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Revealed: Dua Lipa's Weekly Workout Plan, Straight From Her Former PT

Singer Dua Lipa is, of course, a disarmingly talented musician. One other arena in which she has aptitude in spades, though? Fitness.

The 26-year-old previously trained with coach Peter MacIver (a.k.a. PMAC) of the Women’s Health Collective expert panel, and she well and truly went in on her routine.

Apparently, she didn’t ‘need motivating’ because she was already so motivated, and a standard session would include 20 minutes of hill sprints, so yeah, you get the jist.

We caught up with PMAC for the specifics, including the lessons that could be applied to your own regime. Behold, Dua the machine.

Dua Lipa's workout routine

PMAC gave us the DL on what a week’s worth of workouts would look like for Dua. They’d train 3-4 times, and each session would last for an hour, including a mixture of cardio and resistance training.

Here’s a written breakdown.

  • Workout 1: 20 min hill sprints, 40 min full-body bodyweight workout

  • Workout 2: 20 min hill sprints, 40 min full-body workout using equipment (balls, bands, bars)

  • Workout 3: 20 min hill sprints, 40 min full-body bodyweight workout with focus on balance and agility

Read on for everything else to know about Dua's workout routine.

1. She exercises for her career

When Dua and PMAC worked together, Dua’s goal was to ‘keep lean and toned and improve overall fitness being on stage’. It makes sense – performing on stage for hours at a time, plus all the travelling that comes with going on tour, is no doubt seriously taxing, and improving both her cardiovascular fitness and strength is sure to make it easier.

2. She overcomes challenges by breaking them down

You know how running 5k, for example, can sometimes seem so far-fetched that it’s not even worth attempting, Dua knows that these big challenges are easily conquered if divided into manageable bites.

PMAC told us that ‘running up the hills in Primrose’ [Primrose Hill, north London] seemed impossible for her, [Dua] but: ‘We overcame it by tackling one hill at a time. So instead of saying we’re running up five (which is typical with all of my clients), we’d do one at a time, and she managed it in the end.’

3. She naps for recovery

As if we ever needed an excuse to nap, PMAC just gave us one: ‘For a busy individual like Dua, I suggested naps to help her body recover. If you train too much, your body won’t work, so rest is a non-negotiable.’ Lunchtime naps, here we come.

4. She never forgets a warm up

We’re forever harping on about the importance of warming up before a workout to prevent injury, and Dua knows the deal. ‘We’d spend 10 minutes before every session to make sure her joints and muscles were ready,’ PMAC explains. Warm ups will also improve your mobility which, in turn, could help you achieve your goals sooner.

Read our mobility guide to find out what exercises you should be doing and when.

5. She works out with friends

While Dua didn’t necessarily need motivating while she worked with PMAC, she told Refinery29 last year that she occasionally likes to exercise with a friend to keep her focused.

'Whether it’s on Zoom, doing a workout with my friend Ella in LA who leads a kickass workout class or with my best friend Bunny who comes over to train me on days when I’m feeling super lazy,’ she said. #AccountabilityForTheWin.

6. She smashes early morning workouts

One non-negosh of Dua’s routine is doing a workout early in the morning– PMAC told us they’d typically do their seshs at 7am, while Dua said, per Refinery29, 'getting physical really starts my day off right'.

7. HIIT sessions are her go-to when she's tight for time

Dua puts aside time for a workout even when her schedule is manic, but going for HIIT means that she doesn’t need too long.

In 2017, she told Vogue. 'It’s so quick, it’s over before it’s even started!' Jumping jacks, mountain climbers and burpees are staples of her standard HIIT routine.

8. She does yoga daily

An antidote to the intensity of a HIIT sesh, Dua does yoga to stay grounded. In 2020, she shared a short clip of herself on the yoga mat at home with the caption 'daily ritual’.

9. She goes hard on core exercises

As we all know, Dua's core is *chef's kiss*. It's no surprise then, that much of her workouts include a range of ab moves like bicycle crunches and leg raises. Speaking to Viva, she explained how she keeps her tummy strong using a 'variation of crunches.'

'Planks are good,' she added, 'Although almost certainly my least favourite!' We hear ya, Dua.

10. Sweaty boxing sessions are a fave

For Dua, boxing isn’t just a way to get fit, but the perfect outlet to nix stress. 'I love boxing in my spare time,' she said, according to Beauty Crew.

'I like doing it for fitness [and] I like doing it just to kinda clear my mind. I really enjoy it. I like that it's definitely a full body workout. Since starting boxing I've probably been in the best shape ever. It's also a great stress reliever.' BRB, just off to buy some boxing gloves.

11. She regularly switches things up

'When I have a tiny bit more time on my side I love mixing up lots of different training, finding different workouts in whatever city I'm in, whether it's yoga, Pilates, boxing or spinning,' the singer told Marie Claire.

'Whatever it is, I try to change it up every day to keep things interesting. When you're on a tour bus, every day and every place is different, so you never know what you're going to find. That's always one way to keep it interesting.'

12. She clears her head on dog walks

Dua often gets out for a stroll with her dog, Dexter, first thing. In May 2021, she said: 'Our walks are the perfect way to get my mind right for the day ahead...while walking, I make a mental list of my intentions for the day.'

Dua Lipa's nutrition

1. Food is more than just fuel

Dua isn’t down with forgoing her favourite foods. In fact, quite the opposite. 'I love cooking and being surrounded by my favourite people,' she told Refinery29. 'With all the running around I do for work, it’s nice to come home, slow down and connect with the food that nourishes my body and life.'

2. Balance is best

Dua doesn’t deny herself the sweet treats she often craves, and we’re so here for it. 'I try and stay as healthy as possible whenever I can,' she said, according to Beauty Crew. '[But] I'm never one to stop myself having treats, I do love naughty treats. But I try and limit it to days when I'm not as busy, because if I do eat a doughnut it usually puts me in a food coma!'

3. Whole foods for the win

According to Health Yogi, Dua tries to eat healthy, whole foods as much as possible. This might be eggs or fruit for breakfast, followed by cashew butter and a banana before her workouts, and a chicken salad with plenty of veggies and a cold juice for lunch.

Come dinner, it's more fresh vegetables and salad with fish, then she'll round the day off with something sugary in the evening, like a packet of sweets.

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