Kate Upton, the celebrated Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, has garnered attention not only for her stunning looks but also for her dedication to maintaining a healthy and strong physique. At 31, Upton is seemingly in the best shape of her life, a testament to her hard work and consistent training. This article delves into the diet and workout strategies that Upton employs to stay in swimsuit model shape, drawing from various interviews and insights from her trainer, Ben Bruno, and other sources.
Diet: Fueling the Body for Success
Upton firmly believes that what she puts into her body directly impacts what she gets out of it. She emphasizes the importance of "premium fuel" and "high-end ingredients," highlighting that food is fuel and should be treated as such. She avoids fad diets and calorie counting.
Key Dietary Principles
- Lean protein at every meal: Bruno emphasizes the importance of lean protein in Upton's diet. Examples include grilled chicken and salmon.
- Limiting sugar and processed foods: Upton focuses on minimizing her intake of sugar and processed foods, prioritizing whole, unprocessed options.
- Organic vegetables: Vegetables are a big part of Upton’s diet. She always tries to eat organic.
- Mindful eating: Upton believes in understanding what you're putting into your body and listening to its needs, especially after detoxing from refined sugar and preservatives.
- Treats in moderation: While Upton focuses on healthy eating, she allows herself treats occasionally. Her favorite treat is doughnuts. She believes in incorporating "a little 'bad' every day" and doesn't believe in deprivation.
A Typical Day of Eating
In a profile with the London Evening Standard, Upton shared what a "good day" of eating looks like:
- 7 am: Breakfast of scrambled eggs (one egg white and one whole egg), spinach, and green tea.
- 10 am: Ten raw almonds and a green juice.
- Lunchtime: Herb-crusted grilled chicken, grilled vegetables, and quinoa.
- 4 pm: A protein bar.
- 7 pm: Sashimi or grilled salmon and cashews with kale salad.
While this may seem "utterly joyless" to some, Upton acknowledges that she doesn't adhere to this strictly every day. She enjoys theme nights like "Tequila Tuesday" and prefers fried salty food on her cheat days, though they are infrequent.
Cleanses
Upton occasionally undergoes a 48-hour juice cleanse before a big photoshoot or film scene.
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Foods to Avoid
According to David Kirsch, Upton avoids sugar, alcohol, and processed carbs. While she isn't on a specifically gluten-free diet, the nature of her food choices makes it gluten-free.
Workout: Strength and Consistency
Upton's workout philosophy revolves around strength training and consistent activity. She avoids following exercise trends and focuses on simple, effective exercises that she can incorporate into her lifestyle.
Strength Training with Ben Bruno
Upton trains with Ben Bruno five times a week, focusing on circuit-based strength training. Bruno emphasizes the importance of strength training for toning and building a strong physique.
"Strength training creates that tone," he explains. "A lot of women think they want to lose weight but they actually want to lose body fat and be toned.
A typical workout might start with a series of strength exercises done in circuit fashion, followed by work with the sled.
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Examples of exercises Upton does:
- Hip thrusts
- Sled pulls
- Deadlifts
- "Kate Press": A one-arm overhead press variation that Upton "invented."
Bruno often challenges Upton by gradually increasing the weight she lifts, sometimes without her knowledge, to push her limits.
"When I started training with him, he would say, 'Let's put 500 pounds on the sled,' and I would immediately say, 'I can't do that,'" she told Shape. "So he started standing on the sled so I couldn't see how much weight was on there.
An example circuit involves hip thrust countdowns, 3 sets of “5 to 1” - starting with five reps followed by a five-second isometric hold at the top.
Additional Activities
In addition to strength training, Upton incorporates other activities into her routine, such as walking her dogs. She prioritizes staying active rather than pushing herself to the extreme.
Read also: Weight Loss the Kate Middleton Way
Importance of Mental Health
Upton recognizes the importance of mental health in achieving fitness goals. She emphasizes that small things can be big motivators.
Kate Upton's Beauty and Wellness Philosophy
Upton partnered with wellness brand Found Active to launch a line of clean skincare and wellness products for women. She believes in enhancing natural beauty and inspiring confidence.
"I always believe in enhancing who you are and looking and feeling your best,” she tells Shape. “I hope that these products fit into your daily routine instead of you changing your life for them.
She believes makeup should enhance natural beauty and inspire confidence, not cover up insecurities.
"I feel like makeup is so nice if you use it in a way that makes you feel better about yourself. But there are also so many times when you’re putting on makeup to cover up or change different ways of your face,” she tells PEOPLE. “I see it more and more with social media. It creates a negative mental relationship with yourself that you feel you should change. So I think being makeup-free stands for loving myself how I am.
Upton acknowledges that feeling beautiful is not a constant and emphasizes the importance of appreciating connections with family and friends and fostering a positive relationship with oneself.
"It’s always a journey because we’re human,” she tells PEOPLE. “You feel stressed some days and you feel overwhelmed or tired. I think just going back to appreciate the connections we have - the family, the friends and putting how I feel beautiful on my relationships and on my relationship with myself.
Staying Fit While Traveling and Balancing Life
Upton has learned to adapt her fitness routine to accommodate her travel schedule and life changes. She appreciates the convenience of strength-training workouts that can be done anywhere, especially after giving birth to her daughter. This inspired her to team up with Bruno for Strong4Me Fitness, a 12-week program that promises "to slim, tone and strengthen the female body 30 minutes at a time."
"There was a lot of trial and error over the past 10 years of my career," the four-time Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover girl admitted to Health last year. "I had to figure out how to stay fit with all my travel and while going through so many life changes-like dating someone and getting married. I had to find a way to get everything in-work, travel, personal relationships, and workouts.
David Kirsch's Training Secrets
David Kirsch, another trainer who has worked with Upton, shared his training secrets, emphasizing extreme, intense circuit training. These circuits focus on core, butt, and thigh shaping and toning, using resistance bands, stability balls, and lateral lunges. Boxing is also incorporated into the routine.
For the film "The Other Woman," Upton trained five to seven days a week for 60 to 90 minutes, often late at night.
Kirsch suggests that those seeking to emulate Upton's physique should incorporate a couple of high-intensity circuits into their daily routine, even if it's just for 10 to 15 minutes.
The Importance of Strength
Upton prioritizes being strong and having the strength to work long days.
"For me, it’s about being strong, having the strength to work ten-hour days, and eating healthily,” she says.
She found that focusing on strength training helped her achieve the size she needed for modeling.
"Once I started focusing on being strong and doing weight training, I became the size that I needed to be for modeling," she said.