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Joe Wicks, the Body Coach, brings PE tour to royal Sandringham estate as hundreds take part in HIIT workout




Hundreds of people of all ages descended on the Sandringham estate today for a workout unlike any other as the man dubbed the nation's PE teacher brought his tour to West Norfolk.

Joe Wicks, also known as the Body Coach, is well-known for his 'PE with Joe' exercise videos which were enjoyed by hundreds of thousands of people across the globe throughout the Covid-19 lockdown.

The fitness coach, who has since been made an MBE for keeping the nation moving while they were stuck at home, guided the crowds on the royal estate through a 30-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout, before a Q&A and meet and greet with fans.

Joe Wicks arrives on the estate ahead of the event. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks arrives on the estate ahead of the event. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh

It was the fourth stop on his seven-day PE with Joe tour, which had already visited the likes of Cardiff and Oxford, while Leeds and Scotland are coming up later on this week.

Speaking to the Lynn News ahead of the outdoor group workout, Joe said: "We try to go to different parts of the UK, we try to hit towns and rural places that never might usually have an event or a big concert.

"It's nice to get families from different areas engaged, so it's not just about the big cities.

Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks with fans at the meet and greet. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks with fans at the meet and greet. Picture: Paul Marsh

"I love it because when I see the kids and the people that live locally that come, it's such a big day out for them, it's so exciting and they love it."

The 36-year-old said his favourite part of the PE with Joe tour is not actually the workout itself, but meeting the people, and there were plenty of them at Sandringham, with almost 1,000 waiting to meet him.

"What I've realised is, it's the stories, it's the connections that I need," he said.

"People that come, they just want to say thank you for PE with Joe and how much it meant to them.

Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
People of all ages got involved. Picture: Paul Marsh
People of all ages got involved. Picture: Paul Marsh

"That, for me, is the best part of the day. It's the longest part of the day but it's where I get to give people a hug or a high-five and we have selfies.

"I feel the impact that it really has and my work has on people."

Joe has since revealed on his Instagram that it was the longest he had ever spent at a meet and greet - a record of four hours and 41 minutes.

Joe Wicks speaks to the Lynn News ahead of the PE with Joe workout

Asked what he wanted people to take from the Mini-sponsored tour, Joe said: "I want people to firstly have fun and know that exercise doesn't need to be this punishing thing that we do.

"You can do it together with a family, it can be really fun, we can be silly, we can dance, let loose and be playful.

"I think that's the most important thing. I broke that barrier with exercise, that it's not just about pushing yourself physically and coming away from it feeling like it was really tough.

Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh

"You can actually have fun and you can walk away with a smile on your face, you can feel energised and happier.

"The second thing is that everyone feels welcome and special. Everyone I see for a photo, they feel like they're the only person that has met me today.

"That's my goal for the day."

Joe said he thought West Norfolk was 'spectacular' and that being surrounded by nature was 'good for the mental health'.

Children enjoyed the conga ahead of the workout. Picture: Paul Marsh
Children enjoyed the conga ahead of the workout. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh
Joe Wicks and his PE with Joe tour gets underway. Picture: Paul Marsh

And he revealed that he stayed on site overnight ahead of the event, in one of the apartments that used to be Prince Harry's when he was younger.

Joe was keen that people understand he is not monetising PE with Joe, as the tour is supporting Children in Need with proceeds going to the charity, and £40,000 has been raised so far this year.

"It's nice to think that kids and families are exercising, and raising money for other families who are struggling," he added.

"It's a great way of touring the country and meeting my community. I've got a lot of respect and thanks for Mini and everyone involved that can help me do this."

What brought the crowds in to take part in the PE with Joe tour at Sandringham?

Natasha Melluso, 36, had travelled an hour and a half with her children Rocco, 12, and Emilia, eight, from Sleaford, along with her friend Helen Dobson, 42, and her two children Seb, nine, and Frankie, four, to take part.

The friends, who had made the long journey as Sandringham was the nearest place to them hosting the tour, said they had started doing PE with Joe in lockdown.

"After that, we went on to do all the workout plans that he has done," they said.

Natasha Melluso, 36, had travelled an hour and a half with her children Rocco, 12, and Emilia, eight, from Sleaford, along with her friend Helen Dobson, 42, and her two children Seb, 9, and Frankie, four, to take part
Natasha Melluso, 36, had travelled an hour and a half with her children Rocco, 12, and Emilia, eight, from Sleaford, along with her friend Helen Dobson, 42, and her two children Seb, 9, and Frankie, four, to take part

"It started off with the children doing it. They were very eager to be here."

After the workout had finished, Natasha and Helen agreed that it had been a great event.

"We loved it, it was really special to do a workout with Joe here," they said.

"We really enjoyed it. I'm so used to him being on my phone, it doesn't really feel any different, but it's the first time we have done a workout together in the same place in the last two and a half years."

Mark and Jan Hutchings had made their way to the royal estate from Gedney.

Mark, 61, and Jan, 57, agreed that while they liked the fact that the tour was supporting Children in Need, they also felt it was good value for money at £8 for adults and £5 for children.

Mark and Jan Hutchings had made their way to the royal estate from Gedney
Mark and Jan Hutchings had made their way to the royal estate from Gedney

Following the workout, while Mark said he felt "knackered", Jan said it had been "great".

Jenna High and Sarah Bennett, both from Lynn, echoed others' thoughts as they said their families had enjoyed Joe's online workouts when children had to be homeschooled during the lockdown.

They had brought Betsy, Bonnie and Beau Hemeter, as well as Tommy Ransome and Ella Bennett, whose ages ranged between six and nine, with them for the day.

Betsy, Bonnie and Beau Hemeter, Tommy Ransome and Ella Bennett at the PE with Joe tour at Sandringham
Betsy, Bonnie and Beau Hemeter, Tommy Ransome and Ella Bennett at the PE with Joe tour at Sandringham

"As soon as we saw that he was coming here, we booked it straight away," they said.

"The kids are so excited. They wanted to be here at the crack of dawn."

Kate Chapman had made the journey to West Norfolk from Long Sutton for the event, with her two children Nancy, 12, and Peter, 10.

Kate said PE with Joe had been a 'bit of a lifesaver' for her kids during lockdown.

Kate Chapman had made the journey to West Norfolk from Long Sutton for the event, with her two children Nancy, 12, and Peter, 10
Kate Chapman had made the journey to West Norfolk from Long Sutton for the event, with her two children Nancy, 12, and Peter, 10

"I didn't realise this was happening till last week - I think we were some of the last to get tickets," she added.

"We thought we would come along, it was good fun during lockdown. I did appreciate all the things he did.

"The kids are quite keen to meet him. It's nice to see something like this here, just down the road."

Meanwhile, for the Brewer family, from Thetford, Joe's online PE classes had sparked a love of exercise for them all.

Mike Brewer had come to Sandringham with his wife Fliss, their daughters Harriet, 13, and Etta, nine, and his mother-in-law Mary Murfet, from Terrington.

Mike Brewer had come to Sandringham from Thetford with his wife Fliss, their daughters Harriet, 13, and Etta, nine, and his mother-in-law Mary Murfet, from Terrington
Mike Brewer had come to Sandringham from Thetford with his wife Fliss, their daughters Harriet, 13, and Etta, nine, and his mother-in-law Mary Murfet, from Terrington

"We were - as two separate households - both shielding at the start of the pandemic and doing PE with Joe," Mike said.

"It started with Fliss and Harriet at first, then the rest of us joined in.

"Through that period, where we couldn't see each other, Mary was on Zoom while we were doing it."

He said the 'bug had really bit' and they have since taken on other forms of exercise, such as running.

What did Lynn News' Rebekah Chilvers make of the day? Here, she gives her verdict

If you ever wondered what Joe Wicks' lasting legacy from his online workouts would be, you could just take a look at the crowds of hundreds of people at Sandringham today and see it for yourself.

They were all of differing ages and abilities, but what they all had in common was their excitement to see the man in person who had inspired them to keep moving throughout such a difficult time.

It was quite surreal witnessing the social media personality encourage around 1,000 others to do burpees, lunges and squats with Sandringham House as a backdrop.

Rebekah Chilvers meets Joe Wicks, the Body Coach
Rebekah Chilvers meets Joe Wicks, the Body Coach
Rebekah during the event
Rebekah during the event

But this is Joe Wicks, so there were of course 'Michael Jordans', 'kangaroos' and 'silly billy' moves too for the children to enjoy - the last of which saw him spur people on to freestyle dance. It was such a special experience.

Having done my fair share of Body Coach online exercise routines myself, I was used to his style of HIIT classes, so I had an idea of what to expect, as I'm sure most did.

With help from the humidity, I'd guess that most broke a sweat, as I definitely did, and, according to my Apple Watch, I burned 246 calories, so it was not a light workout by any means.

Rebekah Chilvers takes part in the workout .Picture: Paul Marsh
Rebekah Chilvers takes part in the workout .Picture: Paul Marsh

As always though, he suggested adaptations of moves for people wanting easier or more advanced options.

But what I didn't prepare for was the on-the-ground exercises, as I hadn't brought my mat and with it being in a field, I had to avoid some nasties around me. My own oversight!

All things considered, it was a fantastic event and it was brilliant to see so many people gather at such an incredible part of our borough to exercise together and say thank you to the person who, for many, inspired them to get moving.



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