Meghan Markle's Former Trainer Says No Workout Is Complete Without These 5 Things
Everyone falls into a rut from time to time in their workout routine. Personally, whenever things start to feel stale, I like to turn to my favorite celebs and see what their tips are for staying active, and most importantly, loving every minute of it. Meghan Markle's workout tips, in particular, are practical and simple AF. Honestly, I think it's because everything that woman does is absolute #goals.
To get a sense of what makes Markle's workout routine so motivating (and how she sticks with it in the midst of planning a wedding and casually becoming British royalty), her former trainer, Craig McNamee, gave Women's Health a little peek into what the princess-in-waiting's go-to fitness tips actually look like.
Believe it or not, the key things that shape Meghan Markle's workout routine aren't flashy or elaborate in any way, shape, or form. They're the most straightforward, doable things that even those of us who aren't poised to become British royalty can incorporate into a typical trip to the gym.
If you've been feeling like your sweat sesh is missing something lately, here are five key tips from Markle's longtime trainer to help you spice things up and stay committed to your routine.
01Work Out Earlier In The Day
You know when you have a killer workout planned, but then your day becomes busy and hectic AF out of nowhere, and before you know it, it's 10 p.m., and there's absolutely no way you're going to the gym at this hour? Same. That's why Meghan Markle wants you to become a morning person, my friend. McNamee told Women's Health,
For Meghan, we tried to schedule these workouts early in the day, to make it a priority.
If Markle can squeeze in her sweat sesh bright and early while also learning the ins and outs of how to be a British royal, you can do it too, fam.
02Use Lower Weights With Higher Reps
If you usually try to lift heavier weights in your routine because you feel like you "should," but you low-key despise it, take a cue from Meghan Markle's trainer, who recommends ditching those bad boys in favor of some lighter dumbbells.
Instead of lifting heavy and only managing to muster a few reps, McNamee told Women's Health that he instructs Markle to perform a higher amount of reps (about 20 to 25) with lower-weight dumbbells. This is pretty solid advice, as lifting lighter weights with more repetition is said to increase your overall endurance while simultaneously strengthening your muscles.
In other words, don't feel like you need to push yourself to lift a ton of weight if your body genuinely can't do it. As far as Meghan Markle and her trainer are concerned, you're better off going a bit easier on yourself here.
03Focus On Posture
I don't know about you, but I feel so much more confident when I remember to stand tall. And since Markle is always in the public eye, her trainer's made sure that her workouts involve plenty of posture-focused, confidence-boosting moves.
Women's Health revealed that McNamee always includes posterior chain exercises in Markle's workouts, which are workouts that focus on the glutes, hammies, and back. These moves are imperative in improving posture, as well as reducing any pain that slouching on the reg may cause.
04Never Underestimate The Power Of A Prop
If you're kind of intimidated by the iron-clad machines at your local gym, I feel you, girl. But have no fear: Meghan Markle's go-to workout prop is super convenient, and can be used wherever, whenever.
McNamee told Women's Health that Markle loved doing lower-body exercises when they still trained together, and he always made sure to include a mini band in her workout routine to help her target those muscles in the best way possible.
There are so many mini band workouts you can try for yourself, even in the comfort of your own home. Yaaaass, Meghan!
05Remember The Importance Of Variety In Your Workout
If you've been dedicated to your fitness routine for a while, then you've probably experienced that moment when you're just plain bored with your workouts.
Markle's trainer told Women's Health that he's always made sure the princess-to-be's routine never gets stale:
Our big focus with all of our sessions was to not be too repetitive and really create a dynamic workout with a lot of variety.
What's more, according to Shape, if you want to reach all of your fitness goals and avoid getting burnt out in your routine, you should be changing up your fitness regimen as often as possible.
When it comes down to it, Markle and McNamee's tips are all about staying in-tune with your body and taking note of any signals it's giving you about changing things up when you need to, and sticking to what works for you and only you. And that's something we can all get behind, right?
