King Charles' strict daily 'strength' routine at 76 safeguards his health
Much has been made over the years of King Charles' impressive fitness levels, with Queen Camilla even going so far as to call him a "mountain goat" when talking about the speed at which he ascends hills.
With his 76th birthday fast approaching, King Charles could be forgiven for pulling back on his fitness regime, but it seems this is far from the case, with the monarch giving a rare insight into his daily workouts during an engagement on Thursday.
Speaking to sprinter Desiree Henry, King Charles revealed that he "exercises twice a day", performing "squats and does the pull-up bar" – impressive!
Keen to discover if his daily routine is part of the reason the royal is so sprightly in his seventies, we spoke to personal trainer Chloe Thomasfor her expert opinion.
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King Charles' pull-ups
"Pull-ups have lots of benefits such as improving our upper body strength, improving our grip strength, helping our shoulders and joint health and improving our core," Chloe says. "Doing pull-ups as we reach our 70s is important for small daily tasks - anything from opening jars to holding onto things for support. This is because pull-ups help grip strength."
His daily habit will improve the King's day-to-day life, too, Chloe says. "Improving our upper body strength also means that we can carry out daily activities, like carrying our shopping bags or reaching for things out of cupboards.
"Pull-ups can also help strengthen shoulder joints which then prevents any injuries which are quite common as we age. Pull-ups cause us to use our core and by improving our core strength, this helps protect our spine and reduces the risk of falling over."
King Charles has a history of back pain, following a dramatic polo accident in the 1990s, with Prince Harry sharing that his father "hangs upside down" each day to ease the ache, so his penchant for pull-ups is not entirely unexpected.
Chloe adds that pull-ups are helpful for our posture as we age, helping us to stand straighter, which can be an issue as we hit 70 and beyond – nobody wants a slouching King!
King Charles' squats
Most people associate squats with a peachy posterior, but they have huge benefits as we age, Chloe says.
"Squats are a movement that helps strengthen our legs, hips and our glutes, and this is really important as we get to our 70s to help us keep our independence for everyday activities such as simply standing up from a chair."
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She adds: "Having strong leg muscles in our 70s will also help prevent the risk of falling. As with other resistance exercises, squats can stimulate the release of growth hormone (GH) which plays a role in bone growth and maintenance.
"This is important as natural levels of these hormones decrease with age."
Chloe goes on to mention osteoporosis, a concern for Queen Camilla, whose mother and sister both suffered from the condition.
"Squats can slow down and prevent osteoporosis which is common as we get into our 70s."
Lastly, Chloe notes that squats help engage muscles around our knees, hips and ankles, which are common areas that tend to weaken as we age, so it’s important to keep them strong and flexible.
It sounds like King Charles is setting himself up well for a healthy decade and beyond!
