Pop superstar Dua Lipa doesn’t just dominate the charts—she commands the stage with a level of strength and stamina most can only dream of.
Running in heels, dancing for hours, hitting impossible yoga poses for Vogue—it all looks effortless.
But according to her longtime trainer Melissa Bentivoglio, there’s a very specific workout philosophy fueling that powerhouse physique.
And it starts with one body part Lipa trains harder than anything else: her core.
Jump to:
- How Dua Lipa Became Co-Founder of a Pilates Brand
- The One Body Part Dua Lipa Trains Hardest
- Why Pilates Is Having a Massive Comeback
- The Reformer That Brought Dua Lipa Onboard
- What Makes Frame Different From Studio Reformers
- How Pilates Fits Into the Longevity Movement
- What’s Next for Frame and Dua Lipa
- The Bottom Line on Dua Lipa’s Training Philosophy
How Dua Lipa Became Co-Founder of a Pilates Brand
Bentivoglio, a former ballerina turned Pilates innovator, designed Frame—a sleek, tech-enabled reformer that brings studio-quality workouts into your living room. When Lipa spotted it on Goop a few years ago, she immediately reached out.
Frame wasn’t available in London yet, but Bentivoglio made it happen. She even sent Lipa’s daughter a birthday video as a thank-you.
Months later, Lipa’s team circled back: she was obsessed. She used it constantly. Eventually, admiration turned into partnership—and earlier this year, Lipa officially joined Frame as co-founder and chief creative officer.
She loves that she can roll out of bed, go to the basement gym, and do an amazing workout that is better than going to a class because she can choose what she wants to work on when she’s done with rehearsals.
It’s not just celebrity branding. Lipa is an actual user—someone who needed Pilates to fit her chaotic, globe-trotting schedule.
The One Body Part Dua Lipa Trains Hardest
So what does a Dua Lipa workout actually look like?
Core. Core. And more core.
She loves core-focused workouts. She has said that the core is the most important thing because it stabilizes your spine.
Bentivoglio explains that Lipa’s onstage performance is her cardio—she’s constantly moving, dancing, running in heels. What she needs offstage is spinal stability and functional strength.
I’m standing, I’m in heels, I’m dancing, I’m running. I’m getting my cardio in, but there’s nothing more important than a core workout.
Her go-to? Ten-minute ab sessions. Short, targeted, effective—and designed to support everything else she does physically.
For anyone looking to replicate her approach, Bentivoglio emphasizes that spinal health isn’t just about aesthetics. It’s about longevity, posture, injury prevention, and being able to move well into your later years.
Why Pilates Is Having a Massive Comeback
Pilates has been around since the early 1900s, but it’s experiencing a full-blown renaissance right now. Bentivoglio, who’s been teaching for two decades, has watched it evolve from niche rehab practice to cultural movement.
There’s a lot of awareness around spinal health, longevity, low impact, versus a lot of the crazy HIIT classes or the strenuous high-impact that are really amazing when you’re young, but can cause stress injuries over time.
She credits the longevity boom. People want workouts that build strength without breaking down joints. Pilates checks every box: core stability, bone density, balance, flexibility, and mental focus.
Plus, it’s adaptable. You can start at 20 and still be doing it at 80—something high-impact training can’t promise.
The Reformer That Brought Dua Lipa Onboard
Bentivoglio didn’t just stumble into designing Frame. She was opening a brick-and-mortar studio and hated every reformer on the market. So she built her own.
Then COVID hit. Her studio closed, but she already had a tech-enabled prototype. She started placing reformers in clients’ homes—and noticed something frustrating.
They would not go on the reformer without me. Even if they’d been training with me for five years, or they were professional athletes.
That’s when she realized: Pilates is so instructional, people need guidance to feel confident. Enter Frame’s built-in screen and on-demand programming.
Bentivoglio also redesigned key mechanics. Traditional reformers require you to manually adjust springs mid-workout—awkward and intimidating. Frame uses dual-spring technology and push-button adjustments, so you stay facing the screen 95% of the time.
This is so archaic. Pilates is steeped in so much foundation, which is amazing, and it’s been around for over a hundred years. But sometimes when you have something that’s so deeply traditional, it stagnates.
The result? A reformer that looks like furniture, works like a personal trainer, and feels less like a “torture chamber” (her words) and more like empowerment.
What Makes Frame Different From Studio Reformers
Beyond the tech, Frame introduces structural upgrades that expand what you can do at home.
- Dual-spring system: Adds pull tension, not just push—unlocking new exercise variations
- Second platform: Expands movement options while keeping you facing forward
- Push-button spring adjustments: No more awkward bending and pulling mid-flow
- Built-in screen: On-demand classes keep you engaged and accountable
Bentivoglio wanted to strip away intimidation. Studios can feel performative. At home, you can focus on form, not comparison.
When you can place it in a home, you feel like, Okay, I can do this. There’s not a performative pressure.
How Pilates Fits Into the Longevity Movement
Bentivoglio’s husband recently attended a longevity conference, and the takeaway was unanimous: stress is the number one threat to cellular health.
Physical activity helps—but not all movement is created equal. High-intensity interval training can spike cortisol. Pilates, by contrast, engages your brain while calming your nervous system.
When you’re engaged, cerebrally, doing a Pilates class actually de-stresses your body, reduces your cortisol levels, versus really high-impact workouts that actually spike your cortisol.
It’s mindful movement—a phrase that’s become wellness shorthand, but Pilates actually delivers on the promise. Slow-twitch muscle activation. Joint-friendly resistance. Spinal decompression. Breath work.
Translation: You build strength without breaking yourself down.
What’s Next for Frame and Dua Lipa
Lipa isn’t just lending her name. She’s helping shape product design, campaigns, and brand vision. Bentivoglio teased what’s coming:
- Pilates accessories collection
- Dedicated Frame studios (brick-and-mortar is back)
- Expanded at-home offerings
The goal? Make reformer Pilates as accessible as yoga mats—without sacrificing quality or aesthetic.
For Lipa, it’s personal. She needed something that worked with her schedule, her body, and her goals. Now she’s helping build it for everyone else.
The Bottom Line on Dua Lipa’s Training Philosophy
Dua Lipa’s secret isn’t flashy. It’s foundational. She trains her core relentlessly because everything else depends on it.
Whether you’re running in heels across a stage or just trying to feel stronger in your daily life, spinal stability matters. Pilates delivers that—without the joint wear, cortisol spike, or intimidation factor of other modalities.
And with Frame, Lipa and Bentivoglio are proving you don’t need a studio membership or a celebrity trainer. You just need the right tool, the right instruction, and ten minutes for your core.
