I tried Jennifer Aniston's favourite workout regime and now I know why her body is so toned

When your usual gym routine leaves you feeling a little flat, sometimes it can be worth checking out some celebrity routines for some #fitspo.

One woman who we always find ourselves admiring is Jennifer Aniston, who has seemingly not aged a day since her Rachel years. The Friends star, 55, is no stranger to a little hard graft, spending five days a week training (that’s a lot of sit-ups).

But the real key to Jennifer Aniston’s body? Well, she’s an ambassador for Pvolve, a regime that focuses on “low impact functional fitness”.

The actor got hooked on Pvolve after sustaining a back injury in 2021, and decided to switch over from her cardio intensive routine.

“I don’t feel like myself when I’m not able to workout,” she said at the time. “I had a friend who had already been doing Pvolve and not only did I notice her complete transformation - physically in her energy level—but she also explained that Pvolve respects where your body is at and allows you to work around your current limitations.”

Intrigued? Here’s everything you need to know about Pvolve, and whether these workouts will work for you.

What is Pvolve?

Pvolve focuses on ‘functional fitness'—and i it’s not as complicated as you might think.

The Pvolve website describes functional fitness as “exercise that mimics everyday movement and works with the body’s biomechanics. By training muscles to work together, it can sculpt, strengthen, and restore.” Think of it sort of like Pilates’s big sister—we're hooked.

Can beginners try Pvolve?

Don’t worry, you don’t have to train as much as Aniston to be a Pvolve natural. The regime has numerous live classes with personal trainers, as well as online classes on their on-demand platform that are tailored to whatever level you think best suits you.

“We have thousands of videos to choose from,” Pvolve trainer Maeve McEwen tells Cosmopolitan UK. “We have different series for users of all backgrounds, and all fitness experiences from a beginner all the way into someone who has been working out for most of their life.

“We also have different class types, depending on your long-term goals. We can go from resistance training to strength training. We really focus on every inch of your body, from your feet all the way up to your shoulders.”

Do you need equipment for Pvovle?

You do, and it doesn’t come cheap. Not every class requires all the gear to get sweaty, they are often used in each workout.

The Pvolve signature bundle includes the Precision Mat, a non-slip mat designed to help you follow along with your trainer’s cues (and ensures that your form is solid). It also includes the P Band, which help stretch your arms, back, and shoulders, and the P Ball; the brand’s signature toner with a ball held by a resistance band that targets the inner and outer thighs, glutes, and core.

Pvolve review

Humblebrag alert, I think I’m quite fit. Not fit as in Maya Jama fit (obviously), fit as in healthy and active. I go to the gym between four and five times a week, doing a mix of HIIT and weights, and go for a run every Saturday. Yes, I know I sound insufferable.

So when I volunteered to try Pvolve, I was somewhat cynical about how hard it was going to be. From a cursory glance, there weren't any real weights involved, more stretching and limber movements. “Piece of cake,” I thought, as I waited for Maeve to join our virtual workout session.

As I laid down my Precision Mat, I will say that Pvolve maybe isn’t an ideal exercise regime if you live in a small, shared flat. The Precision Mat is large, about the same size as my rug, and took up two thirds of my living room. I havd to move my coffee table to be on top of the sofa, and even then I found myself constantly knocking into my TV.

To start with, Maeve walked me through a few simple stretches as a warm-up, and having the mat there was really helpful. Maeve instructed me to see it like a clockface and told me which ‘time’ I should be looking at to angle my stretches and ensure my form was good.

Once I was all limbered up (and banged into my TV a million times), Maeve then advised I put on my ‘P.Ball’.

Effectively a resistance band with a lightly weighted ball in the middle, Maeve instructed we strapped the band around both ankles, and try light steps across the mat. “This is really activating and strengthening up our hips,” she explained, taking strides. I could feel my hips begin to twinge. It was hard. I could feel sweat beading on my forehead. I never knew simply ‘walking’ could be so difficult. We then got our glutes involved by adopting a squat position to continue the movement. It actually made my bum twinge more than any deadlift I’ve previously done.
“if you watch athletes, they’re really grounded when they run and change directions,” Maeve said about the stance. “We’re really trying to embody that, and it builds strength and power—not just in our workouts, but through life.”

We moved onto pelvic floor work, where I crushed the P.Ball between my thighs and hinged my hips. Again, I could feel my muscles protest. “Why is this so hard?” I feebly asked Maeve. “I didn’t think this would burn so much.”

“It’s deceiving,” she replied, grinning. “When we isolate certain muscle groups, you can really feel it working.”

The P.Ball can also be used for back stretches and further abdominal work, Maeve continues, but for now, we’re using the P.Band. A stretchy band worn between two gloves, it helps for deeper stretching, which I could really see in Maeve’s toned and taught shoulder blades and she lifted the band above her head and stretched. The movements were simple but that didn’t make them easy.

“All of the work with the P.Band and those twists are really targeted, to help your overall alignment and help get better posture. It’s like a lat pull at the gym,” Maeve explains.

So what did I make of Pvolve? I think in this current climate where working out and fitness stresses go hard or go home, lift heavy and eat clean, you forget the positive impact simple workouts and light stretches can have on your body. I only had a short, 45 minute class with Maeve, and yet I felt muscles ache for days after, far more than a HIIT class. That said, it’s functional fitness philosophy means it’s not something beginners should shy away from, with classes offered at all different levels. If you’re bored of cardio, drained by high-impact workouts or just fancy something new, Pvolve is well worth the investment – and with enough commitment to classes, you may just end up giving Jennifer Aniston a run for her money.