the joy of strength training

Gubernatrix

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10 bodyweight strength goals for women

» by July 17th, 2012 at 10:48 am » Comments (21)

There’s something magical about being able to chuck your own bodyweight or its equivalent around in a variety of ways! It makes you feel strong, able, agile and athletic. If you can push, pull and otherwise move your body around, you’re self sufficient in movement. So if you are looking for a goal or you just […]



Christmas Day workout

» by December 25th, 2011 at 3:00 pm » Comments (4)

My traditional Christmas Day workout this year was done to the theme of the Twelve Days of Christmas. It includes bodyweight exercises only as I do this in my nearest open space. So we start with exercise 1for 1 rep, then do exercise 2 for 2 reps and exercise 1 for 1 rep, then 3 […]



Quick and dirty push ups

» by August 4th, 2009 at 11:12 pm » Comments (4)

What happened to summer?! Here in the UK we’re into August and still hardly any sunshine. I usually train outdoors but even the hardiest of fitness fanatics would have been discouraged by the downpoars we have been experiencing recently. So I got in a quick workout indoors in my tiny flat and I thought I […]



Turbo charge your fitness with a simple deck of cards

» by July 21st, 2009 at 12:35 am » Comments (7)

There are many short, sharp workouts which are brilliant if you are pressed for time and need a 10 or 20-minute gutbuster to keep your fitness levels up. However, I also like to work out for a longer period of time, especially when my aim is to train for endurance. My problem is that I […]



Get the Elite Fitness Manual here!

» by June 30th, 2009 at 11:41 pm » Comments (2)

Olympic lifts, kettlebells, gymnastic rings….these are a few of our favourite things…. Ever wished that there was a single instruction manual containing all of this cool stuff? Well, now there is! Andrew Stemler, creator of the popular i-Course – a full day of learning all the key Crossfit skills – has produced a manual to […]



What is functional fitness?

» by May 18th, 2009 at 5:14 pm » Comments (38)

 Many people including myself and many readers of this site would say we do ‘functional fitness’. We use the phrase almost without thinking, but most people have never heard of it and it must sound very odd. This thought struck me as I was watching a climbing film, Alistair Lee’s Onsight where one interviewee comments that […]



Fitness on a budget

» by April 14th, 2009 at 10:40 am » Comments (20)

I don’t know about you but I have been feeling the credit crunch bite recently. It got me thinking about how you can cut down on your fitness expenses. Gym membership, expensive clothing, shiny new kit, supplements – they all cost money. But there are many ways to get fit, look great and stay strong […]



Review: Crossfit London i-Course

» by November 3rd, 2008 at 10:43 pm » Comments (16)

On Sunday I attended the Crossfit London i-course in east London, a full day event aiming to teach participants all the essential Crossfit skills, from olympic lifts to rings to kettlebells to bodyweight exercises. I was invited to attend and review the course by Andrew Stemler of Crossfit London, whom I have trained with before. […]



Chin-up tips

» by March 15th, 2008 at 12:05 pm » Comments (14)

I went for a max chin-up attempt the other day and got 11 good reps with the form I was aiming for. Going over 10 reps was a milestone for me as I was stuck on around 7 or 8 for ages! However, once I had broken through that particular plateau, progress was faster and […]



Muscle-up and ring training guide

» by March 5th, 2008 at 12:47 am » Comments (16)

The Ring Training Guide has now been superceded by the Elite Fitness Manual. Click here for details. The muscle-up is one of the most challenging tests of strength for the amateur trainee. If you’ve mastered dips and pull-ups and you are looking for your next challenge, add the muscle-up to your arsenal. If you want […]