December 22, 2025, 7:37 pm | Read time: 5 minutes
Ed Sheeran has lost 14 kilograms–despite a packed schedule between stage and family. With a toned chest, impressive arm muscles, and a six-pack, he now appears on a magazine cover. How he achieved his transformation and which parts of his program might work for you are explained by FITBOOK editor Michel Winges.
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The Influence of His Fatherhood
The key motivation for Ed Sheeran was less about having a “six-pack at any cost” and more about a role change: being a father–and functioning in daily life without constantly feeling exhausted. When his oldest daughter Lyra was two weeks old, he suddenly realized after a night of heavy drinking that the old pattern no longer fit. “Damn, I probably shouldn’t drink if I feel this bad,” he recalls in an interview with the magazine “Men’s Health,” whose cover he graces, about this situation in 2020. This led to a new goal: “To be a responsible father and to feel good and look good.”
Short. Intense. Full-Body.
Sheeran’s workout plan had to be primarily tour-friendly. Instead of hours-long gym marathons, his trainer Matt Kendrick focused on German Body Composition Training. This high-intensity full-body format combines upper and lower body in supersets with minimal breaks to boost metabolism and pack as much training stimulus as possible into a short time.
A clearly structured routine helped Ed Sheeran on his way to a fitter body. First, technique and movement quality–meaning lighter weights with more repetitions–and then more load with moderate six to eight repetitions, without sacrificing speed and control. The session typically consisted of three supersets with a total of six exercises, and if core training was added, correspondingly more. It started with basic exercises like squats or deadlifts, followed by unilateral exercises to address imbalances. For the upper body, push exercises (such as bench press or shoulder press) alternated with pull exercises (such as rowing or pull-ups). Often, smaller muscle groups like biceps and triceps were targeted at the end.
And because a two-hour stadium performance also requires endurance, Sheeran often added a short, very intense cardio session at the end. This included, for example, bodyweight circuits or sprints on the bike or treadmill.
Cardio Tip
What was the start of Sheeran’s training journey is also an approach from which many can take something away, especially those who are just beginning to incorporate more exercise into their lives. He made the entry as easy as possible: cross-trainer in the basement and then just go while answering emails.
He probably wasn’t aware that this principle even has a name: “Habit Stacking.” It means linking a new habit (for him: cardio training) to an already existing routine (for him: answering emails). This is not only time-efficient but also makes it more likely that the training will truly become a habit because it feels less like an additional appointment.
Also interesting: Adopting new habits with Habit Stacking–an expert explains how it works
Sheeran describes it similarly to “Men’s Health”: “I went to the basement and answered my emails for two hours while just stepping away.”
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Reformer Pilates
As intense as Sheeran’s personal trainer schedules the training in the weight room, he consciously “eases off” when the tour routine demands it. To keep Sheeran moving on those days, he relies on Reformer Pilates.
Sheeran describes the benefit quite clearly: “Reformer training is definitely closely linked to touring.” After an evening on stage, the last thing he wants to do the next day is “bench press and deadlift.” The Reformer is then the compromise that works for him: He stays in training, it still feels “gentle”–and provides two things that are invaluable on tour: the feeling of having “burned calories” and at the same time being “stretched.” In short: Focus less on the principle of “more weight” and more on control, flexibility, and energy management, so the body can perform again in the evening.
Nutrition: Enjoyment–Just Not Every Day
Sheeran describes his course change also through what ends up on the plate–and in the glass. Alcohol, cigarettes, and kebabs used to symbolize his twenties–today he lives “in balance and moderation.” He clearly states that he hasn’t completely trained himself out of enjoying: “I still drink. I love red wine, I love a good meal, but it doesn’t happen every day.”
Ed Sheeran owes his body, which is reportedly 14 kilograms lighter with defined muscles according to “Men’s Health,” to a complete lifestyle change that he adapted to his daily life with realistic steps and goals. This provides fans who also want to make a change with a clear example to follow and adapt individually.