Anyone who has watched Carrie Underwood perform live will understand why her exercise routine is so hardcore—it takes a huge amount of stamina and endurance, not to mention basic fitness, to perform on stage night after night. But how exactly does she do it? Underwood’s personal trainer breaks down exactly what her workouts look like, why they are so effective, and how the singer prioritizes her health and wellness. Read on to find out exactly how it’s done.
Underwood’s long-time personal trainer Eve Overland says the singer has an incredible work ethic when it comes to her training. “Even though the touring life is high-demand and schedules are crazy, we have a set routine and can guarantee that time together,” Overland tells Women’s Health. “Carrie prioritizes her time to work out. That is her ‘me time’ to do something she truly enjoys and to start her day on a positive note. Carrie is always up for a challenge… She loves to push her body. She continues to grow by trying new things and practices until it is mastered. She is a machine.” Here is part of Underwood’s routine Overland shared:
Warm up: 15-minute jog or hill walk
Cardio round: Perform 3-4 rounds—30 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest. Rest 30 seconds in between rounds.
- Toe taps
- Box squat
- Touchdowns
- Box jump
Superset #1: Perform 3 rounds, resting for 60 seconds between each round and 10 seconds (or longer if you need!) between each exercise. For bilateral exercises, don’t forget to repeat on left side before moving on.
- Pullup (5 reps)
- Kneeling single-arm cable lat pulldown on right side (10 reps)
- Renegade dumbbell row (10-12 reps)
- Right forearm plank thread-the-needle (30 seconds)
Cardio burst: Perform 1-3 rounds of the following move—30 seconds of work, 10 seconds of rest.
Underwood loves the physical benefits of her workouts, but also appreciates the mental ones. “It can be a challenge to exercise, especially when you’re having a rough year in the world,” she tells Prevention. “Yes, it would be easier to sit on my couch, but that’s not going to make me feel good and that’s not going to keep me healthy. I want to choose what’s best for me‚ so I just get up and do it… It’s so important on every level, not just from a physical standpoint because you want to do it to look good—that’s just a byproduct and it’s awesome when you’re feeling good about yourself—but for your mental and emotional wellbeing. Even if you’re getting up and going for a walk… there’s so many benefits to movement and working your body.”
So why are full-body workouts like Underwood’s so effective? “The benefits of working everything at once is you combine cardio and strength training which has been shown to increase fat loss, burn more calories and reduce heart health risk factors,” Chris Antoni, founder of Tailor Made Fitness, tells GQ UK. “If you can only get to the gym three times a week, this helps maximize workout efficiency by covering all muscles, and gives you greater flexibility and variation in your workouts.”
Whether at home or at the gym, make sure to incorporate a variety of movements into your routine. “Full-body workouts can be an effective way to build muscle and strength, especially for beginners or for those who are short on time and want to get a lot of work done in a single session,” Anthony Maritato, trainer and founder of PT database choosept1st.com, tells GQ UK. “It’s important to incorporate a variety of exercises and training modalities in order to achieve balanced physical development and avoid overuse injuries. Changing up your regular workout routine by doing a full-body workout every so often can give your body the stimulus it needs to work other muscle groups and spark new growth, and can help fight mental fatigue when you find yourself going through the motions.”
Writer Addison Aloian tried the full Underwood/Overland workout for herself and was surprised at how challenging it was. “Since I’m used to doing a lot of the same workouts each week based on my personal programming, I don’t always feel as exhausted as I’d like to,” she writes in an article for Women’s Health. “This workout was a breath of fresh air in that regard, though—with exhaustion comes actual results and strength. Not only did it incorporate a type of exercise I’m not used to doing as much (cardio), but the strength training exercises that I was used to doing were also harder than in my workouts.”