpting:
Those incredibly toned limbs and Victoria’s Secret abs are a result of resistance training and body sculpting exercises with weights. While there are many personal trainers out there who can whip your body into shape, the Angels’ secret weapon is trainer Justin Gelband. What’s even more awesome is that he recently opened a studio on Bowery where commoners like us can go and benefit from the Angel whisperer’s techniques. His model following includes: Karlie Kloss who constantly Instagram pictures of herself in Gelband’s studio, Lily Aldridge, Candice Swanpoel and Behati Prinsloo.
H.I.I.T:
While we only kind of know what High Intensity Interval Training means, we do know that it’s practiced in the gym that has become synonymous with Victoria’s Secret model: the Dogpound. What started out as a small group of models and trainers that popped up in different gyms in Manhattan to work out together has now become one of the city’s buzziest gyms. Its model following includes: Elsa Hosk, Marta Hunt, Sara Sampaio and the two ladies behind the @JoJa fitness account: Josephine Skriver and Jasmine Tookes.
Running:
It may sound like the most over simplified way of training, but the Angels attribute their tiny frames to running since it is the highest calorie-burning workout and doesn’t create bulk. Among the angel runners we can find: Gigi Hadid, Izabel Goulart (well she practices pretty much every discipline under the sun) and Heidi Klum. The best part about running is that the only fancy equipment you’ll need is running shoes and a good attitude, and the second one is generally free.