9 How Joe Wicks got the nation jumping
As Joe Wicks finds himself newly crowned as the nation’s PE teacher, he tells Annie Vischer how we can all get our daily dose of endorphins at home
A LIVE YOUTUBE workout by online fitness superstar Joe Wicks was streamed daily at 9am by almost a million households last week. ‘It’s going mad, isn’t it!’ pants Joe as he catches up with Grazia straight after his latest session. The idea for online PE classes took shape after the cancellation of a planned tour around UK schools. Joe was on a mission to educate kids about fitness and healthy living when the pandemic put paid to his plans.
‘The idea for PE With Joe popped into my head the night my UK tour got cancelled a couple of weeks ago.’ Talk about turning lemons into lemonade: as soon as word spread that Joe Wicks, of Lean In 15 fame, was serving up child-friendly exercise lessons every day, Youtube subscriptions went through the roof (they now stand at nearly 2 million).
‘The beauty of what I do is that it can be done anywhere, with very minimal equipment. All you need is a tiny area where everyone can get involved, where you can do squats, running on the spot, press-ups... you really don’t need a lot of space.’
What about clothes? Do you need any special fit-kit to work out at home? ‘There are no rules, wear whatever you feel comfortable in. If you’re working out on the carpet, you can even go barefoot.’ Joe joked in one of his live videos that you could do it ‘in your pants, if you want’. Cue the giggles of a million kids halfway through their bunny hops. ‘I like to try and make them laugh,’ he grins.
It’s not easy to get motivated when working out at home, particularly when you’ve got kids. But Joe is keen to stress that pressing play is the hardest part. ‘Just pick a workout, get it going and I’ll motivate you through the rest. If you’re not into my style of training and fancy something a bit slower, maybe a bit of yoga, there’s so much good content out there.’
So are the PE With Joe workouts just for kids? There might be a few former gym-bunnies who’d instinctively swerve them, assuming it’s not a ‘proper’ workout, but Joe assures us that anyone will feel the benefits. ‘People ask whether these classes are enough, and the answer is yes, if you work hard for 25 minutes a day, it’s enough. I’m just doing my one workout with the kids each morning, and that’s enough for me,’ he says, adding, ‘If you have a garden, try and get outside to do your workouts, it really lifts your mood. Fresh air is important at the moment.’
With no clear end to the UK’S lockdown in sight, it seems that millions will be doing Joe’s live workouts for a while yet. And they’re in good company, with everyone from Emma Willis and family to the Rooneys and even Louis Theroux (who tweeted ‘feeling better now’ after doing PE With Joe) joining in. ‘I know this is a confusing time,’ says Joe, ‘but stay positive, stay optimistic and keep active. We’ll get through this.’ If anyone can beat a global pandemic with cheery optimism and boundless energy, it’s Joe Wicks. See you at 9am.
Follow Joe Wicks at @thebodycoach and stream or subscribe to Joe Wicks’ workouts at youtube.com/user/thebodycoach1