Fitness guru Joe Wicks energised festival-goers to set them up for an "amazing day of dancing" as he led the first-ever high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workout at Glastonbury. Taking the stage at The Gateway on Friday at midday, the 37-year-old Body Coach guided thousands through a warm-up and a 25-minute workout.
Before taking to the stage, he told the PA news agency, "I love this. This is my favorite thing to do, live events, and especially bringing people of all different ages together for exercise, so I'm hoping that we get everyone moving, get the old star jumps going, and then they all leave with a big smile on their face."
When asked about the participants who may have been indulging in the festival atmosphere for the past few days, Wicks replied, "Exercise, whatever mood you're in, always boosts your mood, it helps you feel calmer, a little bit less stress. So hopefully, everyone who is a bit hungover will walk away with a little bit more energy and everybody's going to have an amazing day dancing around the festival."
Revealing how he ended up leading the exercise session, Wicks shared his approach to the festival organisers after purchasing his own tickets. "I Instagrammed Glastonbury - didn't get a response, I tweeted them - never got a response," he recalled. "I found an email address and I said I'd love to do it, and they found this stage, and I thought, 'What an amazing thing to say, I came to Glastonbury for the first time and led a workout.' So this is a world's first - they've never done a HIIT workout here, so we're going to be the first to ever do it - it's amazing."
Starting with a warm-up stretch, Wicks led the crowd in squats, high knees, and lunges. The 25-minute exercise routine that followed was described by Wicks as "family-friendly" and "very accessible." Attendees showcased their unique styles, with outfits ranging from sequined skirts to kilts, and some even embraced fancy dress, with a group of friends donning Where's Wally costumes to sweat it out together.
Wicks also expressed his excitement for upcoming performances, mentioning multi-instrumentalist Fred Again, Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy, and the legendary Sir Elton John, who is set to headline on Sunday. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the fitness coach gained fame with his PE With Joe YouTube videos, attracting millions of viewers worldwide.
