We caught up with the singer and personal trainer and asked her to show us the best moves for killer arm definition
She’s the pop star with the megawatt smile who stole our hearts in 2014 when she sang Bruno Mars’ Uptown Funk on X-Factor and last year showed us how to conquer the jungle in I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here. But a quick scroll through her Instagram page reveals her other major passion: fitness. She’s now a qualified Level 3 Personal Trainer and last year launched her own fitness venture, W8 Gym (pronounced Weight Gym, not like the Kensington and Chelsea postcode), a portable gym-in-a-box.
She's now partnered with a beach resort in Antigua, the St James Club, which offers in-room video workouts specially created by Fleur or daily beach classes with the hotel's PTs using the W8 Gym.
We caught up with her at the launch to quiz her on all things wellbeing and to test the 5-step workout for sculpted arms she has created especially for Get The Gloss. If you don't have a W8 Gym, you can use dumbells, kettlebells and resistance bands. And the best news? You can work out i n front of Netflix as Fleur does at home.
So what did we learn from working out with Fleur?
She eats really healthily (most of the time)
“I drink so much water. I am that person on a plane where I’ll keep asking for water and they end up giving me a bottle. But it does help to flush out all the toxins in your body. When it comes to food, you shouldn’t deprive yourself. I do tend to eat healthily because I know it is good for me. But if I want to eat something sugary or 'unhealthy' I’ll just make sure it’s not every day. I don’t eat a massive slice of cake every single evening. I’ll have it once and a while, but as long as you’re working out and feeling fit, I’d say go for it.”
Brightly coloured fitness kit gets her out of bed each day to work out
“Everyone goes through peaks and troughs on their fitness journey. I have periods where I’m out of the game for a good month. But the one thing that helps to motivate me is when I put my workout gear at the foot of my bed. In the morning, before I’ve done anything, I’ll put my kit on and I’m ready to go. I am absolutely loving Adidas’ Seamless Collection at the moment, as well as Gymshark’s brightly coloured kits. If you have a good kit that makes you look and feel good, that helps to motivate you to get moving.”
She loves HIIT training
“I like doing things in bursts. So if I run, I’d rather do sprints. But when I’m using the W8 Gym, I like to use the whole unit in my workout, so that ranges from doing step ups and push ups to bicep and tricep curls. The box is so versatile with equipment in there that can be used for anything.”
Jessica opens up the W8 Gym
... and this is her 10-minute circuit for strong and super-toned arms
You can use a kettlebell or dumbells in place of the W8 Gym. Do as many reps of each as you can in 30 seconds, rest for 30-seconds and repeat 3-5 times.
1. Upright Row
"Stand with your legs at a comfortable distance apart - shoulder-width is about right. Standing up straight, adjust your grip so your hands are comfortable on the W8 Gym handles. Breathe in and brace your abdominals, keep your back straight, chest up and eyes faced forward. This exercise works your deltoids (shoulder muscles), biceps and trapezius (upper back)."
2. Bicep Curl
"Keeping the same stance as your upright row, grip the W8 Gym handles on either side so you’re arms are comfortable. Breathe in, brace your abdominals and keep your back straight, chest up and eyes forward. This exercise focuses on your biceps and core muscles."
3. Push Up
"Great for both your core and arms, the W8 Gym’s handles [or dumbbells] help to keep you in the correct form if you are new to push-ups. If you have weak wrists, it is perfect because it helps to stabilise you. Your stance should be the same as if you were to do a plank, breathe in and gently lower yourself down with your arms bent close to your body."
4. Resistance bicep curl
"Using resistance bands, this exercise is a great way to strengthen your arms without using barbells or dumbbells. Stand up straight holding the W8 Gym or kettlebell at arm's length. Keep your arms close to your torso. Keeping your upper arms stationary, exhale and curl the weight up contracting your biceps."
5. Resistance tricep curl
This is another exercise which utilises the resistance band to help your triceps to engage and strengthen your arms without weights. Stand up straight with feet hip-width and toes pointed out. Push the handles of the resistance bands overhead while keeping a bend in the elbow. Be careful not to arch your back. Slowly lower your hands behind your head using only your forearms. Focus o the tension in your triceps (the muscles at the back of your upper arm)."
Customers booking a Royal Suite category room will have use of W8 Gym as well as having their own delivered to their home free of charge on their return. A 7-night stay on an all-inclusive basis at Elite Island Resorts St James’s Club & Villas, Antigua based on two sharing costs from £1,592 per person including return economy flights from London. Visit www.eliteislandholidays.com/w8gym