{"id":873543,"date":"2026-10-07T04:36:10","date_gmt":"2026-10-07T04:36:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/873543\/"},"modified":"2026-10-07T04:36:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-07T04:36:10","slug":"do-shorter-workouts-more-often-celebrity-pt-megan-roup-shares-her-simple-rules-for-lasting-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/873543\/","title":{"rendered":"‘Do shorter workouts more often’: Celebrity PT Megan Roup shares her simple rules for lasting fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"

Working out is something you’ll ideally do for the rest of your life, so finding a routine you genuinely enjoy is pretty important. I was reminded of that after taking a class with Megan Roup, founder of The Sculpt Society<\/a> (TSS).<\/p>\n

I’ve now taken her class twice, and both times I’ve left with a smile on my face. The sessions combine dance cardio<\/a> and Pilates<\/a> \u2013 in other words, really not my forte. But when it comes to TSS, that doesn’t seem to matter. The movements are fun, the classes fly by and, in Roup’s words, they’re ‘feminine and joyful, and athletic and empowering’ \u2013 a winning combination for anyone looking to build a workout routine that lasts<\/a>.<\/p>\n

At 40, Roup says TSS is a world away from how she exercised in her 20s.<\/p>\n

‘In my early 20s, I would be on a treadmill for hours just thinking about the calories I was burning,’ she tells Women’s Health. Back then, the mindset was ‘more is more’, she says. Now, she’s embraced the opposite approach.<\/p>\n

These days, she estimates she works out for around 20 minutes, three days a week, alongside the roughly 30-minute live class she teaches and one private client session each week. Roup, who recently launched her own Lululemon edit<\/a>, says doing less has ultimately made her more consistent.<\/p>\n

She trains celebrity clients including Kate Hudson<\/a>, Dakota Johnson<\/a> and Victoria’s Secret models Karlie Kloss, Miranda Kerr<\/a> and Jasmine Tookes. But, she says, the philosophy behind TSS is exactly the same whether you’re a Hollywood star or a subscriber working out from home.<\/p>\n

Here’s how Roup built a workout routine that lasts \u2013 and how you can do the same.<\/p>\n

Tune out the fitness noise<\/p>\n

There are countless opinions about the ‘best’ way to exercise, but Roup has a simple message.<\/p>\n

‘The best workout is the one you’re going to show up to,’ she says. ‘You have to drown out the noise because every year there’s going to be a new cycle of fad workouts and opinions on what we should and shouldn’t be doing.’<\/p>\n

Instead, choose something you genuinely enjoy, whether that’s running<\/a>, lifting heavy<\/a>, taking a sculpt class or trying something a little more unconventional.<\/p>\n

‘We want to move our bodies for the rest of our lives, so your workout needs to be something you enjoy,’ Roup says. ‘It needs to be a place where you feel seen, where you can come at different stages of your life and, most importantly, it needs to fit into your routine.’<\/p>\n

It may take a little trial and error, but once you’ve found something that ticks those boxes, start small and build from there.<\/p>\n

‘Movement is movement, period.’<\/p>\n

Allow your workouts to be imperfect<\/p>\n

It’s difficult to enjoy exercise if you’re constantly putting yourself under pressure to do everything perfectly.<\/p>\n

As I mentioned, dance cardio is far from my strength. But throughout the class, Roup repeatedly reminded us that all that really mattered was moving. You don’t have to nail every step to benefit from the workout.<\/p>\n

‘I really hated how other classes felt like you had to be a professional dancer,’ she says. That’s why, when creating TSS, she made a point of keeping the choreography approachable and reminding people they didn’t need a dance background to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

The same principle applies to almost any workout. You don’t have to be the fastest runner or lift the heaviest weights in the gym to make progress.<\/p>\n

Letting go of perfection makes exercise far more enjoyable \u2013 and, ultimately, much easier to stick with over the long term.<\/p>\n

Do shorter workouts more often<\/p>\n

If consistency is your biggest challenge, Roup has a simple solution: do less.<\/p>\n

The TSS platform is packed with workouts that take 20 minutes or less, and it’s an approach she follows herself.<\/p>\n

‘It’s all about committing to less, so I can show up more,’ she says, adding that she also schedules two rest days each week.<\/p>\n

With the right programming, shorter sessions can still be highly effective \u2013 and they’re often much easier to stick to.<\/p>\n

‘It builds that muscle of showing up for yourself every day,’ Roup says. <\/p>\n

What about the gains? Consistently showing up \u2013 even for shorter workouts \u2013 can still lead to progress, provided you’re following a structured programme. The key is making sure your muscles receive enough stimulus and you’re regularly including moderate- to vigorous-intensity cardio<\/a>, research suggests.<\/p>\n

Try Roup’s 6-move routine for when you’re short on time<\/p>\n

Asked what she’d do if she only had time for a quick workout, Roup shared this simple six-move routine.<\/p>\n

‘I like to hit multiple body parts, whether I have 10 minutes or whether I have 30-plus,’ she says.<\/p>\n

Her ideal workout combines cardio<\/a>, muscular strength and endurance and core work<\/a>. Typically, that means raising her heart rate first, moving into functional exercises such as lunges and squats, then finishing with mobility work alongside glute and deep-core exercises.<\/p>\n

‘That’s something I just have gravitated towards,’ she says. ‘It makes me look forward to a workout.’<\/p>\n

And that’s exactly the point.<\/p>\n

Here’s the routine she’d do if she only had time for a handful of exercises.<\/p>\n

\"Breaker\"<\/p>\n

Instructions: Complete each exercise for the prescribed number of reps before moving straight on to the next. Repeat the full circuit up to three times, resting as needed.<\/p>\n

Jumping jack<\/p>\n

How to:<\/p>\n

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and your arms by your sides.Simultaneously raise your arms overhead while jumping your feet out slightly wider than shoulder-width.Reverse the movement without pausing. That’s one rep. Complete 16 reps.<\/p>\n

Why she picked it: ‘It’s the perfect cardio burst to warm up your whole body before getting into the rest of the workout.’<\/p>\n

Curtsy squat with slider<\/p>\n

How to:<\/p>\n

Stand with your feet hip-width apart and place a slider underneath your right foot.Keeping your foot on the slider, sweep your right leg behind you into a curtsy squat, lowering as far as feels comfortable.Slide your foot back to the start to stand. That’s one rep. Complete 8-16 reps.Finish all your reps before switching the slider to your left foot.<\/p>\n

Why she picked it: ‘I really love blending in functional exercises like a squat or a lunge,’ Roup says. ‘I think that mimics [how we move in] everyday life.’ <\/p>\n

High plank crossbody mountain climber with sliders<\/p>\n

How to:<\/p>\n

Start in a high plank position with your shoulders stacked over your wrists, pelvis tucked, core engaged and toes on sliders.Keeping both feet on the sliders, draw your right knee towards your left shoulder. Return it to the start, then repeat on the opposite side, bringing your left knee towards your right shoulder.Return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Complete 8-16 reps.<\/p>\n

Why she picked it: ‘I love a slider and how it mimics a reformer Pilates class,’ Roup says. Sliders recreate some of the gliding movement of a reformer carriage, forcing you to stay controlled and stable throughout.<\/p>\n

How to:<\/p>\n

Start in a tabletop position with your wrists directly beneath your shoulders and your hips over your knees. Draw your belly button gently towards your spine.Keeping your back flat and your right knee bent at 90 degrees, lift your right leg out to the side until it reaches hip height (or as high as you can without your back rounding).Lower with control. That’s one rep. Complete 16-24 reps.Finish all your reps on one side before switching.<\/p>\n

Why she picked it: Fire hydrants move your hips through a large range of motion while forcing your pelvis and core to stay stable, helping improve hip mobility and control. ‘Mobility is really important for longevity,’ Roup says.<\/p>\n

Toe tap with a Pilates ball under hips and sacrum<\/p>\n

How to:<\/p>\n

Lie on your back with a Pilates ball positioned beneath your pelvis, supporting your hips and tailbone so your hips are slightly elevated. Place your arms by your sides with your palms pressing into the floor. Lift your legs into a tabletop position, with your knees bent to 90 degrees and stacked over your hips.Brace your core and, keeping your left leg still, slowly lower your right foot until your toes lightly tap the floor. Avoid arching your lower back.Return your right leg to tabletop, then repeat on the opposite side.Bring your left leg back to tabletop. That’s one rep. Complete 16 reps.<\/p>\n

Why she picked it: ‘To me, everything stems from the deep core<\/a>,’ Roup says. The unstable surface of the ball forces your deep core muscles to work harder to stabilise your pelvis as your legs move.<\/p>\n

How to:<\/p>\n

Stand with your knees slightly bent, holding a dumbbell in each hand. Hinge forwards from your hips, keeping your back flat and core engaged.Bend your elbows to 90 degrees, drawing your upper arms alongside your torso.Keeping your upper arms still, extend your elbows to press the dumbbells backwards until your arms are straight.Pause briefly, then slowly bend your elbows to return to the starting position. That’s one rep. Complete 16 reps.<\/p>\n

Why she picked it: Roup likes to include dedicated upper-body work in every workout. Triceps kickbacks are a simple way to target the backs of the upper arms while also challenging your core to maintain the hinged position.
<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Olivia Luppino is an associate editor at Women\u2019s Health. She reports, writes, and edits content ranging from service stories to in-depth features and awards packages across all verticals, including health, fitness, sports, and beauty.\u00a0While at WH, she\u2019s traveled to Paris, France to watch Faith Kipyegon attempt a sub-4-minute mile and covered major races like Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc in Chamonix. Olivia is a RRCA-certified running coach who is especially passionate about helping people start their running journey and is training for her second marathon. Her works also appears in New York Magazine\u2019s The Cut, PS (formerly Popsugar), and Salon, where she also did on-camera interviews with celebrity guests.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Working out is something you’ll ideally do for the rest of your life, so finding a routine you…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":873544,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[62],"tags":[205421,6837,367966,874,337,982,97,267116,2245,367965,316394,208724],"class_list":["post-873543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-collection-fitness-app","tag-content-type-default","tag-contentid-d401e27b-3cfb-41e2-ac8b-aadbb169e57f","tag-displaytype-standard-article","tag-fitness","tag-hasproduct-true","tag-health","tag-issyndicated-true","tag-locale-gb","tag-shorttitle-megan-roups-tips-for-a-lasting-workout-routine","tag-sponsored-false","tag-subsection-workouts"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=873543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/873543\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/873544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=873543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=873543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=873543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}