EIR + W8 GYM Collab With Fleur East | Behind The Scenes

Incase you missed my previous post, EIR (which stands for Elite Island Resorts) officially launched their exclusive collaboration with W8 GYM in May. I was lucky enough to take a trip over to St James’s Club in Antigua with Fleur East to take a first look at how the partnership would unfold.

The W8 GYM product was created by singer Fleur East and her cousins Nick Meaney and Clive Payne who were all with us in Antigua for the kick off. I even had some time allocated on the trip to sit down and chat (aka interview) with Fleur on any related subject… I’m not the most organised human being these days but lucky for me, the inspiration came to me about 15 minutes before I met Fleur; what better subject than to go behind the scenes, and delve into the business of fitness in respect of the EIR x W8 GYM collaboration… oh and take the opportunity to find out what Fleur’s favourite exercises are using the W8 GYM for some added workout motivation!

Shop The Fleur East Look In The SALE:

To give a little bit of context, given my age, I remember when Fleur was a contestant on The X Factor. In the years following, I also remember seeing her pop up on the social feeds training with Elite Evolution in East London. Thinking about this and the W8 GYM product made me curious as to how Fleur got into the whole ‘fitness thing’…

Fleur: I’ve always been really passionate about fitness and exercise. From a young age it was a part of my life; either my dad making me do push ups before I brushed my teeth, joining the netball team at school, running the 200m or even cross country! Eventually, I ended up doing dance which was amazing for my fitness but when I stopped that to do music full time, I wondered “what am I gonna do now?”.

I joined the gym at 21 as I needed to fill the fitness void left by dancing. That’s when I started training with friends and learnt about weight training. I had a group of friends who would join me in Green Park on Saturday mornings for a HIIT workout!

So it had never occurred to me before that Fleur would have any fitness qualifications even though I do remember her leading an awesome workout for the launch of W8 GYM back in the summer of 2018 in London…

Fleur: yeah, I did my level 2 a year ago, I’ve got to do my level 3 now. I wanted to have the knowledge because there’s so much advice out there and so many people doing fitness videos and all sorts. I didn’t want to be seen as just a celebrity trying to make money off of a piece of equipment. 

It’s a real passion of mine says Fleur… me and my cousins run the whole thing ourselves. We’ve invested our money into it and our time so this isn’t just a quick fix. We actually wanted to do it to spread the love of fitness to everyone else and to help people that are trying to start their fitness journey. 

Chatting to Fleur during the trip, it sounded like she did ALOT of travel. So I was curious to know how her music career fitted in with her passion for fitness…

Fleur: Well it kinda ties together because when I start my day with a workout I feel more energised and more inspired to be creative so it helps me when I’m writing songs. It also helps me when I’m on stage by building my stamina ‘cos I love to perform and dance so if I didn’t have my stamina I’d be out of breath by the second song!

…also having music to work out with is a big big thing like motivation.

Well, you don’t have to tell me! Music makes such a difference to the vibe when I’m teaching and when I’m running. Funnily enough, I bumped into Fleur a few weeks before we headed out to Antigua at the Adidas City Run. After telling me all about Boasty being her power song of the moment

Fleur: …when I was training for [the Adidas City Run], Boasty was on repeat. It’s just such a good song! I think it’s the pace of it that’s perfect for me, but yeah I think music is so important and also travelling with the W8 GYM has been a god send.

If you’re anything like me and barely watch TV you also might not have known that Fleur was on I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! …Having not watched it, I was curious to know how she kept fit in the jungle…

Fleur: I used to do fitness classes and train everybody! I used to stretch Harry Rednap out in the mornings and we used to do a circuit with logs. I’d carry logs up from the bottom of the creek and up to the camp. I’d just do everything physical to keep fit by moving.

Since coming out of the jungle, Fleur got engaged and her wedding is on the horizon. I needed to know where she stood on the whole body positivity movement vs ‘shredding for the wedding’…

Fleur: It’s just too much pressure! I’ve been keeping fit because I just wanna feel good on my wedding day but I haven’t said that I’ve got to be a goal weight or anything like that. If you’re working out to be a size I think thats the wrong motivation …you should do it for strength and for how it makes you feel. I just wanna feel good on my wedding day; I wanna feel healthy, fit and ultimately our wedding day is about getting married to the person that I wanna spend the rest of my life with… 

Last but not least, I asked Fleur what would be the one thing she’d share with someone who’s finding it really hard to get motivated to workout? 

Fleur: My favourite quote is “you don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great”. Just start, even if it’s something small like making the decision to walk to the train station one day instead of getting the bus, and get some steps in. 

Fleur’s Top 5 Exercises Using the W8 GYM

This kinda was like payback for Fleur putting us through our paces in Antigua. I asked her what her top 5 exercises were using the W8 GYM then I dropped the bomb that she would need to do them all for me so we would have the amazing pictures below. Now I’m thinking I should have videoed them – haha – next time! Here’s what she chose:

• Squat and press
• Push ups
• Burpee and press
• Sit up
• Leg raises

Shop The Look:

1. Squat and Press

You’ll need: weighted W8 GYM (optional)

Start in a squat position; as you come to standing lift the W8 GYM up and press above your head.

2. Push Ups

Start in a plank position holding the handles on each side of the W8 GYM. Lower your body in one go bringing your chest down towards the platform keeping your elbows tucked in towards your sides.

Wanna nail your press up? Read here for more information.

3. Burpee and Press

You’ll need: weighted W8 GYM (optional)

Read: How To Do A Burpee In 3 Simple Steps

4. Sit Up

You’ll need: weighted W8 GYM (optional)

Start holding the W8 GYM above your chest, keep your arms straight as you come up bringing you chest towards your knees.

5. Leg Raises

You’ll need: the ankle straps, resistance bands

Secure the ankle straps in place and attach the resistance band to the ankle straps on one end, and the W8 GYM the other end. Rest your head on the platform and hold the handles on each side of your head. Engage your core then lower your legs towards the ground keeping your lower back connected to the ground.

Try This Workout:

• 35 seconds of exercise
• 10 seconds rest
• 55 seconds of same exercise
• 20 seconds rest
• repeat with second, third, fourth then fifth exercise

These exercises are perfect for travelling, esp if you are taking a W8 GYM; just leave behind the (heavy) dumbbells and you’ve still got the (light) resistance bands to utilise without taking up your very restricted luggage allowance.

Love ’em?! Or hate ’em?! …do you even exercise when you’re on holiday? Leave your comments below or get in touch via Facebook, Twitter or Instagram which are all linked below too…

Elle

Due a vacation?! Elite Island Resorts have a launch celebratory offer – Customers booking a Royal Suite category room, will have a W8 GYM delivered to their home free of charge on return. A 7 night stay on an all-inclusive basis at St James’s Club & Villas Antigua based on two sharing costs from £1,592 per person including return flights in economy from London. For more information on this offer go to: www.eliteislandholidays.com/w8gym

p.s Safety always comes first. If you are new to exercise ensure you seek advice from your GP. Make sure you drink plenty of fluids, wear appropriate clothing and carry out drills in a suitable space. Technique is paramount, and nothing should hurt. Should you experience pain, discomfort, nausea, dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath etc, STOP and consult your GP.