Having taken part in my first bikini bodybuilding competition in 2019, here are the eight things I didn't expect to learn.
Eight things I’ve learnt about bodybuilding
Gym anxiety: Dealing with nerves on the weights floor
Gym anxiety can affect everyone, newbies, gym-bros and old-hands alike. Everyone has moments of self-consciousness, but if it's putting you off your sessions, here are a few actions to take.
Patience: The hardest thing to exercise in resistance training
Building an impressive physique naturally takes a long time, and one of your hardest workouts will be exercising patience with the process.
Mental Health Awareness Week: How resistance training can help improve mental wellbeing
This year, the focus of Mental Health Awareness Week is 'body image'. Here's how resistance training can not only help you improve your body image, but your overall mental wellbeing as well.
‘Strong is strong: it’s neither masculine nor feminine, it’s both’
I wonder how many women have been told not to get 'any bigger' when they get into resistance training? I know how many times it's happened to me - and it's four times too many.
Never skip leg day: Five great exercises
There's a reason #neverskiplegday is a thing on social media; lots of people do. It's one of those gym sessions most people would happily swap for back day, chest day, arms, or in fact any other upper body day you can think of. Why? Because leg day is tough.
What I do when I ‘hit the wall’ in training
'Hitting the wall' is a feared term in endurance circles. But it can happen to a lesser extent in weight training as well. It's that point in training where you feel like you can't go on, where taking just one more step or lifting one more rep can seem impossible. Unless you're an elite athlete, it can happen to anyone, including me. So how do you cope?
Back workout: Five of the best exercises
It can feel like hard graft for little personal reward training a body part that you rarely see unless you're straining in the mirror. But giving your back a good workout is not only sensible from a health perspective (think good posture and core strength) but also from an aesthetic perspective, for anyone lucky enough to behold your impressive lats.
How I got into weight training
Why do you weight train? Having spend a good portion of my time writing advice articles on resistance training and fitness programmes, I thought it would be worth looking at how and why I got into weight training. Everyone has a different story, and this is mine. How did you find your passion?
Four of the best ab exercises
Fed up with sit-ups and crunches? There are many other ab exercises that are equally - if not more - effective in building core strength and muscle definition. Here are my four favourites.
Five of the best glute exercises
Where once it was legs (and then abs), having a well toned posterior is the new 'thing' in women's fitness. Everywhere you look, Kim Kardashian-esque asses are proudly displayed, often accompanied by a set of exercises you, YES YOU! should use to achieve the desired level of pertness, roundness and size. While it goes without … Continue reading Five of the best glute exercises
Weight lifting: The big questions answered
'What weights should I be lifting?', 'what is a drop set?', and 'should I be worried about DOMS?' Starting out on a programme of resistance training can be intimidating for both men and women, especially when faced with a barrage of jargon. What's more, the weights section of a gym can often feel unwelcoming, meaning many people avoid this important aspect of training. In an attempt to make all newcomers feel more confident, here are some answers to some frequently asked questions.
Why should I lift weights?
'Lifting weights makes you bulky'. 'I'll look masculine if I do too much resistance training', 'cardio is the best way to slim down'. You've probably heard these excuses before, or may even have uttered them yourself - I certainly used to. It's a fairly common belief, but in the majority of cases, simply isn't true. In fact, it is one of the most pervasive myths surrounding resistance training.
