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Jamie Corner West End Style Fitness

West End style fitness

West End style fitness

Take That ‘The Musical’ star reveals how to get fit

You can now train with the stars of the West End with a new venture launched by a theatrical agent. Becky Barrett, who would usually be placing performers in West-End hits, set up BBM Fitness when the pandemic closed theatres across the country.  Becky realised that many of the artists on her books are also qualified fitness instructors and now offers 1:1 trainers that cover a range of disciplines such as yoga, personal training, pilates and barre. You can book online consultations and sessions as well as outdoor 1:1 bookings with the trainers.

Jamie Corner – PT at BBM Fitness and West End Star from Take That’s ‘The Band’ Musical, shares some of his tips on how to get fit…

Jamie knows what it takes to be at the top of your fitness game. Jamie trains 5-6 times per week, each session being 75-90 minutes. Focussing on strength and resistance training for muscle growth, he keeps himself strong for intense dance routines and daily life.

Finding your fitness inspiration

Jamie recommends a good starting base-level goal is 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week, which can be as simple as walking the dog, or, for those looking to be challenged, 75 minutes of high intensity exercise.

1. Start with the basics

Being in a musical theatre show requires singing and dancing at the same time – which requires a certain level of cardiovascular fitness. This can be achieved by regular cardio training.

2. It takes two types of cardio

There’s 2 main types of cardio, HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and LISS (Low Intensity Steady State).

● HIIT training gets you using bursts of energy with short rest periods. This will help you adapt to having to be on stage at the drop of a hat, giving your all. HIIT is most effective with a full body approach, incorporating functional movements. The more muscles you activate, the more energy you burn, the sweatier you get!

● LISS is more about endurance. So if you’re on stage for a fairly long period of time, having to sing and/or dance, this kind of training will help you get used to that. *Extra tip! go for a 20 minute jog with a friend, try to chat most of, if not all the way through. This will closely recreate that workload.*

3. Strengthen. Eat. Sleep. Repeat

There’s also strength training. Which as the name indicates, makes you and your muscles stronger. This doesn’t have to be picking up the heaviest thing in the room, but just focusing the training session on movement under resistance, engaging the muscle fibres and breaking them down, so when you eat and then sleep, the muscles repair stronger. This will, when done properly, in the long run, help prevent injury. Focussing on a balanced approach of Push Sessions (chest, shoulders, triceps), Pull Sessions (Back and Biceps) and Lower Body Sessions (Legs and Glutes) will target all areas – a PT can help advise on the best routine for your body.

4. Getting the bands back together

If you don’t want to pay a gym membership, or fork out for expensive weights, why not invest into some resistance bands. They’re a great way of adding extra intensity to your workouts. Also, they’re portable, so when you book a tour or cruise contract, they’re easy to pack into your suitcase!

5. Cover all bases

Incorporate both cardiovascular and strength training into your fitness regime. Do find something you enjoy and make sure you mix it so you can achieve all round peak fitness.

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