Ever wondered how famous singers boost their fitness ahead of gruelling tours? Olly Murs has revealed how he underwent a 12-week fitness regime to prepare for his  ‘gruelling’ 33-date UK and Ireland tour and has got the internet talking after sharing before and after pictures of the impressive results.

With just two days to go until the tour kicks off, Olly took to Instagram to share some of his training, including boxing ring, lifting weights, sparring, and powering through circuits, while showing off his body transformation, with a toned torso and biceps. In the video, he told his followers he was in ‘beast mode,’ and ‘ready’ to take on the challenge of performing on tour.

He captioned the post ‘Tour starts Thursday… I’m pumped,’ and tagged former Team GB boxer Harvey Horn as part of his team. In fact, Olly has spoken about his passion boxing before. The singer, who comes from a semi-professional football background, previously said he now has a ‘100 per cent the buzz for boxing, I love it’, adding that sparring and punching the heavy bags relieves him of stress.

Olly’s fitness post garnered hundreds of comments from followers praising Olly’s dedication to his fitness – including from no other than Olly’s wife Amelia. She wrote ‘You’ve hit a new kinda level and worked your absolute a**e off to get there! So proud of you. Does this mean we get to eat the same dinners again now?’ Meanwhile, friend and co-host of their show Mark Wright commented ‘Right. I’m going gym.’

However, Olly’s transformation has also had a surprise reaction from people online, with the before and after pictures sparking a debate on X – suggesting the commentary that happens on women’s bodies is increasingly happening in male spaces. A researcher took to X to share a before and after image from Olly’s Instagram, and asked his followers: ‘Do you think he looks better before or after? Are you male or female?’

The results showed that more men (42.6%) thought Olly looked better after the transformation, while just 7% of women did. Meanwhile, 26.8% of female voters thought he looked better before, compared to 23.6% of male voters. In the comments, X users discussed results. One user wrote ‘Leaning out made him look smaller overall. I think women are subconsciously drawn to overall size / impression of strength, which includes “flabbier” dad bods over sculpted gym bodies— so lowering body fat isn’t always an improvement. Also, ultra lean guys look like they can’t enjoy nachos and hugging them is unpleasant. No one wants that.’

Another user commented: ‘What he accomplished is super impressive and I’m sure he has his reasons for wanting to do it. I honestly think he looked better originally. It’s not like he was unhealthy – he looks like he was in great shape. On the right he looks aged and just too lean.’

This corresponds to some previous research trends, which suggest that women, in general, prefer less toned physiques – otherwise known as ‘dad bods.’ However, research aside, the fact the pictures were scrutinised and dissected in the first place marks a sad new reality for men in the limelight – and one that female celebrities have faced for years. Olly himself responded to the discourse, saying the online debate around the images was ‘disappointing’, serving as a reminder that it’s never ok to tear down a man’s body – in the same way it’s not ok to do the same to women. 

Online discourse aside, Olly’s transformation follows his exciting news that he’s expecting another child in April this year with his wife, Amelia. The couple married in July 2023 and welcomed their first child last year, a daughter named Madison. In the sweet Instagram video, the family walk through the park with Madison sat on her father’s shoulders, wearing a denim jacket embossed with the words ‘BIG SIS’, while Amelia held a reel of snaps of the baby scan. They captioned the post: ‘We’re so egg-cited to share this..… Another Baby Murs on the way.’

It’s not unusual for Olly’s music commitments to mean he’s whisked away on tour. Just 48 hours after Amelia gave birth to Madison, Olly had to be back on stage supporting Take That. He told the crowd how he’d been managing juggling late nights and nappies. ‘It’s been the most craziest time. Cos obviously on one hand I’ve got this beautiful baby girl, my wife is at home looking after her with the nappies, and the sleepless nights,’ he said, ‘And I’m on tour with Take That. I feel guilty!’

And on his new Heart Breakfast show with Mark Wright, Olly expressed how hard it was to leave his wife and child so quickly after the birth. He explained: ‘I didn’t really process it at the time and a few months later me and Amelia were chatting and I just broke down in tears as I never got a chance to actually get to know this little baby.’

It hasn’t all been plain sailing this time around. Olly recently revealed he’d been sadly forced to cancel two UK gigs in Hull and Brighton, after a stomach bug had ‘ripped through’ his band. He wrote: ‘I hate that I have to write this & really so sorry to let you guys down, but unfortunately, we are having to reschedule our next two shows in Brighton & Hull. The gastroenteritis bug I had last night is currently ripping through our band and crew, which makes it impossible to put on a show for you. We’ll be taking a break for 48 hours to ensure everyone can be fit and healthy for the remainder of the tour, continuing ‘Thank you for understanding and we’re working hard to bring you news of our rescheduled dates as soon as we can. Love Olly x.’