Kelsey Merritt Diet and Workout Routine
Guys, by now you probably know that I have a slight obsession with the Victoria’s Secret Angels. They always look amazing and they seem to be very dedicated to their health and fitness routine. So I’m always interested in learning what they do to stay in such great shape.
I’ve already wrote about the diets and workouts of several top Angels like Adriana Lima, Sara Sampaio, Gigi Hadid and Romee Strijd. And today I wanted to talk to you about Kelsey Merritt! Kelsey is the first Filipino-American model to join the VS show.
Let’s see what she did to prepare:)
KELSEY MERRITT DIET BEFORE SHE JOINED THE VS SHOW
Before joining the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Kelsey really didn’t pay much attention to her diet.
She LOVED eating most foods and didn’t restrict herself much. Her diet was very high in carbs and pretty low in protein. And she used to eat a LOT of junk food.
She ate everything from hamburgers and pizza to chocolate and sweets.
CUTTING DOWN HER CARB INTAKE
But once she started the casting process for VS, she became a bit more conscientious about what she ate.
She started cutting out those regular burgers, pizzas, and carbs in general. But she didn’t give up eating sweets.
She started to eat a lot more fruit, veggies and lean protein but was still eating sweets on a daily basis.
AFTER SHE GOT TO WALK HER FIRST VS SHOW
After she booked her first VS show, Kelsey wanted to give her best to prepare.
She started working out every day. She also continued to watch what she eats and she decided to cut out sweets even though it was hard for her.
Here’s what she said, “When I found out I was confirmed for the job, I immediately cut out sweets. I have a sweet tooth, so it was definitely tough. I just kept a healthy, well-balanced diet.”
And she still makes sure to eat healthy most of the time.
Kelsey doesn’t eat red meat, pasta, and dairy. And even though she says she doesn’t follow a particular diet plan, I would say her diet is low in carbs but high in protein, especially before a big show or shoot.
For lunch, she usually gets lean protein – chicken or fish with lots of vegetables.
And even if she eats out, which often happens when it’s dinner time, she picks the healthiest option – fish or a fresh salad.
If she doesn’t have a big event coming up, she occasionally has a cheat day. During those cheat days, she’s more than happy to indulge in deserts.
HER FAVOURITE FOODS
In one interview, she was asked what was her favourite food and to be honest I was expecting she was going to say sweets.
But actually her absolute favourite food are green mangos from the Philippines. And when she’s at home and she has the time, she loves to cook traditional Filipino food.
KELSEY’S WORKOUT
But no diet is enough to keep a model’s body runway-ready. They still need to exercise regularly. And Kelsey is no exception.
She works out every day, no excuses. Even if she’s busy, she always makes time to hit the gym before her day starts in earnest.
But before she was about to walk her first VS Show, she started training harder than normal, sometimes even twice a day.
RESISTANCE TRAINING
She worked out at the Dogpound in New York and focused on strength training with high-reps and lighter weights.
She said her favourite exercises are the ones with resistance bands.
You can work your arms, abs and lower body with resistance band and you can travel with it.
And for someone who travels a lot,
If you want to get a body like Kelsey Merritt, I have something special for you! I’ve created a 5-day video course which will help you achieve that model like body. All 5 workout videos are completely free and you can download them below :)
KELSEY MERRITT ABS AND CORE WORKOUTS
Like most Victoria’s Secret models, Kelsey does a lot of ab work. I mean…A LOT! It’s what helps her stay so trim and keep her stomach tight and toned.
Her workouts change frequently. When she has a workout partner, she’s likes to use weighted ball for working her obliques.
But when she’s alone or working with a personal trainer, she does floor exercises (side planks with resistance band, BOSU ball balancing) and TRX training.
KELSEY’S TRX ABS ROUTINE
- 15 pikes x2
- 15 crunches x2
- 30 mountain climbers
- 10 seesaw planks
You’ll definitely feel the burn after this routine!
KELSEY MERRITT LEGS AND BUTT ROUTINE
When she wants to work on her legs and butt, she opts for resistance bands and does a lot of weighted squats and lunges.
Squats and lunges work great for her body type. But if you tend to bulk up easily in your lower body and you don’t want to make your thighs bigger, I would avoid those.
KELSEY’S LOWER BODY RESISTANCE BAND WORKOUT THAT WON’T BULK UP YOUR LEGS
Kelsey keeps her number of reps high, no less than 15 and does 2-3 rounds:
- Single leg glute bridges,
Side walks withresistance band,- Step back with
resistance band, - Star jumps with resistance bands
If you like resistance band workouts, check out my Toned legs workout :)
CARDIO WORKOUTS
I know that some models focus more on resistance training and kinda forget about cardio but Kelsey is not one of them.
Here’s what she said about her cardio routine, “I always make sure to put cardio in my workouts. I’ll do SoulCycle, then I’ll go on the treadmill… I do boxing sometimes, too!”.
She likes to do at least 30 minutes of cardio after pilates classes which is a great idea actually. Doing cardio after resistance training is very beneficial.
Your body will burn more fat during your cardio session if you do it straight after resistance training.
For more information on this, check out my previous blog post on cardio.
POST-SHOW WORKOUT ROUTINE
After the Fashion Show, Kelsey has stayed dedicated to her fitness routine. She tries to get at least one workout in each day and that workout largely depends on how busy she is.
If her schedule is really packed, she goes for a quick run on the treadmill. But if she has more time, she likes to vary things up with pilates, boxing, or cycling.
No matter what she’s up to, she always makes time for her workouts. It’s how she stays lean, manages her occasional cheat days, and keeps herself from getting stressed.
Thank you for reading and I hope you liked this post!
Love Rachael xx
Featured Image credit: DFree / Shutterstock.com
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Rachael is an Australian born certified personal trainer and nutritionist who holds a Bachelor degree in Science.
After struggling for years to find an exercise and diet program that is tailored to women striving for lean and toned body with no bulk she designed her Lean Legs Program. This program is tailored to each body type and focused on helping women get toned but feminine bodies, without getting bulky.
Her mission is to empower women and help them stay in shape in a healthy and balanced way.