Reading and Leeds Festival 2024: I'm a fitness expert - here's how to avoid 'festival back'

• Festival season is here, but dancing all day and sleeping on a hard tent floor can take a toll on our bodies.
• Research has revealed that attending a single concert can be exhausting.
• PureGym have put together the best workouts to get festival-ready and relieve aches and pains.

Festival season is finally here, with the Reading and Leeds festival taking place this weekend. People are eager to set up camp and dance to some of their favourite artists including Blink 182, Lana Del Ray and Liam Gallagher.

However, attending a festival can be exhausting, with previous research revealing that even a single concert can take its toll. Add that with dancing all day and sleeping on a hard tent floor, you can start to develop some aches and pains and the dreaded “festival back”.

To help keep us feeling our best, PureGym has spoken to Denzil Bentley, Personal Trainer at PureGym Ashford Warren and Ray Marshall, Assistant Personal Trainer and General Manager at PureGym London for the lowdown on the best workouts to get festival-ready, as well as some helpful exercises to reduce aches and pains.

Do I have to prepare? 

Festival season is coming around quickly, but any preparation that can be done ahead of the big weekend is better than none - but as always, the more workouts you can complete, the more fitness you’ll have banked.

Starting out six to 12 weeks beforehand is an the ideal timescale to use when training for any event as you’ll see noticeable improvements in this time, but the earlier you start the more you’ll progress. However, even two weeks of workouts will help to improve stamina if you’re short on time.

What sort of workouts should I be doing? 

Festivals offer something for everyone, whether you’re dancing all day or opt to take it easy and chill around the campsite. Work out how you plan to spend the festival so you can prepare your body accordingly.

Denzil recommends adding in an “accumulator workout” to your training in the run up to the festival. He explains: “This workout builds full body strength, stamina and endurance that will help you to battle through long walks, queues, and full days of dancing.”

He continues: “The workout can be done without equipment, or with a dumbbell or barbell for added intensity - meaning you can do it at home, as well as at the gym. Remember to warm up and cool down before and after each workout too!” 

Adding: “The workout increases in intensity each round, with a new exercise added each round, so you’ll be doing every exercise in sequence by the end. To complete the workout, do 10-20 reps per exercise, followed by a 15 second break at the end of the round once all exercises in the set are completed.” 

• Squats 
• Squats, push ups 
• Squats, push ups, crunches 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges, push up jacks 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges, push up jacks, leg darts 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges, push up jacks, leg darts, step ups 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges, push up jacks, leg darts, step ups, tricep dips 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges, push up jacks, leg darts, step ups, tricep dips, circular mountain climbers 
• Squats, push ups, crunches, lunges, push up jacks, leg darts, step ups, tricep dips, circular mountain climbers  

How can I ease festival aches and pains? 

The back is one of the more common areas where people will experience aches and pains, with thousands experiencing the dreaded ‘festival back’. To help us keep those pains at bay Ray has recommended the supine twist as a simple stretch that can provide relief.

He says: “The supine twist is a nice easy stretch that can be done in your tent before you go to sleep, or first thing in the morning before heading out for the day. It’s a great lower back exercise that will help ease off any tightness.” 

To do the twist, follow these steps:  

• Lie on your back, legs outstretched and arms in a ‘T’ shape 
• Breathe in and bring your right knee to your chest, placing your left hand onto the knee 
• Breathe out while gently pulling your knee across your body towards the floor, while keeping your right arm and shoulder flat against it 
• Hold for 30 seconds and repeat on the other side 

 Ray adds: “While doing this stretch it’s normal to hear a bit of clicking, but this is absolutely fine - as long as there’s no pain, hold the stretch for as long and deep as feels good for you.” 

You can learn more about the best exercises to do before a festival by taking a look at PureGym’s full festival workout plan from Denzil and Ray.

Are you going to Reading and Leeds Festival, what are your top tips for beating aches and pains at a festival? Share your experience in the comment section below.