I tried a 74-year-old fitness influencer's daily workout for a week and realized I'm not in as good shape as I thought I was

Zoë EttingerJun 25, 2020, 00:02 IST

I tried Joan MacDonald's workout routine for a week.@trainwithjoan/Instagram/Zoe Ettinger

Joan MacDonald is a 74-year-old fitness influencer with over 772,000 Instagram followers.
Her daughter and coach, Michelle MacDonald, provided Insider with Joan's typical weekly workout.
Though I thought I was in pretty good shape before starting the week's workout, I realized there were muscles I hadn't been using in my own workouts before.
MacDonald's workout is more intense than I am used to, but I am going to incorporate elements of it into my own daily workout routine.

Joan MacDonald became a fitness influencer after she used workouts devised by her daughter and lost over 60 pounds. The 74-year-old started an Instagram account to track her progress and has gained hundreds of thousands of followers.

After seeing her incredible progress, I was interested in what type of workouts she did daily to maintain such an impressive physique. I wondered if I would be able to do the workouts, and how challenging they might be.

MacDonald's daughter has a fitness account of her own, @yourhealthyhedonista, which has over 127,000 followers. She provided Insider with a week's workout that would match her mother's normal routine.

The workout routine involved lower, upper, and total body workouts, and I could do almost all of the exercises with just a yoga mat and weights. It was entirely different from my normal workout routine, which involves walking or jogging 3 to 4 miles a day and doing crunches and squats.

Take a look at what it was like trying a 74-year-old fitness influencer's daily workout routine for a week.

Joan MacDonald became a fitness influencer after posting about her impressive weight-loss journey on Instagram.

Joan MacDonald's transformation. Joan MacDonald

The first day of her routine involved a lower-body workout and moves I'd never tried before.

Weighted frog pumps. Zoe Ettinger

I woke up aching the next day, but there was no time to rest. The second workout day was a "total body circuit," so I had to do six rounds of full-body exercises.

Push ups. Zoe Ettinger

The third day was a workout for the upper body and consisted of push-ups, bench dips, and bicep curls. I was happy to give my lower body a break.

Bench dips. Zoe Ettinger

The fourth workout was a lower-body circuit. It had three rounds of squats, push ups, lunges, and hip extensions — moves I was familiar with.

Prisoner squats. Zoe Ettinger

By day five, I was feeling energized. This day involved another total body workout, which I preferred.

Sit ups. Zoe Ettinger

The sixth day was back to the workout from the first day, but by now I was much more confident in my ability to complete it.

Walking lunges. Zoe Ettinger

The last workout day was back to the second day, which was a total body circuit of moves like push-ups, jumping jacks, and moving planks.

Bicycle crunches. Zoe Ettinger

Overall, the workout was difficult, yet rewarding. The best part was that it can all be done at home with minimal equipment.

Final result. Zoe Ettinger

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