This new low-impact toning method is a mix of finely tuned moves using light resistance and zero pulses. And it’s seriously caught on, thanks to the streamlined silhouette it can shape, plus the strength it builds into every movement.
FIT FASHION
TEXT SARA ANGLE PHOTOGRAPHY SARAH SILVER STYLING JENN BARTHOLE HAIR ITALO GREGORIO/BRYAN BANTRY FOR ORIBE HAIR CARE MAKEUP ANASTASIA DURASOVA/THE WALL GROUP FOR MAKEUP FOR EVER MANICURE KELLY B/DEFACTO INC. FOR CHANEL LE VERNIS A NEW ANGLE
When you work your body in all directions, it nets standout results. You maximise the ab cinching. Your arms and legs pop with extra definition. And the butt – well, that transforms the most. “We have such complex bodies, and the goal of your training should be to get as many muscles fired up in as many ways as possible,” says Stephen Pasterino, the founder of P.volve in New York City. The studio’s body-firming workouts employ light resistance tools – bands, the Pilates magic circle, dumbbells, ankle weights, gliding discs, even a custom ball-and-band combo called the P.ball – to do a series of varying lifts so you reach every muscle fibre. “You can really bring out all these little muscles for a big visual impact,” Stephen says. Top models swear by the method (including Maryna Linchuk, seen here, who has regularly modelled for Victoria’s Secret) for its emphasis on building the postural strength needed to walk fierce in four-inch heels. “Physical therapy techniques are great for activating and strengthening muscles,” says Stephen, who has a certification in applied functional science. “The P.volve method is built on them, and that’s why I describe it as pre-hab.”
We asked Stephen to develop a sample of his method, using his inventive glider exercises, that would especially tighten the lower body, a P.volve speciality. Extending your leg fully with the ball of your foot pressing into the glider is key, he says. It puts an emphasis on building strength throughout the eccentric, or lengthening, motion of an exercise. “You’re constantly stretching the muscle and working it from end to end for a lean look,” Stephen says. “Plus, every move is full body, so you’ll burn through calories.”
Do these moves in the order shown for the number of reps indicated. To scale up the standing glider moves, incorporate a resistance band looped around ankles.
Up to 45 minutes
b
1 STANDING SIDE SQUEEZE
[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Step extended right leg behind you, resting on forefoot (heel up), and raise right arm straight overhead, palm forward to start (left arm remains bent by side). [B] Engaging left glute, bring bent right knee out to side at hip level as you rotate pelvis 90 degrees to the right and lower right arm toward knee. (Squeeze right obliques and left glute at top of move.) Return to start.
REPS 8 reps per side
a
b
2 CROSS-BODY TWIST AND REACH
[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Step extended right leg behind you, resting on forefoot (heel up), and raise left arm straight overhead, palm facing right, to start (right arm remains bent by side). [B] Bring right arm across body at chest height, rotating torso toward right and reaching up through left arm, as you extend arm out to left side. Return to start.
REPS 8 reps per side
a
b
c
3 BOOMERANG
[A] Start on floor in plank on palms, with each foot atop a gliding disc. [B] Keeping upper body still, slide both feet up and out to sides in a half-circle motion (don’t bring feet up beyond waist level and keep your hips from piking up). [C] Then pull knees in toward chest as you slide feet together (squeezing core, glutes, and inner thighs). Reverse motion back to start position.
REPS 8
MEET OUR MODEL
Maryna Linchuk (@marynalinchuk1) not only glides beautifully down runways for Victoria’s Secret but also has her P.volve moves down: She’s a regular at the studio. “It helps me build lean muscle and feel strong,” she says. Maryna is seen here wearing Adidas UltraBoost Parley sneakers made from recycled ocean plastic to support the Parley eco-charity. “I’m an ambassador for Parley because I’ve always been passionate about preserving the seas,” she says.
FIT FASHION
a
b
4 STRAIGHT PUSH-BACK
[A] Holding a dumbbell in each hand, stand with feet hip-width apart and left forefoot atop a gliding disc. Step extended left leg behind you, resting on forefoot (heel up), and raise both arms straight overhead, palms facing forward, to start. [B] Slide left leg back 2 to 3 inches by hinging over hips and pushing the butt back. Hold for 1 count, squeezing left glute, then slide left foot forward to return to start.
REPS 8 reps per side
a
b
5 TWIST OPEN
[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, right forefoot atop a gliding disc, and arms bent out to sides at chest height (hands stacked in front of chest) to start. [B] Slowly slide right foot out to side, pivoting on forefoot, as you rotate hips and torso toward left. Squeeze glutes and return to start.
REPS 8 reps per side
a
6 INSIDE ANGLE SQUEEZE
[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, right forefoot atop a gliding disc, and place left hand on hip. Slide right foot slightly behind left foot (but keep knees even with each other) and bring bent right arm by side with palm at shoulder height to start. [B] Slide right foot straight back on glider (directly in line with left foot) as you reach right arm diagonally upward. (Squeeze glutes and feel the stretch in your abs.) Reverse motion back to start position.
REPS 8 reps per side
a
b
7 BACK DIAGONAL SLIDE
[A] Stand with feet hip-width apart, right forefoot atop a gliding disc and arms bent out to sides at chest height (hands clasped in front chest) to start. [B] Slowly slide right foot diagonally back and out to side, rotating torso and hips toward right as you slide. Squeeze glutes and hold for 1 count. Reverse movement back to start.
REPS 8
STRONG SIDE
Now back to those glutes, your body’s biggest muscle group. “There’s a hundred ways to work your glutes,” Stephen says. Consider the squat: P.volve’s approach first turns it into what Stephen calls a sit, in which you sit back two to three inches until you feel the glutes engage. And the tinkering begins from there. “By changing the angle of your hips or your foot position, there’s dozens of variations, and each is going to elicit a different reaction from those muscles,” he says. The more adjustments you do, Stephen says, the more dramatic the lift.
