Models look the way they do because A) genetics and B) they dedicate the better part of their days to working out and eating the right things. And while I, at 5-foot-4, try my best to do both, I likely won’t be hitting another growth spurt anytime soon. I’ve been backstage at fashion shows but don’t plan to ever walk in one, and yet that still doesn’t stop my curiosity about what today’s strong, healthy models do to achieve bodies like that.
The answer? P.volve. Created by Stephen Pasterino, a trainer to Victoria’s Secret Angels, on the premise that all bodies are strong, P.volve is a strengthening and lengthening workout unlike anything else that achieves real results at home or in a studio. Done with a plethora of equipment that can be purchased through P.volve or on Amazon, like the famous thigh- and glute-toning P.ball, plus gliders, armbands and ankle weights, it uses Pasterino’s knowledge and training in applied functional science to ensure safe, effective movements.
I was first introduced to P.volve at an event hosted by Olivia Culpo and her sisters, Aurora and Sophia, at the new Soho flagship in Manhattan. (Side note: If you get the chance, you have to check it out. It’s probably the prettiest studio I’ve ever seen, which makes going to class even easier.) I’ll never turn down a free workout, but I wasn’t expecting to be so taken by it. As a former high school athlete and current Pilates obsessee, I wasn’t sold on whether these tiny, somewhat awkward movements would actually achieve results for someone who isn’t as genetically gifted as the Olivia Culpos of the world. But an hour later, I actually felt tighter and dare I say taller? Not to mention sweatier. A few minutes into the workout, which forces a bit of mind-body coordination, I was like, “Oh, this isn’t so bad.” Cut to 30 minutes in and I was sweating way more than I do in Pilates.
In the name of research, I decided to try the workout for the next three weeks from the comfort of my own apartment. All the products can be purchased online, and there’s a free two-week trial of the streaming service that delivers all those routines straight to your phone, TV or computer. After the trial ends, it’s just $20 per month for unlimited access—that’s less than one fancy workout class. And now that the weather is getting colder, working out without leaving my house seemed ideal.
