As Olly Murs takes on one of the toughest physical challenges of his life – covering a gruelling 400km in five days by running, rowing and riding from Manchester’s Old Trafford to London Stadium in support of Soccer Aid for UNICEF – it’s fair to say the singer is currently putting his engine, legs and lungs through the wringer.

It’s on brand for a man who, when MH caught up with him last year, was already treating his body less like a pop star and more like an athlete.

When Murs’ nutritionist posted a before-and-after picture of the singer to Instagram in May of last year, he had no idea that he was about to spark a national debate. A viral X poll suggested that men overwhelmingly preferred the chiselled ‘after’ shot, while women leaned to the ‘before’. A civil war erupted online, breaking the confines of social media and making mainstream news. Murs says he was shocked at the response: ‘I didn’t expect it to go as viral as it did… I did it for my own wellbeing’, adding that some of the harsher critiques did get to him: ‘It definitely took the wind out of my sails. I hope my fans love me no matter what I look like.’

But one thing that went overlooked in all of the furore? Just how did the Dear Darlin’ singer achieve the divisively spectacular results?

Murs admits that he wasn’t starting from scratch on his fitness journey, having previously worked as a PT before The X Factor launched his music career in 2009. ‘Training was always there in the background, but I definitely lost my way a bit when the partying and touring started.’ But he says the real catalyst for change came when he became a father: ‘It wasn’t just about me anymore. I wanted to be a good dad. I wanted to have energy. I wanted to be able to run around and be active with my kid.’

On the surface, Murs’ training regimen looks hardcore: ‘I box twice a week. I do strength and conditioning twice a week. I do CrossFit twice a week. And I also run.’ But he stresses that for him the key to his success is consistency, not intensity, saying that although he trains most days, ‘It isn’t full-blown craziness. Sometimes it might just be a light run or a light workout. I listen to my body.’

Despite an admittedly mixed bag of training pursuits, there are some moves that are always on heavy rotation in Murs’ exercise playlist.

‘I love using my bodyweight, even just hanging to decompress the spine.’ At 41, he’s prioritising longevity – strict reps, varied grips, lots of quality. He’s also earned his way to burpee pull-ups and ring muscle-ups (a three-year project), favouring good positions over sloppy speed. ‘It’s not always about quantity – slow it down and you get more out of it.’

Rowing

Murs jokes: ‘Apart from the air bike, probably the hardest thing in the gym – and they’re always free, for good reason!’ Post-knee-reconstruction, rowing let him push his engine with zero impact and clear technique goals. He’s nerdy about his set-up – checking drag factor (around 120–130) and cycling between sprints and longer efforts. ‘I set myself a challenge in December to do 100k on the rower. It keeps me honest through Christmas.’

Clean and Press

A late convert to weights, Olly admits he once feared he’d ‘get too big’. He laughs at that now: ‘You don’t just wake up massive one day.’ A barbell clean and press is his full-body favourite. ‘It’s just such a good all-rounder – you’re deadlifting, then pulling, then pressing.’ Equal parts technical and primal, Murs says you have to earn the right to progress on this one: ‘I always tell people to seek guidance and get the technique spot-on first. Once you’ve nailed that, then you can start adding weight.’

When not slinging heavy tin around, boxing is Murs’ secret weapon – both for fitness and stage performance. ‘I box twice a week,’ he says. ‘Those three-minute rounds are basically a three-minute song – footwork, timing, lungs firing.’ Beyond the cardio hit, it sharpens his rhythm and stage presence. ‘It mirrors what I do live – you’ve got to stay light, keep your composure and push when you’re tired.’ He mixes bag work, pads and conditioning drills to keep it fresh. ‘It’s the hardest thing I do, but the most rewarding. I come out drenched, but buzzing – and that carries straight into my shows.’

Olly’s nutrition turned a corner when performance became the goal. His nutritionist, Greg Marriott, watched a rehearsal and was ‘shocked’ by the workload: ‘He said we needed to treat my nutrition like I was an athlete.’ Think high protein, fuelling up before showtime, electrolytes and smart carb-reloads after. ‘I used to come off stage and eat whatever was in front of me. Now I treat it like pre and post-workout.’

A normal day looks like oats or bagels, eggs and salmon with avocado pre-session; a shake after; lunches heavy on protein, carbs and veg; wraps or bagels for convenience; flavour intact, sauces sensible. Crucially, he enjoys it. ‘This is me for life.’ And he’s not living like a monk: ‘If we’re going out tonight, I’m going to enjoy myself. It’s all about balance.’

Move Every Day

Even if it’s just a walk, a light run or some stretching, Olly keeps the streak alive. ‘As soon as I come out of that routine, the bad habits creep in’.

Form Over Ego

He’s big on mastering technique before chasing weight or volume. ‘It’s not just about loading it up and going crazy. I like to keep it clean and technical, really get the form right’.

Train Hard, Recover Harder

Training isn’t just about the grind – recovery is half of the job. Olly uses a WHOOP band to track his recovery and adjusts the intensity when his body needs a lighter day.

Eat Like an Athlete, Cook Like a Chef

Olly’s meals may be strategically timed around training and shows, but eating is never a chore – ‘It’s not about eating boring food. I still have flavour in everything – I just make better choices’.

Keep It Playful

Mixing boxing, CrossFit, running and lifting keeps motivation high. ‘It doesn’t feel like a chore when you’re doing boxing, or you’re rowing, or you’re playing football. It feels like you’re a kid again.’

With almost 18 years in the health and fitness space as a personal trainer, nutritionist, breath coach and writer, Andrew has spent nearly half of his life exploring how to help people improve their bodies and minds.    

As our fitness editor he prides himself on keeping Men’s Health at the forefront of reliable, relatable and credible fitness information, whether that’s through writing and testing thousands of workouts each year, taking deep dives into the science behind muscle building and fat loss or exploring the psychology of performance and recovery.   

Whilst constantly updating his knowledge base with seminars and courses, Andrew is a lover of the practical as much as the theory and regularly puts his training to the test tackling everything from Crossfit and strongman competitions, to ultra marathons, to multiple 24 hour workout stints and (extremely unofficial) world record attempts.   

 You can find Andrew on Instagram at @theandrew.tracey, or simply hold up a sign for ‘free pizza’ and wait for him to appear.