Harry Styles has long been revered for his killer sense of style and musical megastardom, but it turns out he’s a bit of a beast in the gym too.
We’ve followed Harry Styles’ journey from best-dressed ‘wine mum’ to contentious pioneer of gender fluidity, but it seems we’ve given far too little attention to the brutal training regime that the former teen idol subjects himself to in order to stay sexy and stage-ready.
Styles’ personal trainer, Thibo David, recently revealed the ins and outs of the star’s punishing 2-hour workouts, which combine a broad-spectrum selection of high-intensity exercises that push him to the limit of stamina, strength, and endurance all in one massive session.
While this writer prefers armchair commentary to getting down and dirty, we strongly recommend an article by Harry Bullmore to see what it’s really like to try this out. He’s also shared a video of his experience on Instagram; see below…
Harry’s Styles’ Workout Routine
Warm-Up: Setting The Stage
While this might come as a surprise to your average bodybuilder — all of whom seem to swear by doing g their cardio at the very end of the workout — Styles begins his sessions with a gentle, low-intensity jog for 10 to 30 minutes. This is followed by a fast one-mile run designed to push the singer to his cardiovascular limits.
Then, and this bit really took us off guard — given that many people would consider it to be a whole workout in of itself — Styles’ finishes his warm-up with a gruelling bodyweight challenge consisting of 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, and 100 air squats, all of which he aims to complete within eight burning minutes.
Main Workout: Diversity Drives Development
Following this frankly scary warm-up, Styles moves on to a series of weighted circuits that incorporate kettlebell swings, box jumps, over-the-shoulder sandbag tosses, and alternating dumbbell clean and presses. You don’t need to be a genius to recognise that this part of the workout is aimed at building muscle, pushing up metabolic rate, and levelling up muscular endurance.
Each circuit is diligently timed by David to optimise Styles’ output and efficiency. As an example, Styles performs one-minute intervals of kettlebell swings followed by box jumps, and two-minute intervals of more complex exercises like the sandbag toss and dumbbell presses, with only a minute of rest in between each round.
Hill Sprints And Core Work
Somehow managing to up the intensity even further, Styles then does a bunch of grizzly hill sprints, consisting of eight rounds of 30 to 45-second sprints up a steep gradient, followed by 90-second blocks of rest. This segment not only tests his speed and agility but also does wonders for his aerobic capacity and stamina which, we can only imagine, is crucial for his long, high-energy sets on stage.
Core strength is another focal point — as you can see from the feature image we’ve chosen, Styles has a ripping six-pack. He spends around 15 minutes performing various core-strengthening exercises, including planks, one-sided farmer’s walks, side planks, and a bunch of sit-up variations. These exercises don’t just round out the beach bod but also improve posture, balance, and overall strength.
It’s Cool To Cool Down
After the exhaustive two-hour routine, Styles finishes up with 10 to 15 minutes of assisted stretching. Anyone who takes their fitness seriously will know that this is critical for muscle recovery and flexibility, reducing the risk of injuries and aiding that all-important muscle repair. It also gives Styles and his trainer a moment to reflect on his performance and mentally prepare for their next session.
TL;DR — Harry Styles’ Workout Step-by-Step
Warm-Up
- Slow Jog: 10 to 30 minutes at a slow pace
- One-Mile Run: Run one mile as fast as possible
- Bodyweight Challenge:
- 100 push-ups
- 100 sit-ups
- 100 air squats
- Complete all within eight minutes.
Main Workout
- Free-Weights Circuit (Four rounds):
- 1 minute of kettlebell swings (16kg)
- 1 minute of box jumps
- 2 minutes of sandbag over-the-shoulder (20kg)
- 2 minutes of alternating dumbbell clean and press
- 1 minute of rest between each round
Additional High-Intensity Training
- Hill Sprints:
- Eight rounds of 30-45 second sprints at a 0.5-2.5% gradient
- 90 seconds of rest between each sprint
Core Work
- 15 minutes of diverse core exercises:
- Planks
- One-sided farmer’s walks
- Side planks
- Sit-up variations
Cool Down
- 10 to 15 minutes of (assisted) stretching