MUS contestants doing the legwork for toned thighs

With less than three weeks to the finals of Miss Universe Singapore (MUS) 2016, the 15 finalists are ramping up their exercise regimens to be in top shape.

They attended a circuit training session at Singapore Press Holdings conducted by local fitness studio BodyBurn Fitness on Sunday. It was the first time they were working out as a group.

BodyBurn Fitness is one of the official sponsors of MUS 2016, and they have been doing one-on-one sessions with the finalists for the past three weeks.

MUS finalist Joeypink Lai told The New Paper: "It was fun to do the exercises with the other girls because it's more motivating. It can get quite boring to train on our own."

The 24-year-old real estate agent, who goes for the sessions three times a week, said she still needs to work on getting her thighs toned.

She added: "I think it's still too early for me to say I'm ready, maybe in the next two weeks."

Joeypink's trainer and BodyBurn Fitness founder, who wanted to be known only as Mr Ezra, had challenged her to do 1,100 air squats within the week.

By Sunday she had completed 1,500.

She said: "Air squats are my favourite exercise to do. I can do 200 to 250 every day within 30 minutes. I watch (US TV sitcom) 2 Broke Girls or YouTube videos while doing the squats.

"Even though the process is not enjoyable, after doing it, I know that I will get a nice butt and thighs."

GETTING READY: (Top row, from left) Miss Universe Singapore finalists Poojaa Gill, Joeypink Lai, Shona Woo, Sonya Branson, Nutan Rai, Althea Lew, Cheryl Chou, Hazel Tay, Luisa Gan, Tanisha Khan, and Patricia Eng. (Bottom row, from left) Bodyburn Fitness trainers Ezra and Eddie, and finalists Shanice Hedger and Nikki Tay.TNP PHOTO: AHMAD FARUQ BIN ROZALI

Nikki Tay, 23, agreed the group workout made her push herself harder.

The trainee lawyer, who did not take part in strenuous activities during her teen years because of asthma, said the "best takeaway" from MUS so far was the personal training sessions which she looks forward to every week.

She told TNP: "I definitely felt like (Sunday's session) did some tangible work to my body because I woke up with burning muscles.

"Even after MUS ends, I fully intend to continue (with such sessions) because it has shown me a whole new world."

Initially, Nikki did not know what a squat was. She now has a newfound love for fitness.

She said: "I used to hate the feeling of burning muscles and painful joints but now, the feeling is quite addictive because if I don't feel that, I will feel like I wasted my day because I did nothing for my body."

Nikki reckoned she is "60 per cent ready" for the finals and hopes to improve her thighs to "make them look more defined".

Mr Ezra told TNP: "For pageants, most of the girls need to pump up their glutes, so they will need to do lots of leg exercises.

"They also need to work on their abs and back, (specifically) their shoulder blades, so that when they pose for photos they will have their rhomboid muscles showing."