While Song Joong Ki is famous for his stunning baby face visuals, he doesn’t shy away from training his body as a beast when a role demands so. If you’re also curious to know the secret behind Song Joong Ki’s enviable toned body, keep reading to know all about his workout routine and diet plan.
There’s a lot to admire about our favourite Hallyu celebrities. Apart from being the subjects of your nightly Netflix binge sessions, K-drama stars have achieved international stardom by ruling the luxury fashion space, skincare industry and even drawn the fancy of fitness enthusiast with their ‘gram-worthy bodies. One such South Korean heartthrob whose fitness we deeply admire (and are jealous of) is Song Joong Ki. Do you remember the headlines he made for his drool-worthy role as a military officer in Descendants of the Sun? He definitely caught our fancy!
In a career spanning more than 15 years, the Vincenzo star has kept himself fit and made sure that he looked suitable for whatever role he played. Before enlisting in the military service about a decade ago, Song Joong Ki was reportedly more into weight training and workouts. According to Health Yogi, he was also doing a lot of ice skating but it all came to a halt because of a knee injury. This is when he started indulging in exercises like Pilates. Believe it or not, the actor also does his everyday house chores that help him burn a lot of calories. Here are Song Joong Ki’s fitness secrets for the perfect fitspiration.
Follow Song Joong Ki’s workout and diet plan to stay in shape
Pilates
The Arthdal Chronicles star is built to impress, and it’s partly owing to Pilates. According to Koreaboo, the actor mentioned in an interview that he does Pilates every morning. “I actually started it for recovery purposes because I hurt my knee in the past. But now, my heart feels refreshed when I do Pilates every morning,” he added.
We’re sure you must’ve seen many people on social media doing Pilates on those complicated-looking reformer machines. But what is it about this exercise that many celebrities and fitness enthusiasts religiously swear by?
Promoted and popularised for its ‘long, lean, and sculpted’ aesthetic, there’s a huge misconception that Pilates is solely for women. Let’s break your bubble right here. Pilates can be practised by anyone regardless of gender, age, race, size, ability or fitness level. According to Healthline, the Pilates repertoire is made up of 600 exercises and variations. Whether you have a sedentary lifestyle, are pregnant, have anxiety or are a professional athlete – there’s something for everyone when it comes to Pilates.
What is Pilates?
It is a whole-body exercise, in which you perform a series of controlled movements to improve daily activities and livelihood. While it works your entire body, the movements are targeted at your core muscles, including abdominal muscles, hip muscles, gluteal muscles, lower and upper back muscles and inner thigh muscles. Pilates requires immense concentration and focus, because you’ve to carefully move your body through precise ranges of motion. It comprises a variety of exercise sequences, performed in low repetitions, usually over a period of 45 to 90 minutes.
Benefits of Pilates
Increased core strength: Having strong core muscles promotes better posture, helping you release the muscle tension that builds up in day-to-day activities. Pilates targets your core — the centre of the body from which all the movements stem.
Boosts the body’s ability to burn fat: By building muscle, Pilates increases your body’s basal metabolic rate — which is the rate at which your body burns calories while at rest.
Prevention of injuries: By enhancing strength and flexibility as well as developing dynamic strength, Pilates helps you better support and stabilise your joints while moving.
Increases energy: By focusing on your breath and controlled movements, Pilates boosts cardiorespiratory capacity. With the release of feel-good hormones and improved blood and oxygen circulation in the body, you feel a blast of energy rather than fatigue.
Decreases stress, reduces menstrual pain: The inward focus and use of breath from Pilates can actually help you regulate your nervous system. Moreover, according to Healthline, this exercise can help you reduce Dysmenorrhea (a condition of excessive menstrual pain).
Improves flexibility and balance, boosts immunity: Pilates is a combination of stretching and strengthening, which improves strength, flexibility, and mobility. Additionally, improved blood circulation because of Pilates helps boost immune system functioning.
Since Pilates has massive benefits for anyone and everyone irrespective of their fitness level, age and size, incorporating it into your regime can support/ enhance any activity you take on. Pilates improves the overall quality of your life.
Song Joong Ki’s diet plan
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Did you know that the actor once tried his hand at intermittent fasting, but couldn’t even last a month before giving up? “I didn’t want to age any further, so I tried intermittent fasting by eating one meal a day for about a month. But I gave up within a month,” the actor stated in an earlier interview. According to Health Yogi, he now eats regular meals and keeps his diet in moderation. Just like many of us, he devours outside food every now and then.
Looking at his eating patterns, Health Yogi suggests you follow a diet plan that looks like this:
Breakfast: Eggs, toast, juice
Snacks: Protein smoothie
Lunch: Chicken, small bowl of rice, veggies, soup
Snack: Salad
Dinner: Salmon, veggies
Will you incorporate Song Joong Ki’s fitness tips into your routine?
Hero image: Courtesy hi_songjoongki/ Instagram; Feature image: Courtesy Still from Arthdal Chronicles)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– How old is Song Joong Ki?
As of February 2024, Song Joong Ki is 38 years old.
– What does Song Joong Ki do to stay fit?
The K-drama star religiously does Pilates every morning and eats regular, healthy meals to keep his diet in moderation.
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Written by
Kriti Nayyar
Senior Digital Writer, Wellness, Culture, Astrology, Tech
Kriti is a stay-at-home dog mama, whose knack for telling interesting stories keeps her erstwhile monotonous life sane. A literature & journalism degree holder, you'll find her binging on Agatha Christie novels while critiquing the everyday state of affairs. On Kriti's seldom social outings, she's seen devouring coffee sangria with appetizing bread on the side.
