Dakota Johnson’s Trainer Megan Roup Swears You Can Get Results in Just 10 Minutes a Day

Turns out less really is more. So says Dakota Johnson and Miranda Kerr’s trainer Megan Roup. The Sculpt Society founder told E! News why you can see results in as little as 10 minutes a day.

Trainer Megan Roup wants her clients to be a perfect 10. As in, give her less than a dozen solid minutes of exercise each day.

“My philosophy is more about committing to less so that you can show up more,” The Sculpt Society founder explained in an exclusive interview with E! News at New York City’s lululemon GlowUp Studio. Which means she would rather her clients—including Dakota Johnson, Sabrina Carpenter and Elsa Hosk—”do 10 minutes a day consistently throughout the week than maybe two workouts that are long, grueling and hard.”

That way, continued the Los Angeles-based mom to daughter Harlow, 3, and Mercer, 18 months (with husband Morgan Humphrey), “you build the habit. It doesn’t feel like you’re trapped in this never-ending cycle of you need to do hours a day. You’re going to get beautiful physical and mental results, and you’re just building it in that muscle of brushing your teeth every day.”

Blake Lively, Don Saladino, Instagram
photos
Blake Lively’s Trainer Reveals Top Holiday Fitness Tips

She, too, once fought tooth and nail for her fitness levels. And what she learned, continued the former Brooklyn Nets dancer, is there’s no need to be “trapped in this never-ending cycle that needs to be so grueling.”

As an over-committed working mom of two, “sometimes I don’t have 20 minutes. So if I can just do a five or 10-minute video in the morning and then feel grounded in my body, I mentally feel more resilient, I go into my days in such a better place. And that is the beauty and power I think in fitness.”

Dakota Johnson, SNL50: The Red CarpetNBC/Jamie McCarthy/NBC via Getty Images

And if you’re intrigued enough to press play on a new fitness routine, you’re hardly alone.

Since launching her sculpting and dance cardio-based workouts, the NYU Tisch School of Arts grad has developed a following that includes Shay Mitchell, Miranda Kerr and basically every model that’s walked a Victoria’s Secret runway.

A large part of the appeal is that she makes it approachable AF.

When she prepped Johnson for 2024’s Madame Web, for instance, “We were trying to build endurance,” Roup reflected. “It was definitely 30- to 45-minute sessions. When she was on set, though, she had very limited time, and so I would send her shorter workouts around 20 minutes.”

And whether they have access to a full gym or are trying to squeeze in a session in a hotel room, she’s got a plan for that.

“I have some clients who just want to do low-impact and some clients who like a blend of dance cardio and sculpt,” Roup detailed. “So when I’m working with someone, it really depends on their preferences. I want to make sure it’s a workout that they want to show up to.”

If cardio’s a hard pass, “Then we’ll make a low-impact plan,” she added, “and make sure that I’m giving them classes that are still getting their heart rate up in a low-impact way.”

The most crucial part, stresses Roup, is just showing up, which is why she advocates the importance of dressing the part, tending to favor the “beautiful compression” and “soft material” of Lululemon’s Glow Up line.

It can be a struggle to get to a class or even push play on a workout, she acknowledged, “So if you can be in an outfit that you feel confident in, it just makes that process feel a little bit better.”

So suit up, because Roup is sharing more of her wellness wisdom with E! News.

—Reporting by Nikaline McCarley

Megan Roup, Miranda Kerr, InstagramMegan Roup/Instagram

Remember Every Little Bit Helps

“Sometimes pressing play on a 20- or 30- or 45-minute video feels overwhelming,” acknowledged Roup. “So let’s take the overwhelm out.” It’s for this precise reason that the mom of two (she and husband Morgan Humphrey share daughters Harlow and Mercer) offers options like her quickie program packed with four weeks of what she calls “spicy, short workouts” that can be completed in 25 minutes or less.

“These are short workouts every day that you can consistently show up to,” she explained. “I roll out of bed, I’m in my pajamas and I’m doing a 10-minute full body workout and then I move on with my day.”

The way Roup sees it, good results can come in small, efficient packages.

“These big, lofty goals, they don’t last,” she noted. “That’s why New Year’s resolutions happen, but then by February, you’re back on the same train. It’s actually smaller habits on a daily basis that build something bigger over time. And again, that’s why I’m constantly saying commit to less so you can show up more when it comes to your workouts.”

For those looking to create a regular fitness routine, she recommends squeezing in “little chunks of movement—10 minutes between a Zoom call and just continue to build off of that because that’s what’s really going to shift things for people.”

Megan RoupThe Sculpt Society

Remove the Guess Work

As Roup put it, “The decision fatigue is real.” So free up space to figure out what you’re making for dinner by committing to a pre-set routine.

“My most successful clients and members are the ones that are following my weekly schedule or one of my programs that come with a calendar,” she noted. “Here’s the video you’re going to do. So that you know when you wake, you don’t have to make another decision. You’re like no, this is on my schedule. I know what I’m doing.”

And while, sure, she’d love to bring in more Sculpt Society acolytes, her advice for any fitness newbie is just “finding something that you enjoy,” Roup said, “finding something you can follow that fits into your lifestyle.”

Megan RoupThe Sculpt Society

Be Kind to Yourself

Once upon a time Roup was that girl going hard at the gym each day. Then she took it down a notch with her own brand of movement that she describes as “85 percent low-impact, full-body workouts” with just a “sprinkle” of easy-to-follow dance cardio.

“My body almost sighed with relief,” she recounted. “it was like, ‘Oh, thank you for finally listening to what I need.’ And I never saw better results.” Which is why she insists workouts “don’t need to be super long, they just need to be well-programed. And I really saw those results in my physical and mental health.”