How to Get the Body of a Victoria's Secret Angel

How to Get the Body of a Victoria's Secret Angel

Basic math says that if the four secrets to looking flawless in your underwear under bright lights are superhuman genetics, serious restraint when faced with fries, a really good self-tanner and lots of hours clocked at the gym—and the only one out of your control is your DNA makeup—then you have a 75 percent chance of becoming an Angel. So, what are you waiting for? We asked the top trainers behind the most enviable bodies in the world to share what makes their workouts so transformative.

The trainer: Mary Helen Bowers

The method: Ballet Beautiful, a workout that uses targeted moves inspired by classical ballet to develop the long, slender physique of a dancer

The clients: Doutzen Kroes, Lily Aldridge, Candice Swanepoel

How-To: "We target the muscles you use when you're dancing to tone and shape the inner thighs, the backs of the legs, and the butt and we get the abs, arms and upper body really strong without being overdeveloped," says Bowers, who uses lots of reps and not much weight in her workouts. "A lot of fitness is about contractions—you're doing squats or you're on a bike and your knees are bending, but never stretching all the way, so your muscles get strengthened but look short and thick." Bowers focuses on extending the body through bends—like the plié—followed by deep stretches. The week before the show, the workouts step up in intensity, incorporating extra cardio and butt-toning moves and going from an hour-long session four days a week to an hour and half twice a day. One of the best benefits of the workout, according to Bowers, is the perfect posture that comes with it: "It opens you up through your back and makes you look powerful and confident, which reads really well on the runway."

The trainer: Justin Gelband

The method: modelFIT, a workout that blends Pilates, yoga, functional training (these are exercises that train the body for daily life tasks and often involve pulleys, barbells and resistance tubes) and balance stability

The clients: Karlie Kloss, Candice Swanepoel

How-To: Nutrition, according to Gelband, is number one on the checklist to getting a lingerie model body: "85 percent is what you eat and 15 percent is cardio or cardio-related functional exercises, strength and conditioning exercises using your own body weight, balance and stability, mobility and stability, stretching, meditation, yoga and pilates." He keeps his clients drinking lots of water and has them stop eating at 8 PM. Ten days before the show, it's crunch time, which means lots of strengthening and stability exercises done on slant boards and Bosu balance trainers. "The rest is full-on functional, creative workouts of boxing, pilates and butt-hip-thigh variations to give their bodies the glitter of tone," says Gelband.

The trainer: Tracy Carlinsky

The method: Brooklyn Body Burn, a high-intensity, low-impact workout based off the Lagree Fitness Method that balances weight training and Pilates and is done completely on a Megaformer machine

The clients: Martha Hunt

How-To: "We focus on stimulating slow twitch muscle fibers by moving very slowly with continuous resistance, working each body part of the body with a focus on quick transitions and zero periods of rest—our goal is to keep the muscles guessing and the mind stimulated," says Carlinsky, whose model clients go to build intense core strength and strong, but lean, legs—the result of incorporating isometric holds during all lower body exercises. Two targeted moves clients can do at home without the Megaformer are the bear and the back lunge:

Bear: Start in a plank with a towel under your feet. Keeping your knees and heels connected, exhale as you bend your knees under your hips, sliding the feet along the floor into a table top position. Inhale as you extend out into a plank position. Focus on keeping the weight in your arms/hands and move slowly. Add a push-up when the legs re-set into a plank for that extra burn!

Back lunge: This can be done with a rolling chair. Start with one foot (the working leg) on the ground and extend the other foot on the seat of the rolling chair. Extend your back leg straight behind you. As you inhale, bend the front (grounded) knee and lunge through this leg. In turn, the chair will roll behind you as you send your glutes back and bend through this working leg. For that extra burn, incorporate holds and pulses!

The trainer: Maria Eleftheriou

The method: Barre Core, a UK-based barre workout that incorporates choreographed dance, barre, medicine balls, therabands and light weights to slim and sculpt the body

The clients: Jourdan Dunn

How-To: Founder Niki Rein recommends two moves for sculpting a VS body at home—arm circles and single leg bridge lifts. "Arm circles create incredible tone while keeping the long, slender look to the shoulders, back and arms," she says. "Stand with your arms stretched to sides at shoulder height and move them in a circular direction for one minute, then reverse the circle. Next, turn your palms back (while continuing to stretch your arms wide to the sides) and pump your arms straight back and forth (about five inches) for a final minute. The key is to keep your arms perfectly straight and your shoulders pressed down." For a lifted, toned butt, lie on your back with your feet flat on floor and ankles touching. Tuck your tailbone under, lift your hips up three inches from floor and extend one leg straight up to the ceiling with a pointed foot. Lift hips up and down for 30 reps, then lower the lifted leg while keeping it straight, pointed and even with the opposite knee. Lift straight back up 30 times. Repeat on other leg.

Original article and pictures take http://www.harpersbazaar.com/beauty/diet-fitness/tips/a4398/victorias-secret-angel-workout-tips/ site