Kim Kardashian’s bikini body is off the charts, next-level amazing, insanely toned — all the things. Curious how she gets herself in such sick shape? Us too, which is why we tapped her trainer Melissa Alcantara, aka @fitgurlmel, for the down low on the 41-year-old reality star’s gym routine.
The mom of four wakes up at the crack of dawn (think: four, five or six in the morning) and gets her heart rate up for around an hour and a half at least five times per week.
While she’s pretty regular with her training, she did step things up a notch in anticipation of the Skims Swim launch. “It gets more intense, less rest time, less chit chat — there’s always a little bit of that with your training buddy,” Alcantara told Stylish. “Every day she comes in and she’s like, ‘Oh my god, I’m so sore.’ I’m like, ‘Let’s go to the next muscle.’”
When it comes to actually getting down to the nitty gritty, the fitness instructor explains that the pair focuses majority of their energy on weight training and “really building muscle,” with a little bit of cardio, treadmill and stair master workouts sprinkled in.
“Some days we do really heavy lifting and less reps. Other days we’ll do moderate lifting and a little bit more reps to keep things in the aesthetic rep range.” As for how much weight Kardashian can handle? Alcantara said that the reality star is “super strong,” lifting anywhere from 80 to 100 pounds and using 30 pound dumbbells.
As for the ab workout of it all? While part of the Skims founder’s definition is the result of genetics, weighted core exercises are a key component of the star’s fitness routine.
“We do weighted cable rope crunches, which is probably one of my favorite ab workouts. If you want these boxy, chunky, crazy abs, that’s my number one,” Alcantara explained. She also mixes in ski abs, which are done in a plank position, and leg lifts supplemented by weighted balls.
When it comes to booty-boosting techniques, weighted hip thrusts are where it’s at. “Over time, build every week. We try to add more weight and more weight to become stronger,” she explained. “When it comes to the aesthetic part — what they call toning — it’s about chiseling down the muscle, which is around the 12 to 15 rep range.”
In addition to hip thrusts, Alcantara also recommends leg presses, lunges and Bulgarian split squats.
While getting on board with such an “intense” training routine can be daunting, Alcantara offered up the ultimate motivation. “You can create all the excuses. It’s like, ‘Oh, you’re too tired. Oh, you worked so much today. Oh, you could just order in.’ None of that will make you happy. Nothing feels better than actually doing things for yourself, cooking that meal and getting to the gym.”
This “don’t let things stand in your way” mentality is what inspired Alcantara to partner with Degree in support of the new Degree Advanced Antiperspirant Deodorant, which offers 72 hour nonstop sweat and odor protection. “We have the same mission,” she told Us.
Alcantara is taking her love for the high functioning deodorant to social media, where she’s partaking in the Gray T-shirt Challenge, which encourages people to work up a sweat and own it.
The fitness guru is a big fan of the spray on formula, specifically the lavender scent. “It’s literally the best,” she told Us.
