There’s no doubt that boxing is one of the coveted forms of exercise for getting in shape. It’s a sport which will make you stronger both mentally and physically, by dramatically increasing your cardio fitness, core strength and endurance. Pushing you to your limits and then forcing you through them.
It’s a workout that takes perseverance, focus and determination to get through a session, but it’s also what models need to make it through their career.
Sure there might be some models who don’t need to exercise and can scoff down a pizza and burger in one sitting, but for the majority – exercise plays a huge role in maintaining their shape.
So in the spirit of things, we set out to understand what it’s really like to train like a model, or at least learn what it’s like on the flip-side, to train the models.
And who better to go to than the personal training/boxing duo behind TRANSPOSE FITNESS, Zach Vickers and Siannon Pallister. The couple (who coincidentally happen to be models themselves) boast an impressive roster of models on their books too, we’re talking the likes of Mimi Elashiry, Tahnee Atkinson, Nat Darcas and Victoria’s Secret Model Georgia Fowler just to name a few…
Firstly, when you started out, did you mean to train a lot of models?
Haha no not at all. It just happened that it grew that way organically, and because of our time spent in the industry we had a lot of friends who were involved in every aspect from photographers through to producers and stylists.
Being older and having both spent a number of years in the fashion industry we wanted to look at a life beyond bright lights and flickering shutters and through our love of boxing and training it naturally transpired. It was fortunate that we could help our friends to get in shape through doing what we loved, in turn helping them to prepare their bodies for upcoming and prospective jobs.
So how do you train models differently to the rest of your other clients?
Everybody is different and their bodies all respond in different ways. We don’t train a model any differently to how we would train any other person. There is no superhuman ingredient in models (genetically blessed perhaps), its more about the understanding of the physical form, that is demanded of them. We all have an ideal goal body that we strive to achieve through disciplined eating and training.
Everybody is starting from different points in their fitness journey, some fitter then others some more naturally gifted and aware of their bodies. The amazing part about training today is there is so much on offer, that there really is a million ways to reach your goals.
What is important, is that you find what form of exercise and diet allows you to get there most efficiently, with a strong focus on maintaining good health, both mental and physical.
The following saying remains so true ‘if the mind can believe, then the body can achieve’ it’s such an accurate quote and one that speaks so much truth. Without the mind and body working in unison, then the other will fail and cease to function, we must look to build our mental resilience as well as our physical. Good mental health is just as important as any physical strengths one might possess.
Do you think that you’re experience as models and therefore understanding of the pressures to look a certain way, that it helps you train your clients?
Having both been in the Industry for such a long period, I think that it’s not so much that we understand the physical requirements to become a successful model, but more having lived and breathed it we understand the stresses that it may place on you physiologically and how we could look at dealing with the stress associated.
I think having an understanding of the industry itself, also helps, as there is so much diversity in the market. For example, you have commercial and runway models, both are required to have different physical forms and require a different method of training. You could liken it to someone coming to lose weight and one looking to gain muscle, the plan would differ occurring to the desired end result.
A Models body is their asset, and this is what drives them and allows them to succeed. They need to train hard and eat well and remain highly disciplined in order to Book jobs. This is more important for longevity in the market and looking to achieve these results in a healthy way.
So for people wanting to get into shape, what can you tell us are the benefits of boxing over other forms of exercise?
What’s not to love about boxing everybody loves to punch out their frustrations and beat up their boyfriends, right? (joking haha)
Boxing has a long list of benefits, you only have to do a quick search in google and the results are endless.
One of its greatest benefits is the use of the entire body. Every movement requires the use of the lower and upper body. The rotation of the core through to the explosive drive from the legs and shoulders, it really does require the use of the whole body. It also requires a strong mental presence and focus. I think for a lot of people this can be a form of meditation and stress relief. it allows them to focus solely on the movement and the present moment allowing them to let go of their daily stress or things that may be weighing them down mentally. Again, allowing our mind to focus while our body benefits form the physical activity being performed.
What advice do you give the models on how they should train throughout the week when they’re not with you?
Having variety and being consistent. It is hard for models because of the constant changing in scheduling and booking of jobs that require travel. It’s just a matter of being constant in your routine as much as possible. If it changes then roll with it and just ensure that you are remaining active through simple things like taking a skipping rope or getting a trainer to write a simple bodyweight routine that could be done in a hotel room (Get Creative). There is always a solution to the problem, you just have to be willing to solve it.
Set your days best you can schedule in your appointments on the Sunday night so that you are committed to going and showing up, showing up is half the battle, once your there, you’ll never regret it.
And in terms of attaining a ‘model’ physique – what pieces of advice would you give?
Don’t become obsessed, become focused, find what it is that you want, set the plan, work out how you are going to achieve your goals, then it’s up to you to get there. Do all that you can to stay on track and remember its ok to take the scenic route every once and a while (chocolate cake. Vegan off course ha-ha). But remember you have to get back onto taking the necessary steps to achieving the end goal.
It really just comes down to being consistent, even on those days where you feel the worst and on a low, those are the days of most importance, this is where you need to get to the gym or park and get some blood flowing. No-one ever regrets the workout that they did only the one they didn’t.
Do the exercises you enjoy in conjunction with the ones you don’t, it can’t all be sunshine and rainbows you need to feel the hurt and breathe heavy and remember to change up what you do to keep it all interesting and fun, don’t let it go stale and get bored.
Also Remember that working out is only a small part to a large equation, you need to look at your diet and your recovery, these are all important parts to achieve your goals. There can be no sugar without a bit of spice. The world isn’t going to end if you go out with friends and eat a pizza just hold yourself accountable make smarter decisions like opting for a gluten free base or asking for half cheese and little things like substituting that side of garlic bread for a salad, trust us the world won’t end and you won’t gain a million pounds when you wake up. Don’t take it to seriously life is meant to be lived, so live it, and if you want to live it for longer, eat well, train hard and let your hair down every once and a while. Find the balance.[KGVID width=”640″ height=”640″]https://www.allmyfriendsaremodels.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/13053397_612020538962155_1017979235_n.mp4[/KGVID]
