King Charles’s morning routines have long been a subject of speculation – according to Prince Harry in his autobiography Spare, his father is fond of doing headstands in his undies.
But there’s another secret to the monarch’s slim stature – an exercise regimen devised by the Royal Canadian Air Force which takes only 11 minutes a day.
It seems to have stood the King in good stead – not only does he look in fine form for his 76 years, but he’s been able to resume royal duties while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.
Recently Charles’s former communications secretary Julian Payne revealed the King has begun his day with the exercises ‘for many years’, adding that he is ’extremely strong and fit for a man of his age’.
The exercise plan favoured by the King was put together in the late 1950s by Canadian fitness pioneer and civil servant Dr Bill Orban, who was given the job of designing a workout regimen for out-of-shape pilots – a third of whom were deemed not fit to fly.
His subsequent ‘5BX’, or five basic exercises plan, was based on the theory that it was the quality (not the quantity) that mattered – and it was such a hit that when it first came out in booklet form, it sold over 23million copies.
The guiding principles are that the five basic exercises – four for flexibility and strength (stretching, sit-ups, press-ups, back extensions) and one for aerobic fitness (running on the spot) – can be performed anywhere, in a small space and without equipment (making them ideal for pilots and, of course, busy Kings).
But can a 65-year-old workout – especially one that is so brief – really cut the mustard these days when it has to compete with a plethora of modern fitness regimens?
The King has begun his day with the five basic exercises (5BX) plan, a regimen devised by the Royal Canadian Air Force, for many years
Experts believe it can – and the science backs up the idea that there is benefit even from a few minutes of daily exercise.
A recent study by researchers at University College London and the University of Sydney, published in the journal Circulation, revealed that adding just five minutes of heart rate-raising activity to your day could lower your blood pressure and protect against cardiovascular disease.
The selling point of the 5BX workout is that it ‘trains the whole body, is progressive, can be done anywhere without any specific weights or machines, so there is no barrier to entry – everyone can do it,’ says Liam Grimley, a sports scientist and personal trainer.
So what does it involve, exactly?
‘The plan consists of two minutes of touching the toes, one minute each of sit-ups, back extensions [lying on your front, raising your legs and head off the floor], press-ups – and then six minutes of jogging on the spot, broken up with ten repetitions of an activity like scissor-jumps, where you stand with your right leg and left arm forward and then jump as you reverse position, and squat-jumps, where you jump up from a squat position.
‘It’s a really great plan with simple diagrams and that is why it endures,’ says Grimley.
Touching your toes gets your heart rate up, preparing the body for harder exertion.
‘You’re also warming tissues to avoid pulling a muscle,’ Grimley adds. ‘Then sit-ups, back extensions and press-ups are all example of exercises that utilise your own body weight to improve muscle strength.’
Liam Grimley, a sports scientist and personal trainer, says the 11-minute daily routine ‘can be done anywhere without any specific weights or machines, so everyone can do it’
Building muscle this way rather than using gym equipment brings its own benefits, says personal trainer and former police boxing champion Michael Baah.
‘Using your body weight – as you do with squats, push-ups and press-ups – is more achievable, and can be safer and more efficient than using gym equipment.
‘You’re less at risk of injury, because you will be working within your own limits.’
The final six-minute jog is interspersed every 75 steps with a high-intensity interval training (HIIT)-style exercise, such as scissor jumps or squat jumps (where you come down so your thighs are 90 degrees to the floor and then jump up), which builds cardiovascular fitness and stamina.
There are six different stages in the 5BX routine, each with progressively difficult modifications of each exercise.
For example, in stage one the sit-up is just head and shoulders off the floor and press-ups are done with your knees on the floor.
By stage four, that’s become a full touch-the-toes sit-up, and a press-up with hands out wide to the side.
And each stage has a progression in terms of the numbers of repetitions you do. For example, in stage one, you start with two press-ups – and progress to 13 – before moving up to the next level.
There are six different stages in the 5BX routine, put together in the late 1950s by fitness pioneer Dr Bill Orban, each with progressively difficult modifications of each exercise (File image)
Unsurprisingly for a military routine, there are rules: everyone starts at the bottom of chart one, from youngsters to flying crew, irrespective of fitness (the author is keen that no one ends up with sore muscles).
How fast you move through the levels depends on age, and the over-60s are recommended to take it slowly and spend at least ten days on each level.
Don’t be fooled by how easy it feels at the beginning, says Grimley: ‘It becomes very challenging.’
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Even so, many fitness experts think it provides the perfect workout for anyone, especially for those who are time poor.
‘If you were to do this over a long period of time your stamina and muscular endurance would improve, helping protect the spine and against falls,’ says Sergeant John Fleming, a personal training instructor with the Royal Regiment of Scotland.
‘While fitness has evolved since the 1950s, this routine is good because it’s rooted in the kind of functional fitness that a soldier or member of the military needs: developing the strong trunk required to carry heavy loads above your head and the ability to get off the floor or in and out of small spaces quickly.
‘It’s all about mobility, flexibility and building cardiovascular fitness.’
For Baah it’s the compound effect of doing it consistently that makes it work – ‘and mentally it’s easier to get your head around doing only 11 minutes daily.’
Over one week, that’s 77 minutes – which is the amount of vigorous exercise the NHS recommends.
Sgt Fleming says: ‘If you are starting from zero then following this programme will definitely improve your cardiovascular health.’
But he’d recommend adding more activity to the day, as he notes: ‘It’s well documented that the King, for example, is an avid walker. So he’s not limited to the 5BX plan – he’s supplementing it, if he is doing it every day, with walking.’