Of all the A-listers sunning themselves in the high season of the celebrity getaway, it’s been Mel C who’s made the biggest splash.
She was spotted on a boat off Ibiza this week, laughing and hugging her 6ft Australian model boyfriend Chris Dingwall. But it was her extraordinary physique, not her love life, that captured the most attention.
Living up to her Sporty Spice moniker, the 51-year-old mother-of-one had not an inch of excess fat on her. Every muscle was defined from her biceps to her quads. She even boasted rarely seen external oblique muscles, also known as side abs (as they’re on either side of your abdominals).
I’ve been a trainer for 13 years and follow a rigorous training regimen, but my body, fit as it is, doesn’t come close to being as built as Mel C’s. It’s an extreme version of the strong, lean look so many of my clients – mostly 33-55 year old women – yearn for.
Thankfully, gone are the days when women just wanted to lose weight. Now, partly due to the rise in weight-loss jabs, such as Mounjaro and Wegovy, the goal is often to build muscle – in bums, arms, legs and abs.
Semaglutide medications help you drop fat fast, but it’s worth building muscle while on them to ensure that, when the fat does melt away, there are toned muscles underneath waiting to be revealed.
Of all the A-listers sunning themselves in the high season of the celebrity getaway, it’s been Mel C who’s made the biggest splash
She was spotted on a boat off Ibiza this week, laughing and hugging her model boyfriend Chris Dingwall. But it was her extraordinary physique, that captured the most attention
That’s not to suggest Mel C has been taking weight-loss injections. The reality is there’s no shortcut to a body like hers.
In the past, Mel has trained with nutritionist and personal trainer James Collins – he created a personalised plan for her in the run up to the Spice Girls reunion back in 2019. Nowadays, she’s a gym regular, posting her gruelling workouts to her 1.1 million Instagram followers.
It’s clear she puts in an enormous amount of effort on a daily basis and follows a strict diet, but if you want to get abs even half as good as Mel C, then these are my top PT tips and tricks …
1. RUN JUST ONCE A WEEK
I tend to give clients five 30-60 minute workouts a week, (three for those who are busier, but I warn them that they can’t expect the same results as fast) and usually only one of those will be a steady cardio session.
Cardio is great for losing fat, but too much can also lead to muscle loss too. Endurance comes at the expense of muscle gain, so forget taking a two-hour run.
I recommend 20 minutes’ High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) a couple of times a week. These short, sharp sessions alternate between fast-paced intense exercises to get the heart pumping and short breaks. The clue’s in the name. They’re intense, but thankfully not long lasting, and the benefits are the same as if you had run miles and miles.
2. DON’T FEAR WEIGHTS
The trick to great muscle definition is compound strength training. This means committing to exercises that work the whole body (especially your core) and build muscle more effectively than isolated ab exercises like sit-ups or crunches.
You do fewer repetitions than you might in a Pilates class, but with heavier weights. Mel C regularly posts videos of her doing squats with weights and hanging leg raises. She’s a fan of push-ups, too.
I usually say, once you can hit 12 reps of an exercise with good form, it’s time to increase the weight. Keep in mind that you shouldn’t wait until it feels easy. If you can do it for 12 reps with good form, even if it’s still challenging (which it should be), pick up a heavier weight and try a set of four to six.
To get those defined leg muscles, Mel C would probably be lifting at least 40kg, but I wouldn’t advise doing anything near this. Start with 5-10kg dumbbells and always lift weights with an expert who can check you have correct posture. One of the best compound exercises for engaging the oblique muscles is the Russian twist:
Sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat. Hold a dumbbell between your hands. Lean back slightly so your torso is at a 45 degree angle. Engage your core and slowly rotate to either side, keeping the weight out in front of you.
Nowadays, she’s a gym regular, posting her gruelling workouts to her 1.1 million Instagram followers
3. PUT YOUR FEET UP
The most important thing to remember when getting ripped is not to overdo it. Recovery is essential. Even professional athletes take time out to ease off on their muscles.
When you look around a gym, it is easy to spot the weightlifters sitting on their phone looking as though they’re doing nothing. I’ll let you in on a secret: it’s all part of the workout. They are taking dedicated recovery time between sets. Weight training creates tiny microtears in the muscle fibres, and it’s during recovery that the body repairs and rebuilds them, making the muscles stronger and more defined. Without proper recovery, you’re just breaking down tissue without giving it the chance to rebuild.
After training, your body starts repairing the muscles, replenishing energy stores and adapting to the demands you placed on it. This process requires rest, fuel (especially protein) – and time.
It’s clear she puts in an enormous amount of effort on a daily basis and follows a strict diet, but if you want to get abs even half as good as Mel C, then these are my top PT tips and tricks …
Between sets of exercises, rest for 60 to 90 seconds for general strength training. If you’re lifting heavier weights, with fewer reps and higher intensity, a proper two to three-minute break is better. This gives your muscles time to recover so you can perform the next set properly.
Give yourself a two-day break between training specific muscle groups. For example, if you do a legs session on Monday, wait until Wednesday or Thursday to train legs again. In the meantime, you can work other areas like arms, chest, or back, or take a walk or an easy swim. It will improve your circulation and ease stiffness.
Sleep and food are probably the most underrated recovery tools. Without enough quality sleep or protein, the recovery process is compromised and all that amazing progress slows to a halt. So don’t overdo it!
4. WATCH WHAT YOU EAT
You can do all of the above, but your muscles won’t be visible if they’re hidden under a layer of fat.
Although Mel now keeps her dietary cards close to her chest, she’s been a fan of the 80:20 diet in the past, where you are ‘good’ 80 per cent of the time, but allow yourself a treat at the weekend.
She also follows several nutritionists on Instagram including Trish Koeslag, a women’s nutrition and fitness coach who focusses on clients over 40, as well as Zoe, the popular personalised nutrition programme that gives insights into how your body responds to food.
I’m not a fan of any restricted diet. For me there aren’t any foods that are a total no go (after all there’s nothing so tempting as what you can’t have).
Too many women my age (I’m 48) have spent their lives following fad diets in a desperate attempt
to drop a dress size. But often they’re not eating enough – especially when it comes to protein (chicken, eggs, tofu, lentils), without which it’s difficult to achieve any visible muscle.
The only thing everybody should be keeping to a minimum is processed food such as pizza and ice cream. With that in mind I recommend prioritising natural, unprocessed foods and aiming to include a good serving of protein at every meal.
To put a number on it, aim for about 1.2g to 2g of protein per kilo of body weight per day (or your goal weight, if you have lots to lose). So, for a woman who weighs 10 st, or 63 kg, you should be eating around 75-126 grams of protein (one small chicken breast has around 35g of protein).
That said, I always advise people not to get too hung up on numbers. Just getting a decent serving of protein at each meal is good enough.
If you are on semaglutide and are struggling to eat full meals, high protein snacks can be a total life-saver. Things like cold meats, boiled eggs and greek yoghurt are all great to turn to post-workout.
And if the cravings for a sugary snack won’t go away, go for it – but time it right.
When the high-intensity workout has just finished, that’s the time to have a treat. It’s when your body is primed to use carbohydrates most efficiently. The body’s energy is depleted so sugar is used and not stored as fat. Even better, it’s less likely to give you a nasty energy crash when the sugar wears off.
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