Train like Olympic hopefuls Kate and Isabelle with these exercise routines

Ever wanted to train like Olympic hopefuls Kate Shortman and Isabelle Thorpe? Well now you can!

The British duet have put together a range of workouts they carry out as part of their training programme for anyone to try out during the current national lockdown.

They focus on exercises for the glutes, core and a high intensity interval training workout.

You should only perform this programme if you are fit and healthy to do so and with parental permission if under 18.

Please make sure that the area you are using for exercise is suitable and clear of hazards.

Glutes

For this exercise, you can use a looped resistance band around the legs, just above the knees, to challenge yourself.

You can use a stronger resistance if you find it too easy or a lighter band/ no band if you find it too challenging.

It is good to start with a lighter band and work up to using a stronger one.

50 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest:

• Clams: Lying on your side, bend knees up to 90 degrees and open the top leg, engaging your glute muscles to lift.
• Straight leg raises: Lying on your side, keep your whole body in a straight line and lift and lower the top leg.
• Donkey kicks: On your hands and knees, lift one leg up behind you keeping it 90 degrees as you lift (do not arch your back when lifting the leg).

Repeat once on the right side and once on the left side.

Core

50 seconds exercise, 10 seconds rest:

• Plank: Make sure that the elbows are under the shoulders and the core and glute muscles are engaged the whole time, trying to create as straight a line as possible with the whole body.
• V-sit: Start lying on your back. Lift the feet and arms simultaneously to meet each other, keeping arms and legs straight. When the arms and feet meet, nothing except your glutes should be touching the floor.
• Side plank right side: Make sure that the elbow is under the shoulder and the core and glute muscles are engaged the whole time, trying to create as straight a line as possible with the whole body.
• Dish hold: Lying on your back with feet together and arms overhead in a streamline position, lift feet and arms 30 degrees off the floor. Keep the lower part of your back pressed into the floor.
• Left side plank: Make sure that the elbow is under the shoulder and the core and glute muscles are engaged the whole time, trying to create as straight a line as possible with the whole body.

Repeat as many times as you want. The duet normally do this twice.

HIIT workout (High intensity interval training)

Make sure that your body is warmed up before doing this workout. This workout is all body weight, no equipment is needed. It is supposed to raise your heart rate and work your whole body.

40 seconds exercise, 20 seconds rest:

• Burpees: Start standing up. Jump up then place hands on floor in front of you. Jump straight to a plank position, then jump feet back in towards your hands and stand up. Start again.
• Squats: Make sure when squatting not to arch your back, keep the core engaged. To make it harder, you can do jumping squats – jump as you extend your legs from the squat position.
• High knees: Running on the spot and lifting your knees to 90 degrees or higher.
• Press ups: Keep body in straight a line as possible when doing press ups. If it is too challenging, you can put your knees on the floor. You can choose to do wide press ups (hands wide, working the pectoral muscles) or narrow press ups (hands closer together, working the tricep muscles).
• Jumping lunges: Starting in a lunge position on the right side, jump to a lunge on the left side and continue to do this without stopping. If it is too challenging, you can eliminate the jump and just do normal lunges, alternating legs.

Repeat this five times – or more if you want.

• Swim England accepts no responsibility for injury sustained when performing these exercises and you undertake them at your own risk.