Adult actresses are reporting sexier-than-ever backsides and attributing it to the mysterious institution of #buttschool. It turns out that butt school is actually a fitness routine booming in popularity, called Pop Physique.
Sexy bodies are a lot of work and simply starving won’t do the trick. Your favorite adult star has to log a lot of gym hours to keep those curves in all the right places. At the peak of my career, I ran seven miles three times a week, went to the gym at least once a day, sometimes twice, and restricted both my sodium and sugar intake. I was not a fun date.
So knowing you can look good naked by working out just one hour a day three to four times a week is very appealing. Even Kat Von D is a fan.
Pop Physique is a low impact cardio class that modernizes the Lotte Berk concept, a dancer’s form of yoga and pilates, featuring upbeat music and encouraging instructors. Creator and founder Jennifer Williams says these classes welcome women of all shapes, sizes, and backgrounds from soccer moms, to Evangelical Christians, to porn stars. As one Yelp reviewer wrote, "Who ever thought dry humping the air while squeezing a pink volleyball sized ball all up in your crotch would be so therapeutic??!!!!!!"
Pop is a workout designed to sculpt the female body, it includes planks, pushups, light weights to tone the upper body, a ballet barre for stretching and wicked lower body work for the thighs and butt. Your legs will shake. And stronger legs equal a tighter caboose.
“Pop Physique is truly the consummate L.A. brand, and porn is an important component of L.A.’s diverse DNA,” says Williams. “Modern porn girls are brands in themselves, true taste makers and seekers of authentic experiences.”
How did this fad start in the adult industry?
The butt school trend may have originated with a woman who refers to herself as the porn unicorn. Dana DeArmond can now add trendsetter to her resume.
“Dana DeArmond—oh my god her body is amazing—I saw on Twitter that she goes to pop physique,” says award-winning performer and director Jessica Drake. Which is how the rest of the industry seems to have discovered it as well. Drake and DeArmond seem to share in admiration for their mutual sculpted physiques. Both are slender, toned, and have the butts of Victoria Secret models. So, naturally, other adult film stars followed suit.
“A lot of people think porn stars do coke and never eat and that’s why they’re all skinny,” DeArmond says. But as a long time performer she says that idea is shifting and she sees women who don’t want to be skinny, but fit and toned. “Building a nice round butt is in,” she says. “Not necessarily having a big fat ass, because ballerina bodies are in.” And that’s what Pop Physique gives you, a dancer’s body. It’s like getting a Dancing with the Stars workout without learning the tango.
“I first heard about it on Dana DeArmond’s Twitter!” says Joanna Angel. “And then I felt like I just kept hearing about it everywhere I went.” Bored with her gym and curious about the new fad, Angel added a few Pop Physique classes to her fitness routine. “As a girl, working out can get complicated sometimes because if you do the wrong exercises you can actually just get bigger and then you start gaining muscle and not losing any weight. But I feel like Pop Physique targets all the right areas,” she says.
Girl-next-door porn star Claire Robbins went to one class with DeArmond before realizing she’d rather workout without other stars. “I get really competitive with my friends so it’s best that I don’t know anybody that I’m working out with,” says Robbins. The classes are so much fun Robbins says she tries to go every day. It also helps her do a better job. “I have more stamina thanks to Pop, that’s for sure! I don’t groan at the idea of reverse cowgirl anymore.”
Penthouse pet and Playboy model Jelena Jensen says she didn’t take her first class until she saw DeArmond post about it on Instagram. One year later she’s an avid student. “It goes by so quickly I don’t get bored with it,” says Jensen. Of course to get a body like a porn star takes more than just working out. Your diet matters. “You can work out all you want, but if you put unhealthy garbage in your body you probably won’t get the results you want,” Jensen reminds us.
Even though DeArmond has inspired a small army of women to join Pop Physique she doesn’t fully credit her physique to the class. “Freaky genetics,” she says. “I’m very blessed and super tall. But I would say it transforms your body really quickly if you want to tighten up.” DeArmond’s Twitter profile and header are covered with photos of her perfectly sculpted booty so it’s no surprise that other women want what she has. Who doesn’t want the perfect ass?
In the same way dogs can smell fear, porn stars can sense acceptance. And under the guise of exercise there exists a community that welcomes them with open arms. It’s a lifestyle brand offering hip music, a fun atmosphere and adorable (often female) instructors.
Gyms can intimidate women who don’t want to be ogled over, don’t know how to use the free weight area, and just want results without the hassle of using a dozen machines.
“While it’s easy to think of Pop Physique as a cult because of our legion of devotees and their massive enthusiasm, we’re all trying to live in this world together,” says founder Jennifer Williams. “We try to make pain fun.”
