Personal trainer to the stars shares his 3-week body reset

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.’


  • Revealed: The VERY simple trick used by Rihanna’s make-up…


    Ooh-la-lady! Amelia Windsor looks edgy as she teams a floral…


    A warm Wintour! Vogue editor-in-chief Anna wears a bright…


    There’s no such thing as Blue Monday! Experts reveal the…

Share this article

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.

Source: Read Full Article