Not everyone is lucky enough to receive a direct compliment from bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger. For Sporty Spice, Mel C, the moment became a dream come true. Mel C has always been into fitness, gaining a massive fan following not just for her on-stage singing performances but also for her athletic physique.

She revealed how Schwarzenegger once complimented her shapely arms, creating a core memory for her.  

'He did compliment my guns once,' the award-winning singer-songwriter said during her appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast. 'It's one of my claims to fame. I was at the Royal Albert Hall, and it was Gorbachev's 80th birthday celebrations.'

As per her revelation on The Louis Theroux Podcast, we can safely assume that the compliment was given in 2011.

She built her impressive arms and toned physique by sticking to a strict workout routine.

Her custom routine consisted of upper-body exercises combined with heavy compound lifts, helping her build complete upper-body strength and arms good enough to impress Schwarzenegger.

Five days a week: Mel C's Schwarzenegger-worthy routine

Mel C doesn’t believe in endless cardio routines or overtraining with heavy weights. Instead, she relies purely on smart training and smarter recovery.

As per Net Mums, the 52-year-old typically trains five days a week, ensuring to train even when she is traveling on tour. Her sixth day is generally saved for lighter workouts that allow her muscles to rest but still stay mobile and active.

Some of the most essential aspects of her upper-body routine include-

• Assisted pull-ups (or regular pull-ups)
• Dumbbell thrusters
• Bird-dog rows
• Wide-grip pull-ups

Moving on to her lower body, she focuses on compound lifts like sumo barbell deadlifts and heavy back squats. She also focuses on core and hip drills. These include hanging straight-leg raises, abduction machine work, and machine hip thrusts.

When touring, Mel C adapts with a 30-minute hotel routine.

Starting with a yoga-inspired warm-up of roll-downs, she moves on to basics like downward dog and lunges with rotation. These are followed by banded glute bridges and quad and hip flexor stretches.

Finally, she picks up the weights. She opts for thrusters, overhead presses with squats, and single-arm bench presses in a hip bridge.

A smart combination of running, yoga, cycling, and martial arts drills keeps Mel C active, toned, and compliment-worthy all year long.

What are your thoughts on her workout?

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Written by

Avantika Das

Edited by

Zaid Quraishi