Workout Routines Victoria's Secret Models Swear By

Victoria's Secret models certainly know their stuff when it comes to working out. Of course, these lingerie models don't quite look like the average person. Their tall stature combined with a curvy figure and leanness isn't something that occurs naturally in every family. In a world where the average female height is 5 feet 4 inches, the fact that Victoria's Secret models hover around 5 feet 6 inches tall is mind-blowing in and of itself.

That said, it's not just genetics that account for Victoria's Secret models' success. It takes a whole lot of work to tone and tailor a body to be ready for the catwalk, especially when all you'll be wearing is lingerie. If you've ever wondered what the most iconic models in fashion do to shape up before the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show, here's a glimpse into the collective workout routines these models swear by. 

Jasmine Tookes, like Josephine Skriver, isn't afraid to use strength training as a way to shape up for photo shoots in which she dons nothing but lingerie or swimwear. And when Tookes isn't teaming up with Skriver to enjoy the perfect, partnered workout, she sticks with lower-body strength training as her go-to form of exercise. In 2018, she told Harper's Bazaar, "My favorite workout leading up to the [Victoria's Secret Fashion Show] is always squats, because that's how you build the booty. ... I am all about the legs and butt." 

Tookes doesn't share that same enthusiasm for upper-body workouts. "My least favorite workout, I hate doing arm workouts," she admitted. "Arms are not my thing, I am all about the legs and the butt."

That's not to say squats are easy, though. In fact, they're tough, especially when adding weight to the exercise. But they function as an option that targets all the major muscle groups of the lower body. So, when executed properly, you can build strength and stamina while simultaneously shaping your lower half. 

There's something undeniably empowering about donning a pair of boxing gloves and punching the crap out of a heavy boxing bag. And at least two well-known Victoria's Secret supermodels, Bella Hadid and Adriana Lima, swear by boxing as a way to stay fit. In fact, in a 2016 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Hadid admitted her favorite exercise was boxing "because it takes all my energy out and I can punch something." Which, to be fair, is a really good reason to break a sweat (as long as you're not punching another human, of course). And in a 2017 interview published in Vogue, Hadid stated that boxing is included in her daily workout routine.

As mentioned, Hadid isn't alone in her love of the aggressive sport. Adriana Lima swears by boxing as a go-to workout, even sharing with Shape that she trains with George Foreman III and loves the "challenge" of the sport, even though her agent isn't a big fan of the bruises or "battle scars." 

The beautiful thing about exercise is that there are dozens of forms of fitness — all of which carry benefits. So with time and experimentation, practically everyone can find at least one thing that resonates with their psyche and allows for an all-around healthier lifestyle when incorporated consistently. For one person, that might mean running; for another, strength training.

Victoria's Secret model Sadie Newman is the perfect example of someone who didn't like exercising until she found the right workout for her: yoga. In an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Newman stated, "Now, working out, I love fitness which is really surprising because I really hated it. As for my favorite, I'm a big yoga person. I do love my yoga." 

While some diehard fitness fans may scoff at yoga as being "easy" because it's considered a low- to moderate-intensity form of exercise, the health benefits extend far beyond its ability to help you break a sweat. In fact, an article published in Yoga Journal highlighted 38 different health benefits of yoga, including improved flexibility, posture, bone health, and lower levels of stress. 

Grace Elizabeth admitted to Harper's Bazaar in 2016 that she's not a fan of cardio — "especially running" — but that it's more or less a requirement of the job. 

Fast forward to 2018 and Grace Elizabeth was singing a very different tune, stating, "My favorite workout is actually jumping rope." This is interesting given that jumping rope is a form of high-intensity cardiovascular exercise. The one thing that sets jump rope workouts apart from most running routines, though, is that it is often incorporated into high-intensity interval training (HIIT) while running workouts are often a form of steady state cardio.

Engaging in a HIIT jump rope workout basically means that you go all out with jumping rope for 10 seconds to two minutes, then follow the burst of high-intensity exercise with a short break. Experience Life offers one such example of a HIIT routine featuring jump rope. While the Victoria's Secret model didn't say what type of jump rope routine she likes most, chances are if she loves jumping rope and hates running, it's because the styles of exercise she's performing are very different. 

Kelsey Merritt isn't afraid to work out or work hard, especially before the big annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. In an interview with Elle, she shared that she sometimes works out twice a day. But this type of routine can get stale quickly if it only involves one type of exercise. Perhaps that's why Merritt likes to mix things up.

Sometimes she'll do Pilates, sometimes she'll strength train with a personal trainer, and sometimes she'll add in some boxing. But one thing she always includes in her routine is cardio: "I always make sure to put cardio in my workouts," she told the publication. "I'll do SoulCycle, then I'll go on the treadmill." 

Merritt isn't the only celebrity who points to SoulCycle as their preferred form of cardio. The boutique fitness cycling class has a long list of celebrities who frequent their studios, including Kelly Ripa, Anderson Cooper, and Brooke Shields. Performing high-intensity cycling intervals is a great way to burn calories, and all that leg and butt work can help shape up the lower body — something Merritt is bound to be thinking about before donning lacy boyshorts and strutting down the runway. 

Jourdana Phillips may have a long, lean body that looks striking on a larger-than-life runway, but it doesn't come without a lot of hard work. In an interview with Elle, Phillips shared that because she's naturally lean, she has to work hard to keep weight on. As such, burning excess calories with hours and hours of cardio doesn't make sense for her body. Rather, she turns to strength training as her primary workout.

She told Elle, "One week of workouts includes a lot of weight lifting because I try to keep weight on because I'm naturally really thin. A lot of leg lifts with ankle weights. A lot of stretching and a lot of resistance band workouts. And that's about it — a whole lot of that!" 

If you're naturally thin like Phillips, strength training is a great way for you to add definition (and in some cases, more volume) to your physique. Heavy strength training including compound exercises that target multiple muscle groups, such as squats, lunges, pushups, and pullups, are all great ways to start adding more shape to your body, even if it's hard to put extra weight on. 

Cindy Bruna isn't afraid to turn to an expert to keep her long, lean frame well-muscled for the runway. According Elle Australia, Bruna spends plenty of time in the gym with a personal trainer leading up to big shows like the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. And when she's in the gym, the woman works hard, often sharing her plyometric strength training moves to her Instagram feed. But just because Bruna knows how to work hard, that doesn't mean she loves every moment of it.

According to an interview with Harper's Bazaar, Bruna is not a fan of lunges or burpees, but grudgingly does them. "I have to do it every day. It's part of the job, so I'm doing it, but I hate it," she revealed. That said, she also admitted when she started seeing the results of her hard work, it became easier to keep it up. "One [exercise] I am starting to like is squats. I feel it, I see the results on my body," Bruna explained. "When you see results you just want to do it again and again." A lesson everyone can take away from Victoria's Secret models, surely.