How come models never lift heavy ?

Because they are starving to DEATH!

VS lingerie models are starving to death? No, they are not. This way of thinking is actually pretty ignorant. The VS models are very healthy and not too thin. They are lingerie models (not high fashion models). Yes, in some of the photoshopped photos they can look too thin. On the runway they are not "starving to death". They may be more slender than what you find appealing, but that's not the same as starving to death. They have a job that requires a specific lifestyle and aesthetic. And they go on a competition style diet and workout routine some months before the Christmas runway show. They are also tall, which makes them appear even more slender in the legs.

Just goes to prove the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I agree with the previous poster. Most models look like they are starving to death.

Well, I eat 1900 to 2500 calories a day (I'm 5'2" and weigh around 100 pounds). And I am slim and slender. Definitely not starving to death. There is a huge difference between slender and healthy and starving to death. Yeah, it is ignorant to not understand that. I'm not saying everyone has to have the same aesthetic taste, but it does not mean people are dying just because you do not like the look.

VS models are lingerie models. That is not the same as a high fashion model (many of them are too thin).

Seriously. Someone being thin doesn't mean they don't eat. It reminds me of the ignorance I used to encounter in my young adulthood.

I've been 5'11" since I was 16 and from that point to my late 20s, I weighed between 125-140 pounds. It wasn't something I aspired to, it was just my body's set point. I didn't even care what I weighed and it never occurred to me to restrict my eating. I liked food. When I was a teenager, I ate, ate, ate, and then ate some more. Lots of fast food, lots of sweets, lots of snack food (chips, cheetos, etc.), and lots of fried food. I would sit in front of the TV in the evenings and go through an entire box of cereal and half a gallon of whole milk over the space of a couple of hours. I ate plenty of sammiches. I was a bottomless pit, but my mom said that many of her friends were concerned about me because they thought I wasn't eating. I even had perfect strangers tell me that I "must not eat". And I was a size 5/6 with 36-26-36 measurements, BTW. Hardly a straight up and down size 00.

I did become more conscious of my dietary choices in my 20s, but I still ate a lot of "junk". My weight still fluctuated in the same range.

My workouts consisted of 20-30 minutes of cardio followed by 10-15 minutes of bodyweight training 5 days per week. Hardly endless amounts of exercise. And I'm not claiming that I was defying thermodynamics, but my energy expenditure was apparently quite high, as I was "naturally" thin.

Thin arms and legs aren't necessarily weak either. That's another peeve of mine. With my puny 10 inch biceps and 19 inch thighs, I manage to lift heavy trash bags into the dumpster, carry the 50 pound cat litter up the two flights of stairs to my apartment (or all of my grocery bags in one trip), lift heavy boxes, and move furniture all by myself. When menfolk offer to help me with something, I'll accept the help because I'm inherently lazy, not because I can't do it.

Because they are starving to DEATH!

VS lingerie models are starving to death? No, they are not. This way of thinking is actually pretty ignorant. The VS models are very healthy and not too thin. They are lingerie models (not high fashion models). Yes, in some of the photoshopped photos they can look too thin. On the runway they are not "starving to death". They may be more slender than what you find appealing, but that's not the same as starving to death. They have a job that requires a specific lifestyle and aesthetic. And they go on a competition style diet and workout routine some months before the Christmas runway show. They are also tall, which makes them appear even more slender in the legs.

Just goes to prove the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I agree with the previous poster. Most models look like they are starving to death.

Well, I eat 1900 to 2500 calories a day (I'm 5'2" and weigh around 100 pounds). And I am slim and slender. Definitely not starving to death. There is a huge difference between slender and healthy and starving to death. Yeah, it is ignorant to not understand that. I'm not saying everyone has to have the same aesthetic taste, but it does not mean people are dying just because you do not like the look.

VS models are lingerie models. That is not the same as a high fashion model (many of them are too thin).

Seriously. Someone being thin doesn't mean they don't eat. It reminds me of the ignorance I used to encounter in my young adulthood.

I've been 5'11" since I was 16 and from that point to my late 20s, I weighed between 125-140 pounds. It wasn't something I aspired to, it was just my body's set point. I didn't even care what I weighed and it never occurred to me to restrict my eating. I liked food. When I was a teenager, I ate, ate, ate, and then ate some more. Lots of fast food, lots of sweets, lots of snack food (chips, cheetos, etc.), and lots of fried food. I would sit in front of the TV in the evenings and go through an entire box of cereal and half a gallon of whole milk over the space of a couple of hours. I ate plenty of sammiches. I was a bottomless pit, but my mom said that many of her friends were concerned about me because they thought I wasn't eating. I even had perfect strangers tell me that I "must not eat". And I was a size 5/6 with 36-26-36 measurements, BTW. Hardly a straight up and down size 00.

I did become more conscious of my dietary choices in my 20s, but I still ate a lot of "junk". My weight still fluctuated in the same range.

My workouts consisted of 20-30 minutes of cardio followed by 10-15 minutes of bodyweight training 5 days per week. Hardly endless amounts of exercise. And I'm not claiming that I was defying thermodynamics, but my energy expenditure was apparently quite high, as I was "naturally" thin.

Thin arms and legs aren't necessarily weak either. That's another peeve of mine. With my puny 10 inch biceps and 19 inch thighs, I manage to lift heavy trash bags into the dumpster, carry the 50 pound cat litter up the two flights of stairs to my apartment (or all of my grocery bags in one trip), lift heavy boxes, and move furniture all by myself. When menfolk offer to help me with something, I'll accept the help because I'm inherently lazy, not because I can't do it.

It was a joke people! you guys really got to get a sense of humor! Get away from the computer more and back to IRL!

Because they are starving to DEATH!

VS lingerie models are starving to death? No, they are not. This way of thinking is actually pretty ignorant. The VS models are very healthy and not too thin. They are lingerie models (not high fashion models). Yes, in some of the photoshopped photos they can look too thin. On the runway they are not "starving to death". They may be more slender than what you find appealing, but that's not the same as starving to death. They have a job that requires a specific lifestyle and aesthetic. And they go on a competition style diet and workout routine some months before the Christmas runway show. They are also tall, which makes them appear even more slender in the legs.

Just goes to prove the saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." I agree with the previous poster. Most models look like they are starving to death.

Well, I eat 1900 to 2500 calories a day (I'm 5'2" and weigh around 100 pounds). And I am slim and slender. Definitely not starving to death. There is a huge difference between slender and healthy and starving to death. Yeah, it is ignorant to not understand that. I'm not saying everyone has to have the same aesthetic taste, but it does not mean people are dying just because you do not like the look.

VS models are lingerie models. That is not the same as a high fashion model (many of them are too thin).

Seriously. Someone being thin doesn't mean they don't eat. It reminds me of the ignorance I used to encounter in my young adulthood.

I've been 5'11" since I was 16 and from that point to my late 20s, I weighed between 125-140 pounds. It wasn't something I aspired to, it was just my body's set point. I didn't even care what I weighed and it never occurred to me to restrict my eating. I liked food. When I was a teenager, I ate, ate, ate, and then ate some more. Lots of fast food, lots of sweets, lots of snack food (chips, cheetos, etc.), and lots of fried food. I would sit in front of the TV in the evenings and go through an entire box of cereal and half a gallon of whole milk over the space of a couple of hours. I ate plenty of sammiches. I was a bottomless pit, but my mom said that many of her friends were concerned about me because they thought I wasn't eating. I even had perfect strangers tell me that I "must not eat". And I was a size 5/6 with 36-26-36 measurements, BTW. Hardly a straight up and down size 00.

I did become more conscious of my dietary choices in my 20s, but I still ate a lot of "junk". My weight still fluctuated in the same range.

My workouts consisted of 20-30 minutes of cardio followed by 10-15 minutes of bodyweight training 5 days per week. Hardly endless amounts of exercise. And I'm not claiming that I was defying thermodynamics, but my energy expenditure was apparently quite high, as I was "naturally" thin.

Thin arms and legs aren't necessarily weak either. That's another peeve of mine. With my puny 10 inch biceps and 19 inch thighs, I manage to lift heavy trash bags into the dumpster, carry the 50 pound cat litter up the two flights of stairs to my apartment (or all of my grocery bags in one trip), lift heavy boxes, and move furniture all by myself. When menfolk offer to help me with something, I'll accept the help because I'm inherently lazy, not because I can't do it.

It was a joke people! you guys really got to get a sense of humor! Get away from the computer more and back to IRL!

Oh, Ha! :laugh:

Well, not everyone is always going to get your jokes (when we don't hear intonation). Especially when people do say that stuff in all seriousness. And it was hardly the most clever of jokes. That has very little to do with our real lives or sense of humor.

I don't know if anyone posted this OP, and I wish I had gotten here sooner with this link, but check this out:

http://bretcontreras.com/how-to-attain-a-slender-look-like-jessica-alba-zoe-saldana/

I think that may have more of the info you are looking for. good luck!

Yeah, I shared that also.

I didn't get through all the posts, but I'm happy to hear that it was shared! it's a great article.

It is, well done and from a great source! And people are more likely to read it when more than one person shares it. I actually only shared it towards the end of the thread also.

completely agreed! while that particular body type is not what I am personally working towards, I thought it was a fantastic write up and I really appreciated that he did that. I wish more people would recognize that not all women want to look the same.

great article! I do not want this body shape nor do I think I could get there, but it explains it well!

They are models, so they also get any plastic surgery they think will help their career. I think the lack of saddlebags, etc, could easily be liposuction. Granted, they already started out a certain body type, but never underestimate the surgeon's knife in fields that rely on looks!

As far as using small weights to tone, I believe it. I was around for fitness back in the late 80's, and you can get muscles to look firmer (to a certain extent) with lots of reps of low weight. You can get that same firmness in much less time going heavy, though. And going heavy allows you to progress farther if you like. If you don't want to, just keep your program the same when you do hit the look you are going for.

The only reason I could see for wanting to use light weights for gazillions of reps is if you want it to be very cardio and plan on spending at least an hour doing it because you want an hour of cardio. Does that make sense? I could see that for a model, because they have to be so thin that they probably do do a lot of cardio. A good fast-paced, no-rest heavy lifting regimen will still be quicker than those workouts (and approaching cardio). You could do all the cardio you like at the end, too.

I will say that I think they focus more on certain muscles than others and don't try to work them all to the same level. Their quads usually don't seem developed much around the knees like you'd get on a program for bad knees, for instance. Their inner thighs usually don't have that nice curve that comes from heavy lifting. I don't know; I do think they do very specialized stuff and don't just compound lift heavy, no.

Approved shapes are subjective.
I've met many models and in "real" life the majority of them are very thin and lack any type of muscle. That's why they HAVE TO stick to light workouts because they can't seem to lift anything else. Some who have had kids, struggled just to lift them up when they were babies.
Don't buy into how Hollywood celebrities and models train because of some air brushed pics and just what you see on covers and magazines. Lots of other stuff goes on behind the scenes too: bad diet habits, drugs, plastic surgery, and even starvation help lots of models achieve the look that yearned by many young women.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

We all have that one friend who eats whatever her or she wants as well as double the calories of everyone else but somehow manages to stay thin even with minimal, half-assed exercise. Genetics. :mad:

I am quite certain she is eating far less than you think. There was a great thread on here about a study done with doubly labeled water between two friends. One was thin and both thought she ate at a ton, and the other was heavy, and both thought she didn't eat much. They logged and their caloric intake was also followed using the doubly labelled water. Guess what? The heavier one ate 50% more calories every day than her thin friend. They were both totally surprised by the result.

This and she may be underestimating her activity level. I can eat a lot more than many people my size, and perhaps I have a bit more muscle to fat ratio, but also I am very energetic and have a high activity level, plus I do dance and lift weights. And clearly I am also aware of what I eat (since I log my calories on here).

In regard to saddlebags, I'm pretty sure I used to have them (even weighing less than I do now). But looking in the mirror I don't see them any more and I'm still about 25 pounds overweight. The only thing I can think of that I'm doing differently is taking a Pilates class three times a week. We do quite a bit of side leg lift stuff so maybe that helps?

Yes the Victoria's Secret girls are very hot but that is their job so,they have time to be in the gym for hours. Amy Willerton (British miss universe contestant) has this body shape and has professed that she is at the gym at 5am most days (for hours) a are you willing to or have the time to do this?

Celeb mags have ridiculous diet and exercise plans that such and such a celeb is on - it's utter rubbish. E.g. Kelly Brooke ate three kale leaves and goes to raspberry ketone yogalattes when on her twitter feed, her selfie is her with a barbell

Appearance = genetics + environment.