5 Training Tips From Victoria’s Secret Bootcamp
Throw away your scales
When hairstylist Martin Christopher-Harper lost 40 pounds (18 kg) in three months, he spread the word to his clients and friends, some of the most sought-after models on the planet. The catalyst behind Harper’s transformation was New York City personal trainer Kirk Myers, whose own best work is himself, having once tipped the scale at 300 pounds (136 kg).
“He wanted to send this one specific girl, Jasmine to train,” Myers remembers. The “girl,” Victoria’s Secret Angel Jasmine Tookes, wasn’t looking to lose weight, but Myers’ hyper-precise spot-training moves resonated with her.
“The next time she arrived with Romee [Strijd], and then Romee came with her boyfriend and they really liked it,” he says. “Next time Joe came, and then Joe really liked it, and they just kept coming. And then Martha [Hunt] came. Then Sara [Sampaio] came. And there was Elsa [Hosk]. Yeah, it just kept growing.”
Myers’ word-of-mouth following has since expanded to include dozens more Victoria’s Secret models and Angels, plus a roster of A-list fans. LaLa Anthony, Teyana Taylor, Zac Efron, fencer Miles Chamley-Watson, and Alexis Ren have all been spotted at the newish workout spot.
“We’ve been coming to the Dogpound for a while, even before it even opened,” says Victoria’s Secret Angel Josephine Skriver. “It’s the first gym we’ve had with the opportunity to work out alone and also bring it in as a team sport. You’re kind of competing with everyone around you, everybody is giving you tips. It’s really motivating when you have someone else next to you.”
Here, Myers shares some of his training tips and signature moves.
1. Throw away your scale
“Your body weight can vary three to five pounds, depending on what you ate the night before, if you went to the bathroom, if you took a shower, what time of the day you weighed, what scale you used. A lot of the girls that we train started to do more weight training. Muscle weighs more than fat. So you may add weight even though you are going to look a lot better.”
2. Spot-training really works
“Someone like Josephine likes to do weight training. She specifically likes to do legs and butt with heavy weights. Jo, Jasmine, Romee, they all come consistently so we split up their body parts,” Myers explains. “One day they will do legs, next day upper body, next day they’re going to do more core.”
3. Add ankle weights
Myers takes donkey kicks and fire hydrants to the next level by adding resistance. “Do it with ankle weights. It makes it more challenging. You can also use pulses in it,” he suggests.
4. Don’t be afraid to bulk up
“It’s harder to add muscle than most people think,” says Myers, who encourages his clients to build strength with heavier weights than they would normally lift.
Via Harper’s Bazaar UK