Get in shape for your wedding day: tips for brides from a personal trainer in Hong Kong on looking fab in your dress

Meghan Markle set cameras snapping ahead of her royal wedding when she left a workout class in Kensington, London. Her soon-to-be husband, Prince Harry, was also photographed visiting the posh KX Life gym in Chelsea amid reports he was also working out hard – three times a week, apparently – while following a diet with less meat and no alcohol, in the run-up to his May 19 nuptials.

The pressure for couples to feel confident and look fantastic for their big day is universal, and many resort to pre-wedding workouts for a body transformation. Hong Kong-based personal trainer Angela Hancock says brides in particular find preparing for their big day a high-anxiety affair, and that stress stems mostly from how they will look in that dress.

“It’s a massive day for them, as the bride will be photographed [from every angle], so they want to look amazing,” Hancock says, adding that in this social media age, couples are under greater pressure to look their best for the wedding.

Hancock specialises in a “fat-burn extreme” style of high intensity interval training (HIIT) that is integral to her plan to get brides-to-be in tip-top shape. Common requests she receives from bridal clients are to tone and lose weight in the torso and lower body area. In particular, clients want to target their thighs, butt and also their upper arms.

She advises women to give a minimum of six to eight weeks for such a physical overhaul, although the longer the better. The time frame also depends on the individual’s fitness level and their commitment to a pre-wedding workout plan. She suggests HIIT training three times a week, incorporated with gentle exercises such as yoga, swimming or cardio activities, although the latter exercises are not as essential.

“HIIT training is an all-round exercise that is good for strength, cardio, flexibility, agility and speed,” she says.