Since she married Prince William in a fairytale wedding ceremony at Westminster Abbey in 2011, Kate Middleton, now known as the Princess of Wales, has become a royal fashion icon. Aside from her sense of style, the Duchess of Cambridge, and now Cornwall, is known for her slender physique.
Kate has a fervent love of sport, and her workouts are certainly no joke; a challenging combination of cardio and strength training is part of her everyday routine. The 40-year-old's dedication to staying fit and active is enviable to some, and her secret lies in the combination of various exercises and activities which are great for engaging different muscle groups.
For those hoping to emulate Kate's figure, or are looking for workout routine inspiration, fitness expert Isaac Robertson of TotalShape has broken down the basic elements of Kate's routine. Isaac has also explained how to do the exercises properly to get the most out of them.
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Kate’s routine involves:
Planking - burns two to five calories per minute
Running - burns 11.4 calories per minute
Yoga - burns five calories per minute
Pilates - burns five calories per minute
CrossFit - burns 13 to 15 calories per minute
Planking
Benefits of the plank exercise are numerous, starting with the fact that you can do them anywhere and you don’t need any equipment. This simple, yet very effective exercise is one of the best ways to build core strength. Apart from strengthening large groups of muscles throughout the body, including your trapezius, glutes, and rhomboids, it improves your posture by strengthening your spine.
You will also become better coordinated, and planks burn more calories than any other core exercise. Reportedly, Kate focuses her plank exercises around three variations.
The first one is the basic plank, done by getting in the starting position for a press-up, then lowering yourself to your forearms. While planking, make sure that your shoulders are right above your elbows, that your head is a straight extension of your spine, and that your glutes and ab muscles are engaged.
The second variation is the side plank, excellent for strengthening your oblique muscles, the ones on the side of your core. While lying on your side, stack one leg on top of the other and prop yourself on your hand or elbow. Here again, the key is to keep your body in a straight line. Repeat on the other side.
The last variation is the skydive plank, which is a little less demanding. While lying on your stomach with your hands next to your temples, start raising your chest and your quads off the floor as high as you can and hold for a couple of seconds, before lowering them down again.
While planking, focus on your breathing instead of the stopwatch—it will make the time go faster. In the beginning, you should aim for multiple sets of 10 to 30 seconds. Keep in mind, it takes some time and patience before building up to Kate’s reported 10 sets of 45-second planks for each variation.
Running
The Princess is a known fan of running, and combining strength exercises with cardio is always a great idea; the best results will come from mixing the two since they engage different muscle groups. If you are not a fan of running, you can try other aerobic exercises, like cycling, swimming, skipping, or even just walking.
Yoga and Pilates
Yoga has proven very beneficial, not only for your physical health and flexibility, but for your general wellbeing as well. Doing yoga regularly can help clear your mind, reduce stress, improve digestion, and boost your brain function and immunity.
Pilates is another great way to work on your flexibility, as well as your posture. It also helps tone your abdomen and lower back muscles. Pilates can be very demanding as it requires precise and steady movements and taking full control of your breathing.
If you don’t want to find a yoga or Pilates instructor, no worries. There are plenty of resources online which can help you learn about different exercises and how to do them properly.
CrossFit
CrossFit has become very popular in recent years, and for a good reason. It is a form of HIIT (high-intensity interval training), combining high-intensity bodyweight moves and strength training. CrossFit focuses on building strength and fitness through movements we perform every day, like squatting, pushing, and pulling. The best thing is that it can be adjusted to your fitness level, and there is a large CrossFit community that can help you stay motivated.
Robertson concludes: “Staying active is important, but physical activity will get you nowhere if your diet is imbalanced. It is crucial to get all the essential nutrients from various sources, and excluding any of the macros from your diet is not healthy and certainly not sustainable in the long run. The best thing you can do for your health is to focus your diet on nutrient-rich foods and incorporate physical activity in your everyday routine. Combining different types of exercises is important, as it ensures the activation of different muscle groups.”
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