Emma Willis' PT swears by this gym workout to build functional strength - here's how to do it

Strictly Come Dancing presenter Emma Willis is on our screens every week, but even with a busy TV career and a family life to juggle, the 50-year-old finds time for strength training.

The star has been working out with friend and celebrity personal trainer Rob Solly for decades. The PT told Women's Health that they focus on improving strength with weights, plyometrics, and brief high-intensity periods, mixing it up depending on Emma's schedule and how hard she wants to push herself.

The pair aim for progressive overload (making exercise harder as you get stronger), but stay adaptable, and the trainer prioritises functional movement patterns to "make the body as resilient and functional as possible."

The trainer shared one such workout on his Instagram, calling it the "the @emmawillisofficial workout". It uses dumbbells, cardio exercises like rowing and boxing, and various mobility movements to strengthen and stretch. Here's how to do it...

1. Deadbug with Swiss medicine ball

• Lie on a yoga mat with your knees bent at 90 degrees, so your shins are parallel to the ceiling. Hold a Swiss ball between your knees and hands, with arms pointed up.
• Press your lower back against the mat and brace your core.
• Press your left hand and right knee firmly into the ball, and slowly straighten and lower your opposite arm and leg towards the floor.
• Return to the starting position of this dead bug exercise and repeat on the other side.

2. Rowing

• Complete a short workout on a rowing machine.
• Rob doesn't specify how long Emma rows for, so try for 10 minutes to warm up your muscles before moving onto the next exercise.

3. Kneeling med ball throws

• Kneel on your mat with your knees hip-width apart. Grab a medicine ball with both hands and hold it at chest level.
• Keep your body upright and core braced.
• Hinge slightly at the hips, bring the medicine ball down to your left hip.
• Drive the ball and throw it to your right side as hard as you can, following through with your hands.
• Repeat on both sides.

4. Elevated pigeon stretch

• Find a stable bench, chair or box and raise one leg up into the pigeon stretch position, resting on the top.
• Reach forward and bring your body as close to your bent leg as you can, stopping if there is any discomfort.
• Hold for a couple of seconds, then repeat.
• Repeat on both sides.

5. Groin kettlebell stretch

• Kneel on your mat and extend on leg out to the side at 90 degrees. Place your foot flat on the floor and hold a light kettlebell out in front of you.
• Keep your body tall and brace your core, keeping your hips slightly forward to keep your spine neutral.
• Squeeze the glute of your kneeling leg. Shift your body weight towards the extended leg.
• Keep going until you feel a stretch.
• Hold for a couple of seconds, then repeat. Repeat on both sides.

6. Swing, catch, squat, press

• Emma does this exercise with two dumbbells, but you can also do it with a kettlebell.
• Hinge at your hips (by pushing them to the back of the room), bringing the weights between your legs. Drive your hips forward with power and float the weight to your chest height.
• As the weight reaches chest height, pull it towards you, 'catching' it securely.
• Keep the weight close to your chest, bringing your shoulder blades back and down, bracing your core.
• Come down into a squat, pushing your hips back and making sure your knees move in line with your toes, pointed slightly out. Drive back up to standing.
• As you reach the top of your squat, press the weights above your head.
• Bring the weight down slowly to return to the starting position.

7. Lunge with lateral fly

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart on your yoga mat. Grab two fairly light dumbbells.
• Take a step forward with one foot and bend both knees so your back knee is parallel to the floor. Your front knee should also be bent.
• As you sit in this static position, raise the weights to the side of your body in a lateral raise.
• Complete two lateral raises for every lunge, making sure to switch legs.

8. Jumping half lunges

• Stay in the lunge position, bringing the weights up to your shoulders, stacking them securely.
• Jump between legs, switching lunge positions.

9. Push-ups and pull throughs

• Come down into a plank position on your mat, setting up for a press-up. Put a dumbbell or kettlebell next to you, within reach.
• If you can't do a full press-up, bring your knees to the floor to support yourself.
• Complete one press-up and at the top, drag the weight from one side of your body to the other.
• Repeat the movement, then drag it back.

10. Boxing

• Rob and Emma finish off their workout with a round of boxing, which you can do with a partner or on a bag alone.

Emma is clearly dedicated to weight training, describing her focus on lifting as a "real switch" in her mentality once she reached her 40s in the interview with Women's Health. However, she also told Women's Fitness that while strength training and Reformer Pilates were favourites, she could "go days without doing any exercise" when she's busy.

"My best tip is not to beat yourself up if you don’t get round to exercising. I’m someone who enjoys reformer Pilates and weight training, but I can go days without doing any exercise when life is busy, so if you are the same, don’t feel guilty at all," she said.