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HAPPY FEET
Strictly’s Karen Hauer’s dance-inspired workout will get you fit in eight weeks
I LIKE to think I am fairly confident when it comes to working out.
I know my burpee from my squat jump and can drop and give you ten mountain climbers without having to think twice.
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When I was asked to catch up with Strictly Come Dancing’s Karen Hauer to try out her new dance-inspired workout, I thought it would be a walk in the park.
I could not have been more wrong. After 30 minutes’ swapping high knees for high kicks and chin-ups for Charlestons, I was exhausted.
We are used to seeing Karen strutting her stuff on the ballroom floor. But now she has put her expertise in the world of fitness into her new eight-week fitness plan — Hauer Power.
The workouts are equipment-free and designed to get you fitter, stronger and bursting with all the positive energy of Strictly in less than an hour. And if you think you can’t dance, who cares? You can do all Karen’s workouts at home with the curtains closed and the music turned up loud, so you can shake it all about like no one is watching.
Karen, 37, who has been a professional dancer on the BBC show for eight years and is the ex-wife of fellow dancer Kevin Clifton, says: “A lot of people say it looks so effortless, but there is nothing easy about dancing.
“It’s a full body workout in every sense. The myths about dancers are that we don’t lift weights and we look pretty. But we are athletes and we put our bodies through a lot of hard work to create that effortlessness.”
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Karen — who lives in South London with boyfriend, opera singer David Webb, 35 — says dance can help you lose your inhibitions and, as the Strictly curse has proved, help you connect with those around you, too. She says: “Dance brings people together. If you think about it, the dancefloor is where people used to meet future husbands before the world of Tinder.
“Yes there is the ‘Strictly curse’ as people call it, but it’s a beautiful thing. There is so much more than just dancing with someone.”
But with so many other home workouts on the market, why is Hauer Power different?
Karen says: “We see a great evening out as one we’ve spent dancing. I’m bringing that to exercise.
Buzzing with pride
“If you love dancing, you can just say, ‘I’m going to dance with Karen today’. Just calling it that, instead of a workout, can make a difference.”
But what is important to Karen is emphasising how dance can work your mind as well as your body.
Karen — who was partnered with comic Chris Ramsey in last year’s Strictly — says: “Often, when we go to the gym, we will throw our bodies to the floor and do a burpee without thinking about how we get there. When you dance, you have to think about your whole body, from your little finger to your hips to your feet and how they move in sync. It’s a lot of multi-tasking and helps your body to connect to your mind.”
And when I find myself standing next to Karen, attempting to copy her demonstration of a paso doble, I understand exactly what she means.
When I do a normal workout, I don’t think what my hands are doing or whether my arms look elegant. But as I Charleston, I’m concentrating on everything and it’s no mean feat.
Still I persevere and ten minutes later, when I manage to complete a full-circuit routine, I’m buzzing with pride, convinced I’m only one jive away from being signed for Strictly.
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Then I see how high Karen kicks her leg in our next move and I realise I might be a way off yet.
If you have tried a multitude of different workouts over the years, why not give this one a try?
Put on your favourite dance music then perform each move for 40 seconds, then do 20 seconds rest.
Do three laps in total.
Rockette
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CAN-CAN it out by first lifting your right leg off the floor with a bent knee.
Quickly touch the right toe back to the floor before powering up and kicking the right leg up as high and as straight as you can.
Swap sides and repeat.
Twist
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START with feet wider than hip distance and arms bent at the elbows, palms facing down.
Taking the weight on to your toes, twist your heels to the left, your knees to the right and your hands to the left.
Swap to the right and keep working through the movement.
Squat
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TAKE a really wide stance and sit into a squat. Throw your left arm forward into a punch, with your right arm bent into your side.
At the same time, lift your right heel off the floor. Then switch.
Paso
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TAKE a step out to the side with your left leg and bend slightly at the knee while lengthening and straightening the other.
Bring your left arm up and bend it slightly while the other comes out and across the body into a paso doble stance.
From here, quickly switch over to the same stance on the opposite side. Repeat.
Jive burpee
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PLACE your hands on the floor in front of you.
Quickly kick back your legs into a high plank. Jump your feet forward and jump up into a standing position.
From here, you twist the body to the side, come on to your left foot and then kick your right foot quickly out to the side four times.
Swap and repeat on the other leg before starting again from the plank position.
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Charleston
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BEND your left knee and bring your right foot off the floor, with knee bent, and then bring your right foot out to the side while also bringing your elbows to shoulder height with a bend in the arms, with your palms facing down.
From here, step the right foot in front of you with the toes turned out to your right and bend both knees. Keep your elbows tight to your sides and jazz hands out.
Repeat back to start, then plant your right foot behind. Work through this dance move.
- The plan is currently on offer for £15 and can be joined at .
Strictly’s Chris Ramsay and Karen Clifton dance the Tango
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