Thou shall compliment your sister is an edict that’s doubtlessly etched in the Kardashian handbook, perhaps somewhere between knowing your best angles for selfies and saving the juiciest drama for the video cameras.
But at a City of Hope charity poker tournament in Ingelwood, Calif. July 29, Khloe Kardashianand Kendall Jenner’s appraisal of Kim Kardashian’s 5-foot-3 figure was so effusive that the social media-loving star simply had to document it for her Instagram stories, eating up their remarks while half-heartedly protesting that 119 pound was “not that skinny.” No, of course her arms were not the size of Khloe’s pinky, she demurred, and it’s simply ridiculous to suggest she was the same size as Kendall’s can-only-fit-a-phone-and-lipstick purse.
Nor, to be clear, should that be the goal. And we’d strongly caution against throwing words like anorexic around as a compliment. But there’s no denying the 37-year-old is putting her absolutely fittest foot forward thanks to the implementation of a few two-a-day workouts and a bare-bone, low-sugar diet. And she’s not alone in her pursuit of Spandexed perfection. Khloe, as promised, has been killing it in the gym since welcoming daughter True Thompson (with boyfriend Tristan Thompson) in April, we’d imagine Kourtney Kardashian’s bikini Instagrams are affixed to refrigerators across America as inspiration and even formerly gym-adverse Kylie Jenner is getting in on the sweat game. (And Kendall, of course, still looks like a supermodel.)
We were curious as to what kind of wizardry (read: cardio drills and strength training) the sisters were using to look so sculpted, so we dug up their secrets. Just try to keep up.
Kim’s fitness journey kicked off last year, when she came across “ripped” bodybuilder and trainer Melissa Alcantaraon Instagram and was introduced to the wonders of deadlifts and planks. Before then, the mom to North, 5, Saint, 2, and Chicago, 7 months, (with husband Kanye West) admitted on her app, “I used to think that lifting weights was intimidating because I didn’t want to look bulky.” She wanted to look and feel stronger and build lean muscle, she said, she just didn’t really know how to go about it. “Mel showed me that doing cardio alone isn’t enough to get the physical results that I wanted,” Kim continued. “Once you burn off the fat under the skin and around the organs, that space needs to be filled in by muscles in order to have that toned and defined look. To build those muscles, I had to lift weights and eat real food with whole ingredients that would fuel my body.”
So dutifully six days a week, Kim met up with Alcantara working through a 90-minute mix of cardio (either 30 minutes of moderate climbing on the StairMaster or 10 minutes of sprint intervals) and weight training. “We kind of hit each muscle group one time a week except for legs we do twice,” Alcantara told E! News. “So we’ll do something like back and triceps or chest and biceps and then we’ll have a day dedicated to abs. It changes a little bit from time to time, but the fundamental exercises, the things that you just need always don’t change like squats, dead lifts, bench press and shoulder presses.”
Of course, exercise was just half of the equation. “The biggest part is not just working out,” noted the trainer. “It’s eating well to also look good.”
For Kim that meant cleaning the Nilla wafers, graham crackers and Rice Krispies treats out of her pantry and stocking her fridge with produce and chicken. (And during one particularly strict 10-day period ahead of the Met Gala shakes, salads and soups from the Sunfare Optimal Cleanse.)
“When I grocery shop, I buy lean protein, carbs, fruits and veggies,” Kim shared on her website, adding that she splurges on sweets only once every 10 days. As she explained of her trainer-approved cheat meal strategy, “You can still enjoy your favorite food, as long as you get back on track the next day.”