For Kate Hudson, flexibility is key to staying fit. She wants workouts she can do anywhere, short sessions that still count, and routines she can repeat without needing a studio. Her solution? The Sculpt Society.
Founded by former dancer Megan Roup, the low-impact high-intensity method focuses on ‘sculpting and strengthening’ using micro movements (very small, controlled movements without large ranges of motion or high-impact effort), light resistance and dance cardio. Every class will work your whole body, but ‘Sculpt’ is their most popular format, designed to ‘transform your arms, booty and core’ (it’s this format that Hudson used to build her abs ahead of the Oscars).
Roup shared a video of her training session with Hudson on Instagram
Getting results in a short space of time is its USP. As Hudson told Allure, ‘People think you need two hours a day to [train], and that’s bullshit. If you work out 20 minutes a day… you’re going to see changes.’
Roup, who also trains Dakota Johnson, Miranda Kerr and Elsa Hosk, added: ‘Sometimes all you need is 10 minutes. No matter what [length] you choose, the class is guaranteed to be low-impact yet powerful.’
Below, try a five-minute leg workout designed by Roup. All you’ll need is one 2lb dumbbell or hand weight, and follow our form tips to maximise your results.
5-minute leg workout by Megan Roup
How to do it: Perform each exercise for 20 seconds per side, take 10 seconds rest between each exercise. Repeat the circuit once for a full five minutes.
Form tips: keep your core engaged by imagining knitting your rib cage together and avoiding rib flaring. Move with control and focus on your form and breath.
1. Split lunge with tricep kickback
Do: 20 seconds per side
Step one foot forward into a split stance (like a lunge, feet hip-width apart front to back). Lower into a lunge: front knee over ankle, back knee drops toward the floor. Hold the lunge position, holding a dumbbell in the opposite hand to the leg in front. Hinge slightly forward from the hips, keeping your back flat. Bend elbow to bring dumbbell by your ribs. Straighten your arm back behind you (this is the tricep kickback), then return to bent elbow and extend front leg to stand, but remain in split lunge position. Bend knees to repeat.
Form tips:
Keep elbows pinned close to your body. Move slowly rather than swinging weights. Don’t let your front knee collapse inward.2. Split lunge with overhead press
Do: 20 seconds per side
Start in a split lunge stance. Lower into the lunge and stay there, holding weight in opposite hand to the leg in front at shoulder height, palm facing in.Press weight straight up overhead until arms are extended as the same time as extending front leg so that both legs are straight, but your feet remain in the same position. Lower back to shoulder height and into lunge position with control. Extend legs and arm overhead to repeat.
Form tips:
Keep core tight so you don’t arch your lower back. Avoid leaning forward as you press. Press straight up, not forward.3. Lunge pulse with overhead press
Do: 20 seconds per side
Get into a split lunge position, holding a dumbbell in opposite hand to your front knee, at shoulder height. Instead of fully standing, stay low and pulse up and down a few inches. Each time you rise slightly in the pulse, press weights overhead. Lower weights back to shoulders as you dip back down.
Form tips:
Keep pulses small and controlled (don’t bounce). Stay grounded through the front heel. Keep chest lifted even while pulsing.RELATED STORIES
As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!
Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise.
She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how. Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.