{"id":273266,"date":"2026-01-31T06:34:16","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/273266\/"},"modified":"2026-01-31T06:34:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T06:34:16","slug":"at-50-emma-bunton-relies-on-these-low-impact-workouts-to-build-strength","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/273266\/","title":{"rendered":"At 50, Emma Bunton relies on these low-impact workouts to build strength"},"content":{"rendered":"

With over three decades in show business, Emma Bunton has done it all \u2013 from captivating audiences as Baby Spice to judging Dancing on Ice talent. As it turns out, her fitness<\/a> routine is just as varied and versatile. <\/p>\n

During lockdown and for around three-and-a-half years afterwards, Emma trained in a virtual group environment by joining award-winning class instructor and celebrity PT Richie Swan’s<\/a> in-app Sort Your Fit Out<\/a> programme. <\/p>\n

‘When people sign up, they fill in details like step<\/a>, workout and calorie goals for the week. Then they choose which workouts they want to do from a weekly timetable, including bodyweight, strength and Pilates sessions,’ Swan tells Women’s Health. ‘I’ll do an Instagram Live or Zoom workout and they log on and follow along with me. Emma tended to do more bodyweight, HIIT and weighted strength sessions.’ <\/p>\n

Emma’s fitness goals<\/p>\n

Emma’s goals were centred around improving general health. <\/p>\n

‘She just wanted to feel good and make sure she was moving and getting her steps in,’ says Swan. Training was modified to suit her needs. ‘A lot of the women on the programme were in their forties and fifties, maybe navigating menopause<\/a>, so we tried to remove anything too high impact from the workouts, avoiding moves like lunge jumps and squat jumps. Instead, you’d always have one foot on the ground, so you could control your body, or we’d be pulsing to add intensity rather than doing the full plyometric<\/a> move.’ <\/p>\n

Research agrees, as one study<\/a> found a 12-week low-impact programme using resistance bands and bodyweight exercises led to increased lower-body strength, balance and lean mass in women aged 40-60.<\/p>\n

Swan recommended that Emma do a variety of classes with a range of moves. ‘When you’re becoming perimenopausal, you need to be working on strength, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility and balance as you transition into the next stage. So yoga and Pilates were also important to ensure she was getting deep stretching and recovery after an intense week of working out.’ <\/p>\n

Losing fat while building muscle is the goal for many fitness fans \u2013 and while it isn\u2019t easy, it is possible, says FIIT personal trainer and coach Laura Hoggins<\/a>. In this four-week plan \u2013 created exclusively for Women\u2019s Health COLLECTIVE members \u2013 you\u2019ll get the workouts and nutrition guidance needed to improve body composition in 2026.<\/p>\n

Ready to build and burn? Tap the link below to unlock 14 days of free access to the WH app, find the plan and start training today.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/p>\n

\"wh<\/a>Emma’s workout routine<\/p>\n

Emma would often do these workouts up to three times a week, depending on her schedule. ‘She’d do the 10am class, after having gotten the kids ready and out to school and having a cup of coffee,’ reveals Swan. <\/p>\n

Each session would last 40 minutes, comprising a five-minute warm up featuring moves like bodyweight squats<\/a> and lunges, a 30-minute workout and a five-minute cool down, Swan explains. <\/p>\n

\"emma<\/p>\n

Emma Bunton\/\/Instagram<\/p>\n

Weighted workouts targeted a specific goal of either strength, hypertrophy<\/a> (increase in muscle size) or muscular endurance<\/a> (your body’s ability to keep contracting muscles repetitively) each week by altering the rep range. For most workouts, they’d do three sets of three to four exercises, performing around six heavy reps per set in a strength workout, 12 reps with a moderate weight per set during a hypertrophy workout, and 15 or more lighter reps for endurance. <\/p>\n

Swan advises using a weight<\/a> you could perform the number of reps required for any of the three goals of a move like a deadlift with while still maintaining good form, though the last reps should be challenging. Emma and his other clients would work through classic compound moves like deadlifts<\/a>, squats, bench presses, single-arm rows and lunges, and isolation moves like bicep curls. <\/p>\n

An example section of a more bodyweight HIIT<\/a> workout would be:<\/p>\n

45 seconds of lunges<\/a>, 15 seconds’ rest45 seconds of press ups<\/a>, 15 seconds’ rest45 seconds of sit ups, 15 seconds’ rest<\/p>\n

‘We’d do that as a circuit three or four times,’ says Swan. ‘We’d aim to condition her whole body and get her heart rate up, but without putting too much pressure through her joints.’<\/p>\n

‘[It’s] intense but makes me feel great afterwards,’ Bunton told Mamamia<\/a>. ‘It\u2019s important for me to make time for exercise, both for my physical and mental wellbeing.’<\/p>\n

Swan emphasised the importance of finding enjoyment in fitness. ‘Fun comes first. Goals are achieved through consistent actions so [I advise going for] something you can stick to because you like it.’ On top of that, tried-and-tested habits like enough rest \u2013 although that can include active recovery like yoga or walking<\/a> \u2013 and sleep are crucial. <\/p>\n

How did Emma stay consistent?<\/p>\n

Having others to keep her accountable was particularly motivating. ‘She was in a WhatsApp group with me and two friends. Each day, they’d be in friendly competition about who’d gotten in their 10,000 steps<\/a> and messaging each other about what they’d had for dinner, giving each other nutritious meal ideas.’ <\/p>\n

If the class workout involved an AMRAP<\/a> where they had to count their rounds, the programme chat box also allowed participants to check if they were keeping pace with each other. Each week, Sort Your Fit Out explained a fitness-related topic, like calories, protein, NEAT<\/a>, hydration and rest, allowing her to implement healthier habits gradually. <\/p>\n

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