Can this woman give you killer abs? She’s the trainer who gave Davina McCall her washboard tum

As my 50th birthday approaches, juggernaut-like, I’m conscious that my body shape has begun to change, in particular my stomach. It’s not bad — but it certainly doesn’t look like Davina McCall’s.

The 54-year-old television presenter has become ‘the figure I’ve got to have’ status symbol for many midlife women.

Did you remember when she was 50 years old? With supreme, take-that confidence, she posted the first of many subsequent pictures of herself in a bikini, showing the world a shape of quite magnificent tautness — from bottom to arms to thighs.

The six-pack’s ridges were impressive, even for busy mothers of children entering their sixth decade. It wasn’t just Davina’s 1.4 million followers on Instagram —women nationwide applauded her abs and wanted them for themselves. It’s a shape that mothers 20 years ago never dreamed was possible aged 50.

Sarah Gorman, 45 (pictured), who has trained Davina McAll for 2 years, developed a 30-day program online to help her get abs as the British presenter.

But getting abs like Davina — or any of the other female celebrities her age, from J-Lo or Elle Macpherson to Halle Berry — takes time and effort. There is a lot. Could I get Davina abs with my 50th birthday in sight and a huge party planned?

There’s no better person to ask to help me on my quest than Davina’s former fitness coach, the pocket-rocket force that is Sarah Gorman. Davina was trained by Sarah Gorman, a 45-year-old mom of three for two years. She then launched BlendFit (sarahgorman.fit). To help others achieve the same abs as Davina, she’s created an online 30-day Core Plan program.

‘In midlife, women see changes, and this is predominantly around the middle,’ says Sarah. ‘To get visible abs is very challenging and needs a lot of commitment. You have them. Everyone has them but you need to put yourself in a calorie deficit and sustain a focused fitness programme to really see them.’

Sarah’s regimen is not for the faint-hearted. It includes four different core 30-minute workouts (you do three of these per week), alongside an additional three sessions from her live or pre-recorded strength or cardio classes, so you’re working out six times per week with one rest day. An online programme means you can do it any time, anywhere, and aren’t tied to in-person sessions.

An accompanying diet from nutritionist Elisa Barker (elisa barkernutrition.co.uk) eliminates sugar, alcohol and quick-release carbohydrates such as bread, rice and pasta. If at this point you’re wavering on the abs ambition, I forgive you.

Sarah is a reassurance. ‘I wouldn’t expect anyone to do this level of exercise in normal, everyday life,’ she says. ‘This is a 30-day programme to kick-start things, to help you to see what you are capable of achieving.’

I’m not a complete novice. My hobbies include running, cycling, yoga, and kettlebell training. But I still don’t have defined abs. The last time I did — back in my 20s — I was doing 100 sit-ups a day and basically existing on a diet of low-fat yoghurt, fruit, salad, white wine and stress.

Davina McCall (pictured) has become ‘the figure I’ve got to have’ status symbol for many midlife women

Rachael Woolston said she gained half a stone in the past year — mostly around my middle. Pictured: Rachael in the past. Pictured right is Rachael following 

Nowadays, I’m healthier, although I have a cocktail habit that was fired up in lockdown and still remains. It’s also important to say that I haven’t had children. I don’t have stretch marks, my abdominals have never separated with pregnancy and my pelvic floor is strong.

At the same time, I can’t deny the gradual change of shape I’ve noticed from lean to having a softer marshmallow layer. I haven’t cared much hitherto — with ageing parents to look after and losing two friends to cancer way before their time in the past ten years, my attitude towards my body had changed from being overly worried about what I look like to my health.

Of course, creating abs for a wow-factor 50th birthday pic isn’t just difficult in terms of motivation. It’s harder physiologically, too, owing to perimenopause and menopause.

‘As levels of oestrogen and testosterone drop off through midlife, women start to lose muscle mass,’ says Dr Ginny Ponsford, women’s hormone specialist (thewomenshormone clinic.co.uk). ‘This can slow down your metabolism and result in weight gain.’

I’ve put on half a stone in the past year — mostly around my middle. Another effect of hormonal change could be that your body is less capable to deal with stress, or process sugary foods such as bread, alcohol and pasta.

Dr Ponsford adds: ‘When you’re under stress, your body creates the stress hormone cortisol, ready for fight or flight. This directly encourages fat storage around the middle.’ Stress? You tick. Tick. Tick. Put a photo of The Davina Abs onto my refrigerator, then dial Sarah.

Core workout 1 involves several exercises with a small Pilates ball. Sarah is not a size eight and doesn’t have her abs on show. However, she is muscular, short, and extremely strong.

My stomach is on fire and I must pause the video within ten minutes. Sarah continues to perform the exercises to the music with no tremors in her voice. It is painful! There’s lots of variation though — each of the four core workouts is different, including a kettlebell workout and one that uses barre-style exercises to target the obliques — the large stomach muscles on the side of the body.

There’s also a bonus shorter workout using sliders (Core Sliders, £5.39, physioroom.com), which is where you place your feet on two discs that slide along the floor. Be warned — you look like you’re playing Twister, but it’s actually a killer. I love week one because it’s new and challenging — but you’re supposed to do three of the core workouts per week, so you do end up repeating them over the 30 days.

Rachael, pictured below) stated that she does not yet possess Davina’s abdominals but has gained starter sets and a tauter stomach.

Breakfast — a bowl of overnight oats with nuts, seeds, berries and full-fat yoghurt — feels hugely healthy. Lunch is an omelette, or salad. For dinner, salmon, bream, or other fish with quinoa, or more Asian-inspired dishes.

You will find burgers and pizzas made with plant-based proteins, as well as chocolates and crisps. These items were commonplace during lockdown.

There is also a ‘no snacking’ rule, which is the hardest. The rice component makes chocolate rice cakes delicious, so I’m able to eat a whole packet. These are gone.

Instead I just get used to whipping up chickpea dips like garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and don’t buy anything that might tempt me.

Tom my partner is also happy.

As you challenge your muscles, it creates microscopic tears and the protein I’m eating helps my body to repair and build more lean muscle tissue. It also has a ‘higher satiety index’, so it keeps you feeling fuller for longer. The third week I noticed a decrease in hunger and feeling less bloated.

And, actually, it’s not as hard as I had feared to stay with the pace, largely because Sarah’s live classes are only 30-45 minutes long. These classes are easily completed if they’re done early in the day before the rest of my morning activities and the start of work.

Sarah is an energy-bomb, and has a great way to explain things. Yet, I am finding it difficult to stay motivated by Week 3.

‘I strongly believe you should look at the body as a whole, not just one area like the tummy,’ she says. ‘It all works together and having a goal to be strong for life rather than having a flat tummy is often more motivating.’

After 15 days, halfway through, I’m beginning to see a difference. But I think it’s mostly down to the diet changes.

As I began to focus more on mindful eating and eat less, I realized that I often went into the kitchen for snacks at 11:30 am. This has been a huge help.

I persevere and am ready for the day 30 to evaluate my work. What is my Davina score? Well, I’ve lost 1.8 kg (4 lb), although my body mass index and muscle mass remain the same (21.2 and 34.2 respectively and I’m 5 ft 7 in). What I can definitely see is a lessening of the marshmallow effect — a slight reduction of that softer middle layer. When I do the core exercises, I can feel my abs ‘switch on’ and engage more. At the end of the workout, my core muscles are strong enough to handle all the exercises without any rest.

So I don’t yet have The Davina Abs but I do have a starter set and a tauter tummy. Exercise gives me strength and allows me to run long distances and hike up mountains.

I can see why the internet is awash with midlifers posting pictures of their muscles — building strength is empowering.

Middle-aged women don’t really want to squeeze into bandage dresses, but we do want to be strong. Looking after our ageing parents has taught us that we don’t want achy knees or to wake up one day and suddenly realise we can’t leap up the stairs.

So, yes, I’ll carry on eating more mindfully and continue working out six days a week — and when I do finally achieve Davina’s washboard stomach, I’ll let you all know with a pic. And yes, it will be in a bikini — if you work that hard you may as well show it off!

Fast track to midlife abs with the woman who trained Davina 

1. Do six 30-45 minutes workouts a week — three online with Sarah and three from pre-recorded videos, including cardio, strength resistance and weights work.

2.Hydrate. Water is essential throughout the day. You should also drink plenty of water and reduce your alcohol intake. A spritzer is white wine and soda that can be reduced in sugar if you plan to have a drink.

3. Do not eat any other meals until the end of your day. If you still need that extra kick, you can have black coffee.

Use sliders to make it work

4.You can reduce your intake of white carbohydrates and increase the amount you eat with protein such as chicken, fish and lean meats.

5. Reduce a barrier by focusing on your whole body. You should instead see the whole body. Each part is interconnected.

It is just as important to lift weights as it is to do a stomach crunch. This is equally important as cardio.

6. Establish a practice routine for your plank each day. You can start with a small goal (even if it’s only for 15 seconds) and work your way up.

Make sure you are aware of your posture and techniques. It is important to feel your form and technique in the trunk, not just in the shoulders.

7.It is vital to maintain a good posture. Standing tall will give you confidence. Practice sitting straight while exhaling. Take five to six deep, steady breaths daily.

Make a plank 

Rachael Woolston is founder of girlsruntheworld.co.uk. The Core Plan costs £39.99. Daily Mail readers can get £10 off with the code DailyCORE10 (sarahgorman.fit/daily-core/).