Aurora Starchild
Victoria Beckham works hard for her body. Formerly known as Posh Spice, or “Sexy Spice” of The Spice Girls, the singer-turned-fashion designer has lived up to her nickname. Her husband and workout buddy is soccer phenom David Beckham — and yes, she can keep up.
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How Victoria Beckham Became a Household Name
Victoria Beckham, formerly Victoria Adams, studied ballet, theatre, and music before responding to a casting call in 1993. It was an advertisement in The Stage, looking for women who were “street smart, extrovert, ambitious and able to sing and dance.” Victoria and four other women beat out hundreds of other applicants and were signed on to a group called The Touch. A couple years later, they rebranded as The Spice Girls.
The Spice Girls were an international sensation. The pop girl band was a staple of any teeny bopper’s music collection in the 90s. Posh Spice, Ginger Spice, Sporty Spice, Scary Spice, and Baby Spice wowed the world with their high-energy musical performances, unforgettable outfits, dance routines, and personalities. Victoria was always the “posh” one, known for her sexy but classy style and serious persona.
The Spice Girls have won 100 music awards to date. They toured the world from 1994-2000, 2007-2008, and again in 2012 before Victoria officially left the group. While the band is still officially together without Posh Spice, she still has some projects in the works with them. Namely, she’s doing some voice acting as herself in the forthcoming The Spice Girls documentary.
From Spice Girl to World-Famous Fashion Designer
These days, Victoria Beckham is a renowned fashion designer. After debuting as a model at London Fashion Week in 2000, Victoria was thrust into the fashion world. She became a Dolce and Gabbana ambassador and collaborated with Rock & Republic to create a limited-edition VB fashion line. And yes, by 2000 Victoria Adams was Victoria Beckham (more on that in a second).
After working with designers on more collaborations and representing their labels, Beckham launched her own line, Victoria Beckham, in 2008. A few years later, she expanded the line to include an affordable “Victoria by Victoria Beckham” label. In 2022, her clothing can be spotted anywhere, from New York Fashion Week to Target.
Not every fashion designer can be their own model and ambassador, but Victoria Beckham can. The superstar already had the looks, the fame, and the following to do it all. As a businesswoman, you probably can’t ask for more.
But the 5’4,” 112-lb British babe doesn’t take anything for granted. And if you think she’s had the world handed to her on a silver platter, think again. Victoria Beckham hits the gym pretty much every day — and her workout routine is insane. We mentioned how she can keep up with hubby David Beckham but it’s probably the other way around. He keeps up with her.
Victoria Beckham’s Workout Routine
Vogue interviewed Victoria this past July and noted that her day started at 6:45 am. She went straight to her gym and ran uphill on a treadmill for 30 minutes. After making her daughter breakfast and walking her to school, she returned to her exercises.
Victoria Beckham shares personal trainer Bobby Rich with her soccer star husband. She decided to start working with Rich after feeling like she hit a plateau in her daily 90-minute cardio routines. Rich spoke with Women’s Health to explain what kinds of exercises he’s added to Victoria’s routine. The main addition is weights. We’re not talking about little 5-lb hand weights, either.
Rich told Women’s Health that Victoria had concerns that she would “lift weights and become the Hulk,” and that he was “happy” to “prove her wrong.” Now, Victoria’s routine includes using an Olympic squat machine and focusing on increasing how much she can lift.
Before you think, “wait, has Victoria Beckham ‘Hulked out’?” the answer is no, not at all.
Victoria told Grazia that her new routine has her feeling better than ever, and with much more muscle tone.
“I’ve always been a bit scared of weights, but it turns out I love them,” she said. “I’ve even got those special gloves to wear! It’s good to switch things up and keep your body guessing. I’ve got so much more muscle tone now.” She added that her routine is a personal balance for what she needs, and not about looking a certain way, but feeling good.
It’s Not Just a Workout Routine: Beckham Follows a Strict Diet, Too
She also stretches a lot, makes sure to eat at the same time each day, and follows a strict Mediterranean diet of mostly fish and steamed vegetables. But thanks to Rich and lifting weights, she has improved her physique (as if that was even possible) while reducing the amount of time she needs to spend in the gym. Instead of doing cardio for 90+ minutes a day, Victoria Beckham’s workout routine varies from 35-90 minutes.
It’s not about being a certain size. It’s about knowing who you are and being happy with who you are. I have found my own balance between wanting to have fun and being disciplined about eating healthily and working out. When you’re younger you fight against that balance, but through being older I’ve reached a place where I know what that balance looks like. I just know what works for me.
Victoria Beckham on staying in shape, via Grazia
VB didn’t ever take rest days before working with Rich, but he told Women’s Health that he makes sure she pays attention to what her body needs. This includes resting between sets and, on occasion, resting if her busy schedule has prevented her from sleeping.
Consider that the weight routine Victoria Beckham is following also surpasses her previous workout schedule. She detailed that to The Guardian in 2019:
It started with waking up at 5:30 am to run 7k uphill on a treadmill. It took her 45 minutes, and then she’d move on to her previous trainer’s routine.
“Then I work out with a trainer,” Beckham told The Guardian. “30 minutes legs, 30 minutes arms, toning and conditioning, then loads of planks and that kind of thing for my core. At the weekend I will do the whole thing straight through, but in the week, I often jump in the car halfway through to take the kids to school, then carry on when I get home. I work out every day when I’m at home, and then when I travel, I really focus on work so I can get as much done as possible in a short trip and get home.”
Where does she even find the time? Did we mention that Victoria Beckham has four kids?
Victoria Beckham’s Family
Victoria Adams met David Beckham in 1997 and the two got married in 1998. Victoria Beckham somehow managed to pop out four children while still performing with The Spice Girls. Son Brooklyn was born on March 4, 1999. Son Romeo was born on September 1, 2002. Son Cruz was born on February 20, 2005. And only-daughter Harper was born July 10, 2011. That makes Harper 11 years old, which means that VB has been playing the mom role for 24 years and still has another 7 to go before her daughter is an adult. That’s a lot of momming.
In an op-ed for Time Magazine, Victoria Beckham wrote that being a mother is the “greatest achievement” of her life. But with that, she’s made it a priority to teach her children humility and to never take anything for granted.
“Like so many working mothers all over the world, I feel the constant struggle to be the best mother I can, whilst setting a good example to my children to work hard,” wrote Beckham. “Being in a position where they live such a privileged life, it is important that our children understand humility, that they appreciate how their parents have worked very hard to create this life for the family and that they, too, have a responsibility to work hard, be respectful and never, ever take anything for granted.”
Take it straight from the drill sergeant’s mouth. Hard work pays off. Also, if you want a 6-pack, you probably need to do planks.
