The As It Was singer recorded an already impressive time of 3:24:07 at the Tokyo Marathon in March last year, and managed to shave more than 20 minutes off his PB to go sub-three hours in Berlin just six months later. <\/p>\n
Reportedly running under the pseudonym Sted Sarandos, Styles crossed the line in 2:59:13 \u2013 averaging roughly 4min 15sec per kilometre across the 42.195km course. <\/p>\n
The 32-year-old is equally adept over shorter distances, according to former special forces soldier and Executive Peak Performance<\/a> founder Thibo David<\/a>, who trained the star from 2018 to 2021 as he prepared for his Love On Tour shows.<\/p>\n \u201cHis one-mile PB was 5min 13sec, which is incredibly fast,\u201d David tells me. \u201cI train elite athletes, professional boxers and professional footballers, and I keep a leaderboard of their mile times in my studio. He was one of the fastest, only 14 or 15 seconds behind [Premier League footballer] Granit Xhaka.\u201d<\/p>\n To build a strong aerobic base, the pair would go for lengthy zone two (60-70 per cent of maximum heart rate) runs around London during the Covid lockdowns. \u201cWe built him up to that; running and swimming were staples.\u201d says David. They would also have studio sessions together, often comprising a two-hour cocktail of strength training<\/a>, high-intensity circuits, core work and faster running efforts.<\/p>\n This sounded exhausting, but as a fitness writer I couldn\u2019t resist pitting myself against the singer and attempting to tackle his rigorous routine. Predictably, I was swiftly humbled. <\/p>\n Below, David reveals more about Styles\u2019 pre-tour training, and a sample one of their demanding studio sessions. <\/p>\n What does a week of Harry Styles\u2019 training look like? <\/p>\n I started by asking Thibo David for a day of Harry Styles\u2019<\/a> training to try, and he gave me an intense example which you can see in full below. However, he stressed that every day wasn\u2019t a max-effort session. <\/p>\n \u201cWe would adapt to how he feels and his schedule,\u201d the trainer says. \u201cSome days we would just focus on recovery<\/a>. There would be a lot of assisted stretching, work with massage guns and some cold therapy [ice baths<\/a>] \u2013 he loves that, so we did it quite a lot. <\/p>\n \u201cOther days he would come in and we would just focus on mobility, or we might put some boxing in there depending on what he had coming up because he really enjoys that. We would mix it up a lot.\u201d <\/p>\n While weekly plans could vary, one non-negotiable part of Styles\u2019 Love On Tour preparations was running<\/a>. Given his pace in Berlin, it\u2019s clear this is still at the centre of his exercise plans. <\/p>\n He and David would do two weekly runs together \u2013 one long weekend run of up to 20km around London, and one shorter route of eight to 12km \u2013 while also incorporating running into their conditioning work in the gym. <\/p>\n But it\u2019s David\u2019s studio sessions that really catch the eye. They start with 20-30 minutes of running at an easy pace to \u201cbuild up the legs and oxygenate\u201d, followed by 100 press-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats completed within eight minutes. A one-mile time trial comes next, then it\u2019s on to strength work. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe weren\u2019t loading on the barbell much \u2013 he would use dumbbells and kettlebells<\/a> instead,\u201d says David. \u201cWhen working with him, [I had to consider that] the risk of injury would have big repercussions on tours and shoots.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did a lot of dumbbell work on imbalances and stability with one-sided lifts like heavy kettlebell cleans, one-legged squats and lunges with the weight on one side to work on his balance, making him strong one side at a time and increasing his core strength.\u201d<\/p>\n After strength work came conditioning: four rounds of intense four-minute efforts with a one-minute break after each one. This was inspired by David\u2019s time as a professional fighter, with MMA athletes competing over three rounds of five minutes. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve found that to be a very good way of building VO2 max [the maximum amount of oxygen your body can take in and use during exercise],\u201d says David. <\/p>\n Finally, Styles would hit 10 minutes of core work \u2013 think leg raises, planks, side planks and \u201ca lot of ab rollouts\u201d \u2013 then wind down with a slow-paced run, transitioning into a walk and some stretching. <\/p>\n \u201cDoing high-intensity exercise can switch your sympathetic nervous system on for a long time, which is not something you want to do,\u201d David says. \u201cYou\u2019re always on edge and it can be tough to sleep and recover.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201c[Ending the workout with a slow run and then stretches] allows you to bring everything back down and gets you ready for the rest of the day, rather than keeping you in that heightened state.\u201d<\/p>\n Read more: An expert trainer says these are the three best exercises for longevity, helping you \u2018live better for longer\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Harry Styles’ trainer Thibo David completing a workout (Thibo David \/ Executive Peak Performance)<\/p>\n Harry Styles\u2019 workout<\/p>\n Below is an example of one of the sessions Styles and David would do when the singer visited his studio during their time training together. <\/p>\n Warm-up<\/p>\n Slow jog 20-30 minutes Within eight minutes, complete 100 press-ups, 100 sit-ups and 100 squats One mile run, as fast as possible <\/p>\n Strength work<\/p>\n Banded activations for hips and lower back \u2013 e.g. Glute bridges, clamshells, banded knee raises Kettlebell clean and press x6,6,8,10,12 Single-leg squat x6,6,8,10,12 <\/p>\n Conditioning \u2013 complete four rounds of the circuit below<\/p>\n Alternating arm kettlebell cleans x30sec Burpee x30sec D-ball\/sandbag over shoulder x1min Max height tuck jump x30sec Max effort SkiErg x1min Fast run\/treadmill x30sec Rest x1min<\/p>\n Core work \u2013 10 minutes, focussing on the exercises below<\/p>\n Leg raise PlankSide plankHanging leg raiseAb roller <\/p>\n Cool down<\/p>\n Slow run into walk Stretching <\/p>\n Read more: An exercise scientist recommends one easy trick to increase health benefits of walking 10,000 steps a day<\/a><\/p>\n open image in gallery<\/p>\n Harry Styles worked hard in the gym to prepare for his Love On Tour shows (Ian West\/PA) (PA Archive)<\/p>\n Harry Styles\u2019 workout routine: the verdict<\/p>\n With David\u2019s help, I tried training like Harry Styles for a day completing a session similar to the one above. Given I love exercise \u2013 and there\u2019s a whole lot of exercise to be done here \u2013 I was always going to enjoy it, but I was absolutely spent by the end. <\/p>\n This brings me to my verdict: this workout is fun and undeniably impressive, but it\u2019s definitely not for newcomers to exercise. By all means enjoy trying parts of it, and take inspiration from Styles\u2019 dedicated approach, but you\u2019ll want to build a solid level of baseline fitness before attempting it in its entirety. <\/p>\n \u201cHarry\u2019s very dedicated, and he\u2019s been working hard for years,\u201d David says. \u201cEven when he started with me, he wasn\u2019t at the same level he\u2019s at now. We had to build him up.\u201d<\/p>\n To do this, Styles and David worked on building a strong aerobic base with long, slow and steady runs. There was also a heavy emphasis on developing a foundation of strength \u2013 \u201cthis was paramount for keeping him fit.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u201cPeople often make the mistake of jumping into a routine they\u2019ve seen somewhere online, then they only stick to it for a little bit,\u201d says David. \u201cVery quickly the body breaks down because the machine hasn\u2019t been built properly.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPeople also ask me, \u2018What should I do? I want to train like Harry\u2019. It takes time, patience and sometimes some very boring sessions to build what needs to be put in place. The message I\u2019m trying to put out there is that you need to use working out as something that\u2019s going to help you live a longer, stronger and fitter life.\u201d<\/p>\n There\u2019s another secret ingredient to Styles\u2019 training success too, which David believes is frequently overlooked: enjoyment. <\/p>\n \u201cHarry has a very playful attitude towards it all, which makes everything easier,\u201d he says. \u201cI think people should embrace that a little bit more. Nobody forces you to exercise. Training is supposed to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n So, if you want to build stadium tour fitness, build from the bottom, work hard and have fun with it. As for the singing? That\u2019s outside my area of expertise, I\u2019m afraid. <\/p>\n Read more: I tried an Olympian\u2019s one-move workout and it hit my whole body in just 20 minutes<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Harry-Styles-trainer-Thibo-David-completing-a-workout.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n![\"Harry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/b4b12d693ce8330bc3d052de9a2cc591Y29udGVudHNlYXJjaGFwaSwxNzE1OTU2Mjgw-2.67193696.jpg\")
<\/p>\n