It is easy to forget that David Beckham’s legs are his fortune, distracted as we are by underwear ads that emphasise his torso and biceps. Yet when Becks, 34, took the field last week against Belarus, his legs looked in better shape than ever.

So what’s his secret?

A couple of years ago Beckham gained a stone through lifting heavy weights and complained that this left him “unable to run”. A spell at AC Milan’s Milanello laboratory last year worked wonders, though. He started doing an hour of Pilates a day, and more running and exercises to strengthen his upper legs. He began eating wholemeal toast and fructose-enhanced milk for breakfast, grilled white meat or fish and vegetables for meals and low-fat cream cheese and fresh fruit before and after training. He cut out chocolate, sweets and (almost) wine. Within a fortnight his body fat had fallen from 13.7 per cent to 8.5 per cent and his thighs were streamlined.

What you can do:

Squats work the buttocks and thighs intensively. Stand with feet hip-width apart. Relax neck. Contract abdominal muscles and breathe in. Slowly bend knees until they are over your toes and your thighs are parallel with the ground. Keep heels on the ground and weight over the back of the foot rather than the toes. Keep back straight and hold arms out in front for balance. Try to keep tongue on roof of mouth to activate the neck’s stabiliser muscles. Press through the heels to return to start position. Repeat 10-12 times, 3-4 days a week.

Peta Bee

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