How to get the body of a Model (Victoria’s Secret Angels)

VICTORIA’s Secret trainer Michael Olajide shares the workout used to get the world’s sexiest women catwalk-ready. Follow his three step regimen for your own heavenly-looking figure.

Miranda Kerr modelling for Victoria’s Secret. Picture: AFP 
Source: National Features

Get ready to replace your bingo wings with angel wings and get a bikini body worth baring with a little help from the hottest women on the planet.

Follow the likes of Miranda Kerr, Doutzen Kroes, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Candice Swanepoel and Adriana Lima in this get-sexy full-body workout from Victoria’s Secret trainer Michael Olajide.

Here, you can find all the details of the exact workout used to get Kerr, Lima and other Victoria’s Secret Angels in shape.

While you might not be getting ready for a spin on the catwalk, you too can get a heavenly figure thanks to the three-step plan used by the Victoria’s Secret Angels.

This challenging workout targets arms, legs and core.

“For the arms, you don’t want to bulk, you want to keep it sleek,” Olajide says, so intersperse floor moves with boxing moves.

“The legs are the wheels that get us around. They help the Angels walk down that runway,” he says, while the third stage, which focuses on abs and core, will have you “on your way to getting the sexiest core ever”.

“This is going to help you look good and make your life a lot more efficient and fun!”

– Warm up

“Before we do anything, we want to get warmed up, for between 60 seconds and two minutes,” Olajide says. Try a jog or some skipping.

“When your heart rate starts to elevate, that’s cool. Bring it down, shake it loose and then you’re ready to start.”

Begin the workout with the body-weight arm exercises below, then the series of jabs and punches.

– arms

Tricep dips

Get in a seated position with arms behind your back ready for dips. Make sure your hands and fingers are spread wide. Use the heel of your hand to anchor you as you lift yourself off the floor then dip your butt up and down, bending at the elbows, keeping abs and core tight.

Remember to breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Try to keep going for 30 seconds but whatever is a comfortable length of time is fine.

- Alternating medicine ball push-up

This is a great exercise for working the pecs as well as biceps and triceps. Take a push up position with one hand on a medicine ball and one hand on the floor. With feet wide apart, do three push-ups, lowering so the chest stops at ball height. Switch arms and repeat.

By not dropping all of the way down, the muscle is kept tight, which avoids adding bulk to the arm area. Do a second set if you want to challenge yourself.

- Row to the chest

In this move you are working on balance and stability and the core has to remain engaged.  Position yourself in a three-point push-up, with your legs wide and one hand under your chest for support. Hold a dumbbell in your other hand and lift it up and down from the floor to the chest. Take your time and repeat for 30 to 60 seconds before switching sides.

- Diamond push-ups

This type of push-up challenges your triceps, as well as your shoulders and chest. Using both hands, make a diamond shape (index fingers and thumbs pointing inwards) and place flat onto the floor. Place your feet wide apart for stability and anchor yourself through the heels of your hands. Raise and lower yourself to the floor for 30 seconds. Rest, then repeat three times.

- Small pulses on the down

With hands under the chest, engage the core to get into full push-up position. Bring yourself partially down – not all the way – and then when you are comfortable with the position, push up and down as fast as you can. Don’t go below the initial part-way down position.

Use the heels of the hands to stabilise and support your position. Repeat for 30 seconds and then rest. Repeat for as long as you comfortably want to.

- Three-point push-up

Assume a push-up position, with one arm on the floor directly under your chest and feet wide apart to stabilise the body, with weight distributed evenly. Engaging your core muscles, bring your other hand up and place outstretched on the floor. Slowly lower your body into the push-up position, then rise. Due to the intensity of the move, repeat for 15 seconds only and then switch sides to the other arm.

Repeat for 15 seconds.

- Triple jab

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, left foot slightly forward. Jab your left fist out, then part way back, then out and part way back, and finally out and fully back. Continue for 30 seconds, then switch feet so the right foot is forward, and work the right arm for 30 seconds.

- Punch combination

Standing with feet shoulder width apart, do a quick jab, jab, hook combination with your left fist, then your right fist. Repeat for one to two minutes, making sure your core muscles are engaged and that you are focused and tight in your body. Use your feet to stabilise you as you focus on the upper-body moves.

- Straight punch series

Stand with feet shoulder-width apart. Punch in a forward motion, alternating arms, but don’t fully extend the arms. As soon as each arm is out bring it back into the chest. Pick up the pace and repeat for 60 seconds to work muscle endurance and cardio fitness at the same time.

- Stretch 

For a chest and bicep stretch, kneel with hands on the floor, then stretch the right leg back and the left arm out to the side. Lower your chest to the ground and turn your head away from the outstretched arm. Hold for 10 to 15 seconds then return to the start. Repeat for the opposite side.

- Lunge

When you do a lunge, you are propelling your body forward but doing a squat at the same time. From a standing position bring the left leg forward into a lunge then push back to the starting position. Keep your hands on your hips. Repeat for a total of five to 10 lunges, then switch and do the right leg. Rest briefly, then repeat.

- Reverse lunge

This works the same muscles as the forward lunge but adds the element of balance, which requires you to engage your core as well as giving a great leg workout. From a standing position take your right leg back into a lunge. Return to standing. Repeat, alternating legs. Repeat for
two sets of five to 10 reps on each leg.

- Side lunge

Start from a standing position with strong anchored feet, bring your right leg out to the side into a side lunge and squeeze. This will ensure that you engage the muscle. Don’t go too deep with the lunge, just keep it comfortable for your level of fitness. Make sure you use the ball of the foot to anchor you as you hit the floor. Do five to 10 reps then switch sides. Do three sets in total.

– Put it all together

Finally, consolidate the lunge moves into a complete leg workout. From a standing position, lunge forward with the right leg, return to standing, lunge to the right side and back up, then do a reverse lunge. Repeat for 60 seconds then switch to the same combination using the left leg for 60 seconds. Focus on a safe, controlled movement – don’t rush.

- Calf raise

Stand with feet shoulder width apart. Raise your body up onto the balls of your feet to engage the calf muscles, drop back, then repeat for a total of 10 raises. To mix it up, add an ankle touch. With feet flat on the ground, jump up and touch feet and ankles together before dropping back to the starting position. Repeat for 10. This works the back of the thighs. Alternate the two, with brief resting intervals between, for a total of 60 seconds.

- Stretch

For a quad stretch, stand tall. Lift the right foot up and back, taking hold of the foot behind you with your right hand. Hold. Then do the left. For the hamstrings, kneel then stretch the left leg out in front. Lean forward to hold your shin or foot. Repeat on the right. Hold both stretches 15 to 30 seconds.  

– Core

- Aerotwist
Standing with feet shoulder-width apart, keep the head facing forward and as still as possible. Holding a small hand weight of around one to two kilograms in each hand and using the feet as an anchor, twist the central core section in rapid left-to-right moves, working the muscles hard thanks to the aid of the hand weights. To work the muscles even harder, bring the elbows further back and really pick up the speed. Twist for 30 seconds, or 60 to challenge yourself, rest, then repeat twice more.

- Jump rope

Use a skipping rope to elevate the heart rate and work the core. Start slowly and gradually pick up speed. Finally, double the jumps for each rope pass; this works by tightening the abdominal core for each movement. If you don’t have space for skipping then use small hand weights to mimic the rope handles and work in a similar movement focusing on the core. Aim for 60 seconds.

- The plank

Position yourself with feet slightly apart and elbows on the floor directly under the shoulders, hands flat to the floor. Hold yourself in a straight line, using all of your core muscles to keep yourself lifted off the floor. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds, depending on how you feel.

- Around the world plank

From the original plank pose, straighten your arms and widen your feet slightly. Lift the right arm up and forwards, holding for 30 seconds. Drop the arm, then lift the other arm for 30 seconds. Lift the left leg and hold for 30 seconds, then lift and hold the right leg for 30 seconds. Repeat the sequence two more times.

- Aerobliques

Lie down on your right side with your right hand on your left shoulder, left hand on the floor. Use the fingertips or palm of your left hand to press into the ground. In effect you will be doing
a push up, lifting your upper body off the ground every time you push down. Build up to 30 seconds on each side.

- Seated twist with medicine ball

This exercise really works the core. Sit with knees bent and feet together (use a couch or partner to anchor your feet if necessary). Hold the medicine ball with both hands at chest level and twist from side to side. Keep the lower body still to work the abs fully. Do three sets of 30-60 seconds.

- The basic crunch

Lying on the floor, place both hands in a fist position under the butt, raising the head and feet slightly off the ground. Pulse your upper and lower body up and down to work all of the muscles in the abdominal area. This move works all primary and secondary muscles. Do three sets of 25 to 30 reps.

- Final stretch

After working the core muscles and tightening them, it is important to finish by stretching them. Lie flat on your front with your arms outstretched. Walk the heels of your hands towards you, lifting your torso. Keep the head and chin up. Take in a deep breath to expand the ribcage and stretch the abdominals. Hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

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– our model

kirsty welsh, 27, is a health and wellness coach and personal trainer (www.live andsprint.com.au) who keeps fit with full body functional training, interval training and running.