Which Sister Has the Better Workout?

April 22, 2022 Stan

I followed workouts inspired by Gigi and Bella Hadid’s routines for two weeks.
The Gigi-inspired workouts included a lot of boxing and bodyweight exercises.
I preferred Bella’s routine, which was filled with intense weight training.

Gigi and Bella Hadid both have undeniably impressive fitness, so it’s hard not to wonder what these sisters do in the gym to stay in supermodel shape.

For the most part, the models train on opposite ends of the fitness spectrum, as Gigi focuses on boxing and ballet-inspired workouts, and Bella prefers lifting heavy weights.

Inspired to mix up my current routine, I tried both of the sisters’ regimens for a week each.

Keep scrolling to see how it felt working out like the Hadids, plus which routine I preferred.

Day 1: I started my experiment with Gigi’s workout routine

gigi hadid boxing workout — I boxed on my first day.

After doing my research on Gigi’s workout regimen, I surprisingly found that she mostly does bodyweight exercises. I’m someone who really enjoys strength training, so I was curious to learn how the supermodel maintains her fitness without lifting a dumbbell.

As Insider’s Callie Ahlgrim previously reported, Gigi frequently boxes, which is a workout that I enjoy as well.

According to Rob Piela, the model’s trainer and owner of Gotham Gym in New York City, Gigi could easily spend a few hours in the boxing ring. I wasn’t up for that challenge, but I happily streamed a boxing and bodyweight workout from my favorite gym’s Instagram.

Shadowboxing, which is throwing punches without actually hitting anything, is definitely an underrated exercise because my arms felt like spaghetti after only 20 minutes. I give Gigi a lot of credit for spending as much time as she does boxing with her trainer.

After another 25 minutes, I was defeated. Between the punches, burpees, my sky-high heart rate, and tired arms, I was ready to throw in the towel and call it a day.

Day 2: I gave my arms a rest and worked my core as Gigi would

gigi hadid ab workout — Gigi Hadid reportedly uses bicycle crunches to work her abs.

It goes without saying that Gigi has some incredible abs, so I was eager, yet a little nervous to try her core workout — I could only imagine how sore I’d be by the end.

According to a 2016 Vogue article, the supermodel strengthens her core by warming up with 10 minutes of boxing, so I streamed an online workout that was this exact length of time.

Then Gigi reportedly does three cycles of 40 crunches. My abs were burning halfway through the second set and I had to take a rest after each crunch.

And as if I didn’t just exhaust my core enough, I then had to do three sets of 40 bicycle crunches, per the model’s routine.

gigi hadid workout — I didn’t mind the 60-second plank.

After all of that, Gigi boxes for another 10 minutes, so I streamed the same workout I did for the warm-up, which left me sweaty and breathing heavy.

Then came the 60-second plank hold. I happen to actually enjoy doing planks, so this was a move I didn’t mind too much, but I did think twice about immediately going into four sets of 25 leg raises.

Surprisingly, not only was my core on fire, but also my legs felt exhausted. I already knew I was going to be very sore the next day, so I made sure to stretch out my abs to ease the pain.

Day 3: I don’t understand why Gigi likes jumping rope

gigi hadid workout — I despise jumping rope.

By this point, I was sore from head to toe and was actually looking forward to giving my muscles a break by doing some cardio. The only downside to this workout was that Gigi’s preferred method is jumping rope — an exercise I truly despise.

Anytime I’ve attempted it, I felt clumsy and awkward, so I knew today’s workout was going to be quite the challenge.

gigi hadid workout — I clumsily got through this jump-rope workout.

I found my old rope and broke this cardio workout into 30-second intervals of jumping, with 15 to rest in between.

I fumbled a few times, huffed and puffed, and got frustrated at my lack of jump-roping skills. I vowed to myself to get through six of these intervals, and by the fourth one, I was ready to be done.

I didn’t want this workout to end on a grumpy note, so I concluded the session with the three ab exercises Gigi reportedly does about four days a week.

I did three 15-rep sets of planks, crunches, and leg raises, and that was more than enough, as my sore ab muscles were screaming for me to give them a rest.

Day 4: I slowed things down with a ballet-inspired workout

gigi hadid workout — Apparently, Gigi Hadid took ballet classes to sculpt her long, lean muscles.

Already halfway through my week of trying Gigi’s routine, I was more than ready to turn down the intensity for today’s workout.

According to that same Insider article, to prepare for the 2015 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Gigi took ballet classes to achieve her long, lean dancer muscles.

Her trainer Piela also confirmed this and added that he’d usually end the model’s workouts with ballet-inspired floor exercises.

gigi hadid workout — I found a barre workout online to follow.

I happily found a 30-minute barre workout online and did a sequence of arm, leg, and some ab exercises, all with light weights and bands.

The moves included tricep kickbacks, fast-paced bicep curls, and slow squats with a band. Although this routine had my muscles shaking and forehead sweating, this low-impact, slower-paced workout was exactly what my body needed.

Day 5: I channeled my inner Gigi for today’s boxing workout

The soreness in my muscles seemed to have subsided by now, so the past two days of cardio and low-intensity exercises were likely just what I needed.

Since I was nearing the end of the week, I figured I’d give boxing another try since it’s the supermodel’s favorite workout.

Just before, I caught a glimpse at myself in the mirror and noticed that my upper body was looking a bit more toned, which was exactly the motivation I needed to go into today’s session.

Channeling my inner Gigi and pretending I was punching a real bag, I streamed a boxing routine on a trainer’s Instagram page, and it was one of the best ways to end the week.

My abs were still slightly sore, so the core round was pretty brutal, but I pushed through.

Day 6: The ballet-inspired workouts were my favorite

gigi hadid workout — I needed a rest after this session.

I woke up feeling really good today, and I was excited to finally end this week of workouts.

I really enjoyed the pace of the ballet-inspired session the other day, so I found a slow-sculpt workout on Instagram, grabbed my bands and lighter weights, and got started.

My muscles were shaking after a few reps of donkey kicks, leg lifts, and plank holds, but I took breaks when needed instead of cutting the session short.

When it was finally over, I laid on my yoga mat to give my muscles a much-needed rest.

Day 7: This cardio day was great after a long week

gigi hadid workout — Before diving into the next week, I took the day to do some cardio and stretching.

I wasn’t too sore on my final day, but I still wanted to take it easy on my muscles, so I opted for some light cardio and stretching.

Taking advantage of the nice weather, I took my dog for a fast-paced walk, which definitely got my heart rate up.

Once I was back inside, I rolled out my yoga mat, set some calm music, and started to stretch and foam roll my entire body.

I felt tight in places I didn’t expect I would, like my quads and upper back, so I made sure to pay extra attention to those areas.

Today’s commitment to recovery was the perfect way to rest my muscles before kicking off Bella’s week of workouts the next day.

Week 2, day 1: I began my Bella-inspired fitness routine with weight training

bella hadid workout — My Bella Hadid-inspired workout required quite a few weight-based exercises.

Bella told E! News that she is a big fan of intense workouts and would sometimes spend up to two hours in the gym, especially when training for a fashion show or an event.

Once I heard this, I was nervous and questioning what I had gotten myself into. But I was happy to learn that Bella is a big fan of strength training, as I also love lifting weights.

I picked up my 15-pound dumbbells and made up my own full-body strength workout, which consisted of exercises like bicep curls, tricep kickbacks, and shoulder presses to work my upper body.

bella hadid workout — After working out my upper body, I moved on to my legs.

From there, I did a series of lower-body moves like squats, dead lifts, and split lunges.

Bella’s trainer, Joe Holder, told Daily Mail in 2018 that he has the supermodel focus on exercises that specifically work her hamstrings, glutes, and posterior chain for long, lean legs, so I made sure to integrate exercises that worked those same muscles.

I did three sets of 15 reps for each move, and by the last set of lunges, I was profusely sweating. Once I toweled myself off, I stretched the muscles that I worked.

I felt accomplished after today’s workout and ready to take on the week.

Day 2: I was already sore from head to toe

bella hadid workout — I needed to do a low-impact, cardio workout.

I woke up barely able to walk, as yesterday’s weighted workout left me feeling sore all over. I didn’t want to lift weights today, and I opted for cardio to give my muscles a break.

Bella incorporates cardio into her regimen by running, which I don’t do, so I went on the elliptical in my basement. Although my muscles felt really tight at the start, after about 10 minutes, they were warm and loose.

And to motivate myself, I created an interval-based workout to match my playlist. Every time the music was upbeat, I lowered the resistance and sprinted on the elliptical, and when a song slowed down, I increased my resistance and climbed a heavy hill.

I kept at this pace for 30 minutes, and by the end, I was panting and sweating a lot.

Day 3: I felt stronger as the week went on

bella hadid workout — I combined boxing and weight training for this session.

I was feeling good today and not nearly as sore as I did the day before.

Bella is also a fan of boxing, and although I was a little tired of it by this point considering the several sessions I did last week, I persevered.

To kick up the intensity, I streamed a boxing-and-weights workout from a boutique fitness studio, which was as tough as it sounds, but I wasn’t as tired as I expected.

I used my 15- and 20-pound dumbbells, switching them as needed, for the weights portion of the class made up of moves like Arnold presses, lunges, and bicycle crunches.

I was proud of myself for keeping up with the rep counts and for really giving the entire workout my all.

Day 4: Bella’s intense exercises were tougher than I expected

bella hadid workout — I avoided working out my back, which was sore from the day before.

In 2017, Bella’s trainer Holder told W magazine that he incorporates battle ropes — weighted chords used in various full-body strength and conditioning exercises — into her workouts.

Since I don’t own these, I did exercises that typically use this gear by holding weights instead.

My back felt tired from throwing all of those punches yesterday, so avoided working those muscles and focused on moves that targeted my arms, shoulders, legs, and abs.

bella hadid workout — This workout was very effective.

I began with three sets of 12 weighted squat presses, single-arm dumbbell swings, and burpees, and I ended this short but effective workout with three 30-second sets of mountain climbers.

I was starting to feel stronger and really empowered by all of this weight training. Regardless of the specific workout, I was continuously impressed by how hard the Hadid sisters push themselves at the gym.

Day 5: My sore muscles needed to rest today

bella hadid workout — I was sore, so I did 20 minutes of cardio and some stretching.

I went hard the past two days with my Bella-inspired weighted workouts, and I was definitely paying for it — my muscles were the sorest they had been all week.

So, I figured today would be the perfect time to do some cardio and stretching, even if Bella is known to prefer high-intensity workouts compared to calmer alternatives like yoga.

After going at a moderate pace on my elliptical for about 20 minutes to get my heart rate up, I rolled out my yoga mat and did various stretches.

I felt so much better after taking it easy today and giving my body what it needed.

Day 6: My sore muscles appreciated a low-impact workout

Although my soreness was surprisingly still lingering, I noticed a little definition in my abs, which was exciting.

The supermodel told Vogue Paris in 2017 that she enjoys doing ballet-based workouts like her sister. I used to love doing barre classes at a studio, so I was excited to find an online alternative to follow along to.

My arms and shoulders were still sore from the other day, so today’s session had my muscles shaking almost instantly, but I tried my best to limit the number of breaks I took.

The video led me through a series of exercises that included pulse tucks, glute kickbacks, and an arm sequence with light weights. After 30 minutes, I was sweating more than I expected to, as low-impact workouts like this one are sometimes the toughest.

Day 7: I ended the week with another intense workout

bella hadid workout — I pushed through my final workout.

I was feeling good, so I really wanted to end this week of Bella-inspired workouts on a high note.

Holder credited the leg-focused sessions for helping the supermodel achieve her long, sculpted limbs. Following suit, I did 20 reps of squats and 12 of donkey kicks on each side, plié squats, and banded squat walks, forward and back.

Bella also said the key to a good session is to “put in 100% from the start to the end of a workout.” This leg routine was pretty tough, but I kept her words in mind to successfully finish it.

I cranked up my music and continued to do four sets of each exercise before breaking into a little happy dance to celebrate that these two long weeks of workouts were officially over.

I preferred Bella’s routine over Gigi’s

I thoroughly enjoyed trying both model’s workout routines the past two weeks. The sisters both seem to love boxing but their fitness regimens are otherwise very different.

Although I felt like I got a good session in each day using Gigi’s workout plan, I preferred Bella’s because I also enjoy intense, weighted workouts.

Although I was sore throughout most of the week, I realized how important it is to warm up my muscles before starting a strenuous workout and learned how to psych myself up to give each session 100%.

Usually, I will talk myself out of finishing reps or skipping a warm-up, but I made sure to channel my inner Bella and preserve through a tough workout as she would.

That said, I’m excited to take some of what I learned from both routines and implement those lessons into my own workout plan.

Click to read more celebrity workouts that we’ve put head-to-head.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply