In the gym with Taylor Swift: everything we know about how she stays in shape

Cups are running over for Taylor Swift fans right now, as the singer not only just announced an upcoming album, The Life of a Showgirl, but she made a candid 2-hour-long appearance on New Heights, the podcast co-hosted by her boyfriend, American football player Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason (also an American football star).

Elsewhere, Kelce is fronting the new issue of GQ and sang Swift's physical prowess praises, referring to her as an 'athlete', citing her gruelling Eras Tour training as part of it. And honestly? Thank God somebody finally said it! "She may not think of herself as an athlete," he told the magazine. "She will never tell anyone that she is an athlete. But I've seen what she goes through. I've seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it's mind-blowing."

Below, we take a deep-dive into said mind-blowing work, and how Taylor Swift built up the strength and stamina to perfect her record-breaking tour that travelled the world over. Both the singer and her personal trainer have dished the dirt on her fitness regime and it's seriously impressive. (We're talking the kind that needs a 'Don't try this at home....' disclaimer unless you're working with a qualified fitness expert.)

So, without further ado, let's break down everything we know about Swift's approach to keeping fit, plus how she prepared for those three-hour-plus shows.

There's an off-season

As we said, Swift doesn't play when it comes to her craft. Like when she's perfecting her vocals, she works hard to get her body ready for her physically demanding tour.

Her trainer Kirk Myers, the founder of New York and L.A.’s Dogpound Gym, told British Vogue: "We approached her training for the Eras tour with the mindset like a professional athlete. There was an ‘off-season’ when she wasn't touring and ‘in-season’ when she was."

What does the off-season training involve? Lots of hours in the gym working on strength, conditioning and the like. "When she’s not touring, we’re in the gym up to six days a week for sometimes two hours a day," explains Myers.

.... and an on-season

Swift's training doesn't stop when she hits the road. Oh, no. "Taylor trained during the entire tour. We would average two times a week. In-season training was more about maintenance, and so it was more like stability, mobility, biomechanics," Myers reveals.

To be clear, we're talking back-to-back shows and training sessions (something you shouldn't replicate without a pro to advise on your all-important recovery. You know, just in case you were considering a world tour yourself).

Swift is all about stamina

Nobody will be surprised to learn stamina is key when it comes to Swift's performances. Along with all her dancing onstage, she gets her cardio in by running. Swift shared an insight into her sessions when was named TIME Person of the Year 2023. "Every day I would run on the treadmill, singing the entire set list out loud," she said. "Fast for fast songs, and a jog or a fast walk for slow songs."

ICYMI, this in turn prompted a wave of fans to take up running, with many taking on a challenge dubbed 'Couch to Eras Tour' as a playful nod to the popular 'Couch to 5k' programme many took up during the pandemic.

During her New Heights podcast appearance, Swift also revealed that she'd really knuckled down on endurance training "and cardio, and stuff that doesn't come naturally, I'm not an athlete" in order to prep as best as she possibly could. She quipped that team sports is not her strong suit, unlike Kelce, joking, "I don't think I've ever caught anything that's ever been thrown to me."

Breathing is key, too

Focusing on your breathing during your workouts helps to strengthen your core, according to Swift's coach Myers. It makes sense then that breathing is a key focus when Swift is getting sweaty.

Of course, she'll already have a head start thanks to her vocal skills, but this is an easy tip everyone can incorporate into their workouts.

And she doesn't give up

“Taylor is the most resilient person I have ever met," Myers says. “It's super inspiring to see her consistently overcome obstacles and become better and stronger in the end. This also translates into her training and throughout her workouts. I give her a difficult exercise or challenging workout… not only is she able to complete and push through it—but she also perseveres, moving forward into the next exercise. This ultimately makes her stronger, better and faster.”

It's like Swift said during her iconic ELLE interview (about 30 things she learned before turning 30): "Trying and failing and trying again and failing again is normal."

Honestly, we love to see it. Giving yourself permission to fail is so important, especially when you're trying something difficult.

Swift plays pickleball

In Swift's Fortnight Challenge, she revealed she loves a game of pickleball. Once you've stopped screaming about that clip which sees Kelce smooch Swift while she's cooking, you'll notice her vlog includes a few active clips.

Along with a video showing Swift working out with ankle weights, there's a shot of her perfecting her swing. Maybe she was inspired by Zendaya in Challengers?

It's something she keeps working on

Swift has spoken candidly about her previous experience with an eating disorder, famously commenting on the subject in her Miss Americana documentary. Her body image is also something she broached in an ELLE interview where she explained: "I learned to stop hating every ounce of fat on my body. I worked hard to retrain my brain that a little extra weight means curves, shinier hair, and more energy. I think a lot of us push the boundaries of dieting, but taking it too far can be really dangerous. There is no quick fix. I work on accepting my body every day."

If you're worried about your own or someone else’s health, contact Beat, the UK’s eating disorder charity on 0808 801 0677 or via beateatingdisorders.org.uk

She loves home cooking

"I’ve always cooked a lot, but I found three recipes I know I'll be making at dinner parties for life: Ina Garten's Real Meatballs and Spaghetti (I just use packaged bread crumbs and only ground beef for meat), Nigella Lawson's Mughlai Chicken, and Jamie Oliver's Chicken Fajitas with Molé Sauce," Swift told ELLE.

In the same interview she revealed she's perfected a few cocktail recipes, including Pimm’s cups, Aperol spritzes, Old-Fashioneds, and Mojitos

She did, however, cut back on alcohol intake to prep for her Eras tour. Swift told TIME: "I stopped drinking for a couple of months before the show except for on Grammy night. Doing that show with a hangover… I don't want to know that world."

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... and baking

Swifties will already know this. Case in point? The singer's famous cinnamon buns which you can peep in her Fortnight Challenge and her and Travis Kelce's joint love of sourdough bread. "The sourdough has taken over my life in a huge way, I'm really talking about bread 60% of the time now," Swift joked on Kelce's podcast, revealing she even makes blueberry-infused loaves and is brainstorming a funfetti creation.

Swift even appeared on a special 'Bake It Off' with Jamie Oliver in aid of Stand Up to Cancer a few years ago.

Swift takes vitamins

"Vitamins make me feel so much better! I take L-theanine, which is a natural supplement to help with stress and anxiety. I also take magnesium for muscle health and energy," says the star.

Breakfast in bed, anyone?

As you can see, Swift's routine can be pretty intense, especially when she's training while touring. But, and this is a really important but, she makes time for recovery too. Specifically, she likes she crash in bed when she takes a "dead day" to rest up before shows.

"I do not leave my bed except to get food and take it back to my bed and eat it there," she told TIME. "It's a dream scenario. I can barely speak because I've been singing for three shows straight. Every time I take a step my feet go crunch, crunch, crunch from dancing in heels. But it's the most fulfilled I've ever felt."

Amber O’Connor

Former Junior Features Writer

 Amber O’Connor is Cosmopolitan UK’s former junior features writer, who covers everything from breaking news, women’s safety and real life features to fitness, travel, and cultural trends. She works on first-person features, reports, and long reads, plus the hottest stories of the day (if you want to know about the latest wellness craze or TikTok trends, she’s your girl).  Amber has previously worked as a reporter and a lifestyle writer, with her work appearing in numerous publications, including The Mirror, Red Magazine, Evening Standard, Indy100, and Yahoo News. When she’s not working her way through her TBR list, Amber loves dancing, running, and going on adventures with her dog.