Hundreds descended on Cardiff to take part in a mass workout led by Joe Wicks, also known as The Body Coach. Around 800 fitness junkies young and old arrived at the Principality Stadium on Monday, August 1 to take part in the Cardiff leg of the PE with Joe 2022 tour.
The personal trainer has amassed millions of followers on social media by live streaming exercise routines and sharing nutrition advice. In March 2020, he launched his 'PE with Joe' series on YouTube, which aimed to keep children fit during lockdown - garnering millions of views worldwide and even a Guinness World Record in the process.
Eager attendees in the capital got first-hand experience of his famous online workouts. Armed with yoga mats and water bottles and donning colourful gym attire, they took part in a gruelling 45-minute HIIT workout led by Wicks on stage.
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The stadium grounds were transformed into a huge gym, as ticket-holders got hot and sweaty doing burpees, push-ups and star jumps. After the session, families were treated to a meet-and-greet with the fitness guru himself - which saw a huge queue snaking around the stadium - before he jetted off to his next location.
Speaking to WalesOnline ahead of the mass workout session in Cardiff, Wicks said he launched the tour last year to make the virtual experience an in-person reality for his viewers. The first round saw him travel to to six locations in six days, bringing fitness to over 6,000 participants and raising a staggering £50,000 for Children in Need. This year, the road trip will have seven stops, from Somerset to Perth.
"Although it's really tiring, it's also what really energises me, because it's real human inter-connection, where people tell me their stories. A lot of people get emotional because they got through a really difficult time and PE with Joe helped them," said Wicks.
"With social media, it's all digital - views and numbers - and you read comments, but comments don't come to life. But when someone looks you in the eyes and they're telling you you've saved their life, that for me is so incredibly inspiring and it keeps me going."
Explaining his passion to get people moving, Wicks said he strives to promote the benefits of exercise for mental health. "It's something I've always loved myself. As a kid, I realise when I look back, exercise was my therapy. I was dealing with some stuff at home that was so stressful, so overwhelming, that exercise was my way of dealing with that."
He also wants people to realise exercise can be "fun and playful" rather than something "regimented" that they dread, which is why his tour involves music and dancing. "I've always loved taking someone on a journey who is not that into exercise, or finds it difficult, to really loving it and falling in love with it," he said. "[The PE with Joe tour] is about community, it's about inspiring people, and hopefully they leave here thinking: 'This is a part of my life now.'"
He added that he loves seeing all ages - from toddlers to grandparents - taking part. "It's one of those things everyone can just have a little bit of fun with and have a go at." Sarah Evans, who came with her daughter Izzy, and Jenna Dash who came with her son George, from Cardiff, said it was their first time attending the PE with Joe tour.
"The kids absolutely adore [Joe Wicks]. I'm a primary school teacher as well, so he's helped me an awful lot any time I'm running out of lessons," said Jenna, adding: "The whole environment [of the tour] is so lovely. George is autistic and it's very inclusive - they've been so welcoming." Sarah added: "We're all active, and when we were in lockdown we used to do Joe every day and really enjoyed it."
Theresa Kenefick, Wicks' former Year 6 teacher at St Joseph's Primary School in his hometown Epsom, Surrey, had also joined the mass workout. She said Wicks had since come back to his old school and got the current pupils moving.
"He was a superb pupil, full of energy, going places - and now you can see why, because he's so committed. He's made such a difference to the children that we teach - he's an inspiration to them. We're really proud of him," said the 58-year-old, adding that she'd been "following him all the way" on his journey.
Kelvin Forster, his wife Nichola and their 7-year-old son Caleb husband travelled from from Porth in the Rhondda. The three of them did some of the PE with Joe workouts online through the lockdowns. Speaking to WalesOnline after the workout, Kelvin said: "It was amazing. I thought the workout was quite hard - it's really good though, and for all skill levels."
The tour began on Sunday, July 31, and will end on Saturday, August 6. With tickets costing £5 for children and £8 for adults, all proceeds of the tour will once again be donated to BBC Children in Need to help support children across the UK. Wicks has had the role of the charity’s School Ambassador since 2019.
It's not the first time Wicks has encouraged the capital to get moving. He came Cardiff for a 5k run with the public in October last year, and again in May this year. He also had some downtime in Wales post-pandemic and loved what he saw.
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