Television presenter, radio host and former Women’s Health cover star Emma Willis turned 50 this week – a club she told Instagram she’s ‘f*^king excited’ to join. With such a busy schedule, Emma has had to become intentional with her fitness and recovery. Here, we explore what that looks like – and the 60-minute, full-body session she and her trainer always prioritise.
In 2024, Emma told WH that her perspective on self-care and longevity had changed in midlife. ‘I didn’t really show up for myself for a long time; just kind of did everything else apart from what I really needed,’ she said. ‘When I turned about 45, I could feel myself changing and getting older and being more tired. I think as well, when you see your parents getting older… That was really a switch in my mentality – when my body suddenly felt ‘mid-forties’ and tired, [I began] changing things like sleep and giving myself time to do something. Even if that’s something I don’t want to do; I don’t want to go to the gym, but I do want to be strong.’
Indeed, whether it’s a cold plunge, a trip to the cryotherapy chamber, a workout with her personal trainer Rob Solly, or reformer Pilates – the benefits of which she’s been vocal about in recent years – Emma often posts snippets of her health and fitness journey on social media.
Balance and recovery are crucial, though. ‘We manage load with long days at work and making sure she has more than plenty of time for her family,’ Solly tells WH.
‘Our training is predominantly strength-based, with plyometrics and brief periods of high heart rates,’ he adds, combining everything from skipping and boxing to rowing and weights. While no week is exactly the same due to Emma’s aforementioned busy schedule, Solly says if they only had time to do one workout a week, it would be this because it targets the whole body and incorporates multiple functional movement patterns to help ‘make the body as resilient and functional as possible.’
As for weight selection, Solly says they work towards progressive overload, but remain adaptable – ’as a trainer, I have to take into account Emma’s load and physical stress from that week.’
Read our guide on how to choose the correct weights without guessing here.
Emma’s 60-minute full-body workout
60 secs rest between sets
1. Seated jumps/plyometrics (3 x 6-10 reps)
2. Dumbbell reverse or walking lunge (3 x 10 reps on each leg)
3. Dumbbell lateral lunge (2 x 10 reps on each leg)
4. Seated good morning (3 x 6 reps)
5. Dumbbell RDL (3 x 10-12 reps)
6. Dumbbell floor or bench press (3 x 10-15 reps)
7. TRX row (3 x 10 reps)
8. Kettlebell swing (3 x 12kg/16kg/20kg)
Superset:
9a. Banded glute bridge (2 x 10)
9b. Clamshell (2 x 10)
Superset:
10a. Dead bug (3 x 10)
10b. Bird dog (3 x 10)
How to do the moves
Seated jumps/plyometrics 
From a sitting position on a box, jump up, punching your feet into the ground and as if you’re trying to head a ball. Return to a sitting position on the box and repeat.Dumbbell reverse or walking lunge
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Imagine you have ‘hips for headlight’, keeping your knees in line with your toes – not knees over toes as this risks putting strain on your ACL, cautions Solly. Like a normal lunge, with a walking lunge, take a big step forwards with your right foot in line with your right hip, engage your right quads and hamstring by pushing your foot into the floor, then stand up to step forward onto your left foot. For reverse lunges, standing with your feet hip-width apart and keeping your back straight, engage your core muscles.Take a big step backwards with your right foot and bend your knee until your right thigh is parallel to the floor. Allow your back heel to lift, but don’t let the knee touch the floor. Step back to the starting position and repeat.Dumbbell lateral lungeStand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in both hands in front of your chest. Take a big step to the side with your left leg, then bend your left knee, push your hips back and lower until your left knee is bent 90 degrees. This should take around two seconds. Push back to start. Pinch your shoulder blades together while shrugging down to contract your lats and protect your spine. Position your feet between hip and shoulder-width apart. Brace your core by inhaling and creating tension in your mid-section. Prepare to keep your torso straight and avoid rounding your back. This is primarily a hip hinge, so begin the movement by leading from your hips and slightly bending at your knees, bringing your chest forward towards the floor and driving your hips back. Solly says to imagine you’re shutting a car door with your bum.
Begin by standing with your feet hip-width apart and knees slightly bent. Hold one dumbbell in each hand, and place them in front of hips with palms facing thighs.Keeping your spine in a neutral position and squeezing the shoulder blades, start sending the hips back.Keeping the dumbbells close to your body, lower them down so they are in front of your shins. Once they pass the knees, do not allow the hips to sink further.Maintain a neutral spine and drive through heels to fully extend hips and knees, squeezing glutes at the top.Again, imagine you’re shutting a car door with your bum.Dumbbell floor or bench press 
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Lie on a flat bench, holding a pair of dumbbells over your chest so they’re nearly touching. Your hands should be facing forwards (knuckles facing your head, palms facing your toes.Take two seconds to lower the dumbbells, pausing for one second at the bottom before you press the weights back up. Try to keep your shoulders pushing down into the bench throughout.
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Set the straps to a shorter length. Hold the rubber hands facing the anchor point and step in towards the anchor point.Lengthen your arms to create a diagonal line with your body, then bend your elbows, bringing the handles of the TRX to the sides of your ribs. Squeeze between your shoulder blades to work your back muscles, chest proud, lengthen out with control, repeat. 
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The movement should come from the hips, not the lower back or shoulders. Push your hips back, keeping your spine neutral, and then powerfully drive the hips forward. This helps target the glutes and reduces the risk of injury.
Lie on your back on a mat, with your knees bent, feet flat on the floor and feet hip-width apart. Place a band around your legs, 2-3 inches above the knees.On an exhale, squeeze your glutes and push your heels into the floor to lift your hips up towards the ceiling. Pause for a moment at the top before slowly lowering back down (first shoulders, then lower back, then bum) to the mat.
rebecca jacobs
With the band in the same place, lay down on one side, drawing your knees towards your chest so they’re stacked and at a 45-degree angle. Keep your feet in line with your hips and shoulders. Brace your core and, initiating the movement with the glutes, raise the top knee towards the ceiling.Pause at the top of the movement, before gently lowering the knee to the starting position.
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Lie flat on your back on the floor or a mat and try to get as much of your spine in contact with the ground surface as you can. Think about making a double chin, and lifting up your belt buckleRaise your arms straight up towards the ceiling, and bend your hips and knees to 90-degrees to create a ‘table top’ with your shins
Without any part of your spine losing contact with the floor, reach your left arm up above your head and extend your right leg.Push your heel away, and pull your toes back towards you as you extend, imagine you are standing on that leg.Fully exhale as you reach the longest part of the movement. Without allowing your heel to touch the floor, slowly return to the setup position.
While on all fours, position your spine into into a pain-free position. Your thoracic spine (middle section) is curved slightly upwards. Engage your core to control your torso and ensure that movement will be focused just around your hips and shoulders.Raise the opposite arm and leg simultaneously. Do not raise the arm higher than the shoulder, nor the leg past the height of the hips. The objective is to be able to hold the limbs parallel to the floor for about six to eight seconds.
After years living with endometriosis and undergoing seven rounds of IVF, Radio 4 presenter Emma Barnett turned to training with PT Frankie Holah to rebuild strength and a more positive relationship with her body. Download the Women’s Health UK app to access Frankie’s full training plan.
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Hannah Bradfield is a Senior Health and Fitness Writer for Women’s Health UK. An NCTJ-accredited journalist, Hannah graduated from Loughborough University with a BA in English and Sport Science and an MA in Media and Cultural Analysis. She has been covering sports, health and fitness for the last five years and has created content for outlets including BBC Sport, BBC Sounds, Runner’s World and Stylist. She especially enjoys interviewing those working within the community to improve access to sport, exercise and wellness. Hannah is a 2024 John Schofield Trust Fellow and was also named a 2022 Rising Star in Journalism by The Printing Charity. A keen runner, Hannah was firmly a sprinter growing up (also dabbling in long jump) but has since transitioned to longer-distance running. While 10K is her favoured race distance, she loves running or volunteering at parkrun every Saturday, followed, of course, by pastries. She’s always looking for fun new runs and races to do and brunch spots to try.