Inside Mark Owen's gruelling six month transformation as he 'loses 20 years' – 'I can't say it's been easy'

Take That's Mark Owen has revealed the secret behind his youthful transformation after he left fans swooning as he looked "20 years younger" during a recent TV appearance. Mark, 52, appeared to have turned back the clock as he ditched his moustache and long hair for a '90s curtains hairstyle - reminiscent of his early days with the band - on an episode of Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway.

However, the singer's impressive transformation didn't happen overnight. It has now been revealed that Mark trained at Ultimate Performance gym in West Hollywood, Los Angeles for around six months to get in shape for the band's latest tour, which is currently taking place with dates across the United Kingdom – tickets are on Ticketmaster here or on resale site Viagogo here.

Mark was all smiles in a video released by the gym as he worked on his bench press, lunges and sit ups, showing off his buff new physique in the process. See Mark's full training programme below.

Speaking about his intense training programme, Mark said: "It opens your heart, opens your body, your muscles... everything opens up more. It's really positive because you start to understand your body more, and the way your body works.

"I can't say it's been easy. It's been pretty tough. I feel stronger. I can feel my body vibrating - that's the sign that it's working.

"I thought I was quite fit until I came here," Mark laughed.

The star's gruelling upper body workout routine consists of exercises including chin ups, lateral raises and bicep curls, combined with cardio including uphill runs and sled pushes.

His LA-based trainer, Eddie Baruta, Global Head of Gym Floor Personal Training and Senior PT at Ultimate Performance, told OK! all about Mark's workout routine, including what he does to rest and recover in between sweat sessions.

"More rest is given to Mark in the exercises where the rep ranges are lower, given the high skill requirement for each and to allow time for his central nervous system to recover," he said. "This allows maximum performance in each set."

He added: "With all the lifts Mark is performing, there is a big focus on controlling the load (weight), both in the lowering of the movement (eccentric) and lifting component (concentric)."

Fans raced to the comments to congratulate Mark on all his hard work, remarking on his incredible transformation as they pointed out he'd never looked better.

One person said: "You literally look the best you’ve ever looked. I didn’t think you could top the Nobody Else tour - and here you are!"

Another fan wrote: "Wherever you got the motivation from, I need a bit of that! You look absolutely amazing!"

"I can confirm all that hard effort appears to have paid off after seeing you this weekend," added a third.

Inside Mark's Ultimate Performance Training Programme:

Mark’s Upper Body Regime:

Trainer Eddie says: "This workout is aimed at those who already have some experience in lifting weights and incorporates opposite muscle group pairings (agonist/antagonist), which is an ideal program for someone who has limited time to train, along with an intermediate training age."

A1 Flat Bar Bell Press 4x6 3111 90s

A2 Neutral Grib Chin Up 4x6 3111 90s

B1 Push-ups on paralletts 3x8-10 2111 60s

B2 Seated chest supported row with D-handles 3x8-10 2111 60s

C1 Lying lateral raise with cable 3x12-15 2111 30s

C2 Incline biceps curl with dumb bells supinated grip 3x8-10 2111 90s

Breakdown of the exercises:

Trainer Eddie says: "Both of these exercises are compound movements that work more than one muscle group at a time."

A1 Flat BB press 4x6 3111 90s: Works the pushing muscles of the upper body, including the pecs and triceps.

A2 NG chin 4x6 3111 90s: Works the pulling muscles of the upper body, including the lats and biceps.

B1 Push-ups on parallettes 3x8-10 2111 60s: Another upper body push movement. Parallettes are used in this exercise to ensure Mark achieves maximum range of movement with each rep.

B2 Seated chest supported row w/ D-handles 3x8-10 2111 60s: The use of the chest support helps Mark to remain stable while focusing on the working muscles of the upper and mid back.