Kate Upton’s latest workout video went from being ‘fitness goals’ to a potential injury nightmare for some critics.
The model posted an Instagram video working out by the pool Monday in which she performed a move similar to deadlifts using a kBox machine.
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“Still working off that frozen yogurt,” she joked in the caption. Her trainer Ben Bruno reposted the video adding, “Normal people: “What a beautiful day. Let’s lay out by the pool”. [Kate[] and me: “What a beautiful day. Let’s deadlift by the pool”. Normal is boring.”
But deadlifts are a difficult exercise to master as they require expert-level technique, causing Upton’s clip to get some backlash from gym-goers for the curve of her back.
Some users told Upton to “watch” and “straighten” her back, writing that a normal deadlift would be performed with a flat back from shoulders to hips.
“Why such a big arch?” asked another follower.
Another broke down the progression one should follow for using the machine. “Without proper form, this machine is risky. First master a body weight squat with good form, then master a squat with weights (barbell or dumbbells or kettlebells). Only then should you try a kbox… These machines pull down equal to the force used to pull up. It’s physics. It’s science.”
While concerns over the curve of Upton’s back aren’t invalid—too much pull from the spine can lead to injury—she isn’t performing typical deadlifts.
The kBox machine is a fairly new addition to the fitness world, so it may lend itself to a unique form from what traditional weights would require. The machine uses constant resistance to pull the user downward, so it may cause the pressure on the back to feel a bit different.
This method might be unconventional, but Upton’s no stranger to creative workouts!
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model worked with Bruno to achieve her fittest, strongest physique while prepping for the annual shoot. They train at least one hour together five to six days a week. “I found a training plan that really works for my body,” Kate told PEOPLE. “I love feeling strong, and strength training has really changed my body.”
Bruno put the model on a high-energy circuit routine with weights, but they switch things up often. She crushes moves like landline bench squats, weighted hip thrusts, single-leg deadlifts and TRX rows without rest, which helps her achieve solid cardio and strength training in one. She spends no time on the treadmill!
Seeing as she could only lift a 20-pound kettlebell when she started training and she now deadlifts over 200 pounds, let’s leave Upton and Bruno to keep doing what they’re doing. It’s clearly working.
