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Dame Helen Mirren, 79, does this 12-minute military workout every day

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Dame Helen Mirren, 79, does this 12-minute military workout every day

Dame Helen Mirren‘s illustrious career has seen her take the spotlight both on screen and stage, but she recently revealed the long-standing military workout she’s been doing for the past 60 years behind the scenes, too.

The actress, who turns 80 in July, told Women’s Weekly that she was ‘a big believer in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) women’s exercise regime, which is 12 minutes’. Called XBX (ten basic exercises), the programme first gained popularity in the late 1950s when it was developed by Dr Bill Orban to improve the fitness of females in the Air Force. According to the XBX plan pamphlet, over 600 girls and women participated in the project’s creation. ‘[Exercise] doesn’t mean joining expensive gyms‘, Helen said.

The programme aims to increase muscle strength and endurance, flexibility and the efficiency of your heart.

The original military programme

The XBX plan is composed of four charts of ten exercises, arranged in progressive order of difficulty.

The charts are also divided into levels – 48 levels in total, 12 in each chart. ‘The time limit for each exercise remains the same in all charts, but the number of times the exercise is performed increases at each level within each chart’. For example, in Chart II, you perform exercise 2, 12 times at level 18, but 14 times at level 19.

helen mirren workout

The University of Waterloo

Chart II levels and reps

All four charts follow the same exercise format:

  • Exercises 1-4 are to improve flexibility and mobility, and to serve as a warm-up. (Time: 2 mins (30 secs each))
  • Exercise 5 is for ‘strengthening the abdominal region and the muscles at the front of the thighs‘. (Time: 2 mins)
  • Exercise 6 works the muscles of ‘the back, the buttocks and the backs of the thighs‘. (Time: 1 min)
  • Exercise 7 ‘concentrates on the muscles of the sides of the thighs’. (Time: 1 min)
  • Exercise 8 is ‘primarily for the arms, shoulders, and chest’. (Time: 2 mins)
  • Exercise 9 is for ‘flexibility in the waist and for strengthening the muscles of the hips and sides’. (Time: 1 min)
  • Exercise 10 is for ‘the conditioning of the heart and lungs’. (Time: 3 mins)

‘Do not move up to the next level until you can do your present level, without excessive strain or fatigue, in the 12 minutes’, XBX instructs.

Dame Helen’s workout

It seems that Helen favours working out using Charts I and II.

Chart I

  • Exercises 1-4: toe touching, knee raising, lateral (side) raising, arm circling
  • Exercise 5: partial sit-ups
  • Exercise 6: chest and leg raising
  • Exercise 7: side leg raising
  • Exercise 8: knee push-ups
  • Exercise 9: leg lifting
  • Exercise 10: run and hop
helen mirren workout

The University of Waterloo

Chart I exercise 6

Chart II

Chart II’s exercises are the same as Chart I except for the following:

  • Exercise 5: rocking sit-ups
  • Exercise 9: leg overs (similar to side-lying thoracic rotation stretch)
  • Exercise 10: run and stride jumping

‘It is an exercise regime that starts from very low and easy, then if you follow it through it can become quite difficult,’ she said. ‘I’ve never gotten past the second level, but it’s a nice little exercise programme.’

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