Personal trainer whose A-list clients include Margot Robbie and Claudia Schiffer reveals the 3-week body reset that works for ANYONE – and it requires just 21 minutes’ exercise a day
- David Higgins is an experienced London-based personal trainer to the stars
- His client list includes Claudia Schiffer, Margot Robbie and Colin Firth
- David has created a 21-day programme to help anyone reset their body
- With just 21 minutes’ exercise a day, you can reboot yourself ready for exercise
A celebrity personal trainer has created a fitness and nutrition programme designed to reset your body in just three weeks.
London-based David Higgins, whose glittering client list includes Margot Robbie, Claudia Schiffer and Colin Firth, explains that by exercising for 21 minutes a day for 21 days anyone can ‘reboot their system’ – and it works ‘100 per cent of the time’.
He outlines the programme in full in his new book, The Hollywood Body Plan.
Speaking to FEMAIL, David explained: ‘The 21-Day Reset bridges the gap between how you currently move, and how you should move.
Real results: London-based personal trainer David Higgins, pictured, whose client list includes Margot Robbie, Claudia Schiffer and Colin Firth, explains that by exercising for 21 minutes a day for 21 days anyone can ‘reboot their system’ – and it works ‘100 per cent of the time’
‘It will reset your body’s neutral position, your postural habits, and also your eating habits, taking you back to neutral.
‘I often find that the majority of clients have their “epiphany” moment at this stage, as the 21-Day Reset stage highlights any negatives habits you might been holding onto – both movement and otherwise.
‘Once you’ve completed the Reset programme, you’ll feel far more in control, more positive, and stronger – and most likely a bit lighter too.’
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The programme is designed to work no matter what your fitness level.
David continued: ‘I work with clients like Margot Robbie who are already super active, but I use my plan with clients who are pregnant, like actress Rebecca Ferguson during the filming of Mission: Impossible 4 – or post-pregnancy, like when I trained Claudia Schiffer for a Vogue cover ten weeks post pregnancy.
‘I had to get an injured Samuel L Jackson confident enough to run through the rolling hills of Africa for Tarzan, and it certainly did the trick and got him moving.’
The pigeon: An exercise introduced during Week 1 of the 21-day body reset programme. Try hold the stretch for 30 seconds before repeating on the other side
And unlike other diet and exercise programmes, David does not shy away from the hard work involved in his method.
First steps
Aim to walk 10,000 steps per day. You can count this using your phone or a pedometer. If you are already hitting that target, aim for 25 per cent more than your current daily average.
On average, people take 100-130 steps per minute, so if you walked around while speaking on the phone, walked to the office from one bus stop earlier than you normally would plus a 20-minute walk at lunch, you will easily reach this target.
As an extra bonus, not sitting down all that time will accelerate correcting your postural imbalances by reinforcing your new conscious way of moving.
‘I’m not offering a short term solution,’ he explains in the book. ‘There is no magic, instant fix. You have to look at this as a long-term undertaking – a life transformation.’
The 21-day reset focuses on ensuring the ‘building blocks’ of the body – like the posture and the way it moves – to ensure it is prepared for more, long-term exercise.
Workouts
The workouts during the 21-day reset focus on teaching the body different types of movement: extension, rotation and flexion.
‘There are parts of the body that need mobilising and other parts that need strengthening,’ David writes. ‘Once you’ve completed the reset phase, you will integrate the two.’
‘On paper, the exercise part of the 3-week programme may look easy. It’s just 21 minutes a day for 21 days. But these 21 days are about changing the way you move and about fixing your body – getting you ready for the next part of the programme.
‘I want your new way of moving to be drilled into your mind by the time the 21 days are up.’
Here, an outline of what to expect from David’s plan, as excerpted from the book.
Week 1
3 Golden Rules
There are three Golden Rules, whether you are standing, lying or on all fours:
Do these exercise every day for seven days
Week 1 focuses on building the foundations of core and glute strength and mobility.
Consciously focusing on these exercises is the cornerstone to correcting your posture.
Don’t worry if it hurts. Remember: the more you do it, the more your body will adapt. You are now on the path to a pain-free life.
The exercise routine may take more than 21 minutes when you’re starting out. As you improve you’ll become faster.
Some top tips for all of these exercises:
- Most of these exercises flow into the next seamlessly
- You will need a towel and an exercise mat
- Do the exercises barefoot
Week 1: Exercises routine
Exercise one: Leg lifts
Exercise two: The pigeon
Exercise three: Child’s pose
Exercise four: Lying leg circles
Exercise five: Glute stretch
Exercise six: Back fixer bridge
Exercise seven: Core activation and rotation
Exercise eight: Hip flexor stretch
WEEK 2
Do these exercises every day for seven days
Using a foam roller introduces you to places in your body that have trigger points (or muscle tightness). Releasing this build-up of muscle tension from years of moving inefficiently will help correct your poor movement patterns. By releasing overworked muscles, you encourage smaller postural muscles to do their job. This may hurt a little – but it’s ‘good pain’.
For these exercises:
- You will need a foam roller, as well as a towel and an exercise mat. You can buy foam rollers from sports shops, department stores or online.
- Do the exercises barefoot
- Remember the three Golden Rules above
Week 2: Exercise routine
Exercise one: Love your buns
Exercise two: Hip flexors
Exercise three: Lying leg circles
Exercise four: Leg stretch
Exercise five: Roll backs
Exercise six: Cat stretch
Exercise seven: Snake
WEEK 3
Do these exercises every day for seven days
Week 3 will challenge you more on the roller. The Golden Rules should be ingrained now while you perform the exercises. That means you can focus on all three fundamental movements of the body – extension, rotation and flexion. Training your body to perform these movements correctly reduces the risk of muscle and joint pain, and will give you a strong, resilient body.
For these exercises:
- You will need a towel, an exercise mat, a foam roller, a mini loop band and a resistance loop band
- Remember the three Golden Rules above
Foam roller crunches: Lie on your back with the foam roller just below your shoulders. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the floor. Slowly lower your head back (as pictured above), arching yourself over the roller (remembering to take small, shallow breaths). Only go as far as to make you feel a little discomfort – but make it a challenge. Crunch your abdominals to bring yourself back up. Reset and repeat five times
Week 3: Exercise routine
Exercise one: Foam roller crunches
Exercise two: The million dollar roll
Exercise three: Shoulder fix
Exercise four: Hip mobiliser
Exercise five: Clams
Exercise six: The pigeon
Exercise seven: Chest opening salute
Exercise eight: All fours leg raises
Exercise nine: Child’s pose
Exercise ten: Squats 2.0
The 21-day food plan
Diet is king when it comes to losing weight.
David outlines the programme in full in his new book, The Hollywood Body Plan, above
My 21-day food programme is simple – there’s no sugar, no alcohol and no fried food. But there is intermittent fasting, which gives your body time to reset.
There’s nothing new in the practice of fasting and, in fact, there have been studies investigating the potential positive effects as far back as the 1940s. Temporary abstinence is easier to stomach than total denial.
There are three types of day in this programme:
- Fast Day: For 1 day a week, you should eat only 500 calories
- 16 Hours Off, 8 Hours On: For 5 days you will need to eat in an 8-hour window
- Day Off: For 1 day a week you can just eat normally
21-day food diary
WEEK ONE
Monday: Fast day
Tuesday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Wednesday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Thursday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Friday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Saturday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Sunday: Day off
WEEK TWO
Monday: Fast day
Tuesday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Wednesday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Thursday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Friday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Saturday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Sunday: Day off
WEEK THREE
Monday: Fast day
Tuesday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Wednesday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Thursday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Friday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Saturday: 16 hours off, 8 hours on
Sunday: Day off
The Hollywood Body Plan by David Higgins (£25, Headline) is available to buy now. Follow David on Instagram for daily tips over on @DavidHigginsLondon.
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