How Friends star Jennifer Aniston uses yoga & Pilates to stay fit

At 54 years old, actress Jennifer Aniston is always hitting the headlines because of her fit body and healthy lifestyle. Everyone seems to be obsessed with Aniston’s body, from her toned abs and arms to her strength and flexibility, and when asked about her workout routine, she always credits her yoga and Pilates practices as helping her stay fit, toned and strong.

The Friends and The Morning Show star is an insanely busy woman, from filming TV shows and movies to running her haircare company, LolaVie. Due to her packed schedule, Aniston needs a lot of stamina to get through long days of filming, and she takes her workouts and nutrition very seriously.

There are many articles and videos surrounding Aniston’s workout routine but one thing that pops up consistently is her love of yoga. As quoted from Hello Magazine, her love of yoga began in 2005 and is a way for her to “rebalance and realign, and address any muscular imbalances in the body. It’s ideal to help calm the mind and improve breathing, too.”

Aniston changes up her workout regime regularly so she doesn’t get bored and exercises consistently. She’s a big fan of cardio workouts, like spinning, boxing and running, and she makes time for Pilates, hatha yoga and Transcendental Meditation. This mix of exercises is what Aniston credits as keeping her on track with her fitness goals and it challenges different parts of her body.

Before we get into her workout and yoga routine, be prepared that her yoga flows are pretty intense, especially if you’re a beginner yogi. She typically incorporates cardio with yoga, by doing 30 minutes of spinning followed by 40 minutes of yoga (that’s the yoga flow you’ll see below). To find out more, grab your yoga mat and pull on the best yoga pants to give Jennifer Aniston’s intense yoga routine a try. 

What is Jennifer Aniston’s workout routine?

Aniston works out 5 times a week and as said above, she makes sure to mix things up so she’s excited to workout and challenge herself. According to a YouTube video made by Celeb Workout, Aniston does 30 minutes of cardio followed by yoga every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Her Tuesday workout is a 15-15-15 cardio workout, where Aniston runs, cycles and goes on the elliptical machine for 15 minutes each. Thursday is a cardio and Pilates day and Aniston prioritises rest and recovery over the weekend.

Aniston’s weekly exercise routine sounds extremely balanced and heavily focused on cardio and strength. Of course, her nutrition plays a big part in this and she keeps to 16:8 intermittent fasting, meaning she eats for 8 hours and sleeps and consumes liquids for the other 16. Known for her toned bod, let’s look into Aniston’s yoga flow to find out how she stays strong.

How to do Jennifer Aniston’s yoga routine

All moves and sequences in Aniston’s yoga flow are performed for 8 reps and 8 breaths. While this routine can be practiced with just a mat, Aniston incorporates equipment like the best yoga blocks to test her strength and deepen her poses, as you can see in this Instagram reel.

1. Sun salutes

The sun salute is great for focusing on your breathing while stretching the body. Starting in a standing position, bring your arms above your head before bending over into a standing forward bend. From there, bring your hands to your mat and jump your legs backwards into a half plank position, before moving into an upward facing dog. Next, move into downward facing dog and return back to the forward bend position before standing back up. Aniston does this full sequence 8 times so it should get your blood pumping and muscles working.

2. Reverse warrior

For reverse warrior, start with your legs spread wide and reach your arms over your head before bending into your right knee, keeping your left leg straight and coming to a lunge position. This is Warrior 1 but to get into reverse warrior, drop your left arm to the back of your left leg and lean back with your right arm up above your head. Do the same on the opposite side.

3. Chair pose

From a standing position, lift your arms overhead, bend your knees and send your hips back, as if you’re going to sit on the edge of a chair. Keep your lower back long and bring the weight into your heels. Keep your arms as high as you can and you should feel a good burn in your butt and legs (although if it’s painful, stop the pose!).

4. Low boat pose

A variation of the boat pose, the low boat pose tests your balance and core muscles. Start by sitting on your mat and take your hands behind your knees, shift your weight backwards and find your balance. Start to lift your toes and rather than keeping your legs straight like a traditional boat pose, you’re going to bend your knees while they’re in the air. When you feel steady, lift your arms up and put them either side of your bent legs.

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5. One-arm side plank

Great for the oblique muscles, this pose tests your strength and balance. For the one-arm side plank, come on to your side and lift yourself up in a side plank position. When you feel stable, lift the arm that isn’t supporting you up and into the air. Do the same on the other side.

6. Forearm plank & leg lift

Another plank variation, the forearm plank and leg lift tests your arms, legs and core. Start by getting yourself into an elbow plank position. Once you feel stable, lift your left leg up and hold it before putting it back down and lifting your right leg up and holding it.

7. Temple pose

Start the temple pose in a standing position with your legs out wide, making sure your feet are at an angle similar to a sumo squat. From here, bend your knees so you’re in a wide squat position. Hold this pose and either bring your arms into your chest or above your head. To finish this pose, raise out of the squat before repeating the sequence.

8. Tree pose

The final move in Aniston’s routine is the tree pose and it’s a good test for balance and flexibility. In a standing position, shift your weight to your right leg and lift your left leg up. Bend your left knee and bring the sole of your foot into your right thigh, making sure you keep your right leg straight but not locked. From here, you can bring your arms into your body or raise them above your head.

And that’s it! If you fancy more celebrity yoga routines, see how Harry Styles stays fit with Pilates and check out what happened when I tried Reese Witherspoon’s yoga routine to kickstart the morning.