Mel C, 52, reveals the secrets to maintaining her ripped physique and says her fellow Spice Girls 'disliked exercise' during the band's heyday over 'fears of getting bulky'

Mel C has shared the secrets behind her incredibly chiselled and muscular physique and she declared that 'fitness is a huge part of who I am'.

The Spice Girl, 52, known to millions as Sporty Spice, has more than lived up to the nickname, maintaining her taut and gym-honed figure for decades even into her fifties.

Mel recently wowed fans when she flaunted her incredibly toned physique on the cover of her upcoming new album Sweat, looking more like a gladiator than a pop star as she posed in a plunging red and navy leotard.

And in new interview with The Sunday Times, the singer laid out the dedicated strength training routine she follows, that has made her 'finally proud of my body'.

Revealing just how she achieved her incredibly taut and muscular figure, she explained that she does three weightlifting sessions per week and cardio in the form of spin classes or using her Peloton.

Mel said that she also tries to go on a run weekly too, but had to be careful of long distances because her age has affected her joints.

The dedicated hitmaker doesn't even allow her busy and jet-setting lifestyle to interfere with her fitness routine, revealing that when she goes on tour she brings along resistance bands and a skipping rope so she can keep training anywhere.

While she also lauded the benefits of doing a workout before going on stage, saying it's become part of her pre-gig 'ritual' and usually consists of a quick stretch and weight-lifting in the gym. 

But in response to the awed reaction to her incredible Sweat album cover and music video, Mel was quick to assure fans that in the lead-up to the shoot she'd done way more intensive preparation than usual.

She said she'd spent a fortnight focusing on her macros and doing two training sessions daily - one cardio and one strength - and insisted it wasn't a realistic routine for anyone to keep up, adding: 'I don’t look like that 24/7.' 

Though she's more of a fitness fanatic than ever, she said that it was always a big part of her life and revealed former bandmate Geri Horner had been her gym partner during the Spice Girls heyday.

But Mel let slip that not all the Spice Girls were as gym-obsessed as she was, admitting there were others in the group who only came to like working out in their later years.

'When we were young, some people would roll over and go back to sleep when Geri and I were off to the gym,' she said. 'There were definitely Spice Girls who disliked exercise but have embraced it as they’ve gotten older.'

But Mel acknowledged that at the time there had been a lot of pressure on the girls to look 'very slim' rather than be muscly, admitting: 'I think we were all nervous about getting bulky back then, the aesthetic we were going for was very slim.'

The DJ has been candid about her struggles with body image while in the band due to the relentless scrutiny of being in the public eye and cruelly branded 'the plain one at the back'.

In her 2022 autobiography, she revealed how she began restrictive eating and developed issues around food and 'an obsession with exercise' as a means of control.

By the turn of the millennium, she'd reached breaking point, previously confessing: 'I'd started having a binge-eating disorder, but I didn't understand it.'

Mel eventually sought professional help and was diagnosed with clinical depression and disordered eating - a turning point that marked the beginning of her recovery.

But now that she's in her fifties, the star says she's never felt prouder of her body and is empowered by her chiselled physique and bulging biceps because she 'always wanted to be strong'.

'That’s taken me a really long time but 50 is such an incredible milestone, how many less f***s you give is so empowering… You’re like, I’m going to document this before it’s too late', she said.

'I love that we celebrate strength training now and realise how good it is for us as we get older… Not only does lifting make us physically stronger, it’s so good for us mentally too. It gives you an "I can do anything" attitude'. 

=

Mel's upcoming studio album Sweat is to be released on May 1, with her then embarking on a world tour in September, across North America, Europe and Australia.

Last month, she addressed rumours of a Spice Girls reunion tour, revealing she was in constant contact with her former bandmates.

Teasing the possibility of a long-awaited reunion, she told Stellar magazine: 'It’s something I'd love to do... something I hope will happen at some point. 

'We're so precious about this beautiful thing we created that sometimes what holds us back from doing something is that we don’t want to do the wrong thing.

'In 2019, we did some stadium shows in the UK, and they were magical, but sadly Victoria Beckham wasn’t with us for those. She really missed out and I keep telling her, "You have to experience that for yourself",' she said.

'So, we will continue to talk... fingers crossed at some point there will be something beautiful that can celebrate the Spice Girls.'