'I followed Khloe Kardashian's exact exercise regime, and this is what happened'
Khloe Kardashian is all about the #gains. She goes hard in the gym, and judging by the photos and videos she’s shared of workouts in the past, she’s built some serious strength in the process. Her current trainer, Joel Bouraima- also known as Coach Joe- recently revealed exactly what her routine consists of on Kourtney Kardashian’s lifestyle website Poosh, and we are shook.
They meet at the crack of dawn (6am, to be precise) every day from Monday – Friday (bar Wednesday, when Khloe does cardio or Pilates on her own), and crush 1-hour killer sessions. Obviously, this is bread and butter for Khloe nowadays, but what would her workouts be like for you and I?
Lucy Davis (a fitness coach and YouTuber who’s previously taken on Adele, Rebel Wilson and The Rock’s training regimes) decided she’d try it on behalf of us minions, and turns out, it wasn’t exactly what she was expecting. Here’s what happened.
Workout 1: HIIT
Sidestep with Dumbbell - 4 sets, 30 seconds
Tricep Dip + Tricep Push-Up - 4 sets, 10 reps each
Forearm Planks + Mountain Climbers 4 sets, 15 seconds each
Thruster Squat + Curl + Overhead press with dumbbells - 4 sets 10 reps each
Leg Raises - 2 sets, 10 reps per side
Side Leg Raises - 2 sets, 10 reps per side
Step-Ups - 2 sets, 10 reps per leg
Single Arm Plank 2 sets, 15 seconds per arm
After doing some research, Davis happened upon two of Khloe’s go-to workouts, starting with HIIT. ‘I can’t remember the last time I chose HIIT on my watch,’ she says. But after a while, she realises it’s not the HIIT she was gearing herself up for. ‘To be fair, it’s hard, but I don’t feel like it’s high intensity.’
Why? Apparently, there’s no rhyme or reason to the burst:rest ratio in Khloe’s workout, like there should be in a HIIT session. Always up for a challenge, Davis decides to up the ante herself by prescribing minimal rest. ‘There was no instruction in terms of rest periods for Khloe, but HIIT is more like a circuit, so I’m giving myself 20 seconds rest only, to try and keep the intensity there.’
Her biggest qualm? The thruster squat + curl + overhead press exercise. Confusing, we know, and Davies has no time for it. ‘I feel like this is one of the exercises I’d usually put on my no BS reels,’ she says. Once finished, she admits, ‘OK that was quite hard, but it’s not the kind of exercise I like to do at all. I just don’t vibe with it.’ A girl after our own heart, she punts for simple but effective moves instead.
Workout 2: Cardio
Single Dumbbell Clean and Press - 2 sets, 8-12 reps
Banded 4×4 Walk - 2 sets, 20-30 steps
Overhead Crunch to Rotation - 2 sets, 10 reps
Renegade Row to Climber Mountain - 2 sets, 20-30 reps
Reverse Lunge to High Knee and Press - 2 sets 10-16 reps
Up next, cardio, or in Davis’ opinion, WOD (which stands for workout of the day, and follows a CrossFit style format). ‘It’s more of a WOD circuit,’ Davis wagers. ‘I’m just going to work my way through and try to get my heart rate up by doing it at a quicker pace.’
The structure clearly isn’t the one for Davis, who winds up doing it completely differently. ‘I did the whole circuit with one set of each, then I’m going to repeat it, rather than doing two sets of each exercise consecutively, because then you’re resting quite a lot.’ Adapting a routine to suit what you actually like? Here. For. It.
Davis’ final thoughts
It’s loud and clear that the structure and format of Khloe’s workouts don’t sit well with Davis. ‘In terms of HIIT, you should do short bursts and short rest breaks,’ she explains. ‘That first HIIT bit was so unenjoyable. The second workout was a bit better, because there’s a few CrossFit movements like cleans and snatches and presses. I get that it’s good to try different things, but the exercises included here are the BS kind you see on Instagram.’ All that said, Davis does add that her heart rate reaches 140, which for her, ‘is pretty good during a HIIT session’.
Our opinion? Davis clearly thrives off getting a good old sweat on and getting her blood pumping, but perhaps that’s not Khloe’s bag. It seems like these workouts are more strength-specific, taken at a slower pace, so if that’s what Khloe enjoys, that’s certainly what she should stick with.
The stats
Time taken: 50 minutes for both workouts
Heart rate: 140bpm
Calories: 370
‘The calories are pretty high for me,’ Davis explains. ‘When I do my CrossFit workouts, the calories are more like 500, because the intensity is really there, but it wasn’t there for me with these workouts.’
To caveat: workouts should by no means be governed by the amount of calories burnt, and there’s absolutely zero use comparing the amount you torch to Davis (our bodies are all entirely unique), but it can be a useful metric to identify how much of a strain you’re putting on your body.
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