Joe Wicks hopes to set up Glastonbury for ‘amazing day’ with first HIIT workout

Fitness expert Joe Wicks has said he hopes his exercise session sets festival-goers up for an “amazing day dancing around” as he led the first HIIT (high intensity interval training) workout at Glastonbury.

The 37-year-old, who is also known as The Body Coach, took to the The Gateway stage on Friday at midday to guide thousands in a warm-up and 25-minute workout.

Ahead of the performance, he told the PA news agency: “I’m excited. I love this.

“This is my favourite 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 a big smile on their face.”

Asked how he feels attendees who have been partying the past few days will get on in the session, he 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.”

Introducing himself to the crowd, he revealed he was the one to approach the festival on Worthy Farm about leading an exercise session after he bought himself 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 hit workout here so we’re going to be the first to ever do it – it’s amazing.”

He started with a warm-up stretch with the crowds following his lead in doing squats, high knees and lunges.

They then performed a 25-minute exercise routine which Wicks described as “family friendly” and “very accessible”.

People came out in all attires for the event, with everything from sequinned skirts to kilts among the outfits, while others opted for fancy dress with a group of friends wearing Where’s Wally costumes to sweat it out together.

Wicks also revealed that he most looking forward to seeing multi-instrumentalist Fred Again and Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy as well as Sir Elton John’s Sunday headline set, describing him as a “legend”.

The fitness coach rose to fame during the Covid-19 pandemic with his PE With Joe YouTube videos that amassed millions of viewers worldwide.