Chalk Lifts

Calling all runners 🗣️ here's a strength workout you can do to both prevent injuries & to keep you running faster for longer 😎

Day 1: back squats, for 8 reps (I'm sorry in advance 😅). We wanna keep the reps high-ish to improve endurance. Running is a single leg sport, so we'll be doing a lot of unilateral work, starting with lateral step ups & calf raises. The calf raises are probably one of the best things you can do to prevent ankle injuries!

Day 2: deadlifts, again 8 reps to improve muscular endurance. DLs are a staple in improving posterior chain strength. More single leg work with Bulgarian split squats - try to keep full depth here so we're working both strength & flexibility here. Hip flexor marches for strong & healthy hips!

Day 3: push presses, because we still need some upper body work! These incorporate the use of hips & leg drive to train that explosive power. Walking lunges, try to do these weighted. And the aim is to do the 100ft unbroken, again building unilateral strength & endurance. More calf raises but with a bent knee to build up the soleus muscle - again really essential to avoid injury!

Not included, but please please stretch 🥰

     

Strength Training to Support Pole Dancing! This will focus on building upper body & core muscles to improve strength & avoid injury so you can do cool things like inverts!

Day 1:
Close grip pull-ups - or if you can, towel pull-ups. Building pulling strength is essential, especially with a narrower position. If you don't have pull-ups yet, you can complete these assisted
Segmented bicep curls - this will help build the strength to hold yourself up in positions like the shoulder mount
Bent over rows - building up your lats & more pulling strength. These are much easier than pull-ups, so these are essential if you don't have pull-ups yet!
Hollow body hold - anyone who has done any pole knows how important core work is. And hollow body holds are the pinnacle of core work! You can scale these as necessary

Day 2:
Elevated split squats - Split squats are great for building unilateral strength, which is important when you can't always use both legs to keep yourself up. Additionally, these will improve mobility in your hip flexors & stability in your core
Banded hamstring curls - building strength in your hamstrings in the contracted position. Crucial for positions like the Cupid
Copenhagen plank - firstly, I apologise in advance 😅 and secondly, these are brutal but really work your inner thighs. Helpful in positions like pole sit or pike hip hold
Seated leg lifts - again, I'm sorry 😅 these will build strength & mobility in your hip flexors, quads, and lower abs

Day 3:
Bench press - strengthening your chest, shoulders, and back, as well as improving shoulder stability.
Bottom up KB presses - shoulder health is so important in any sport, but especially in pole! By keeping the bottom of the KB up you're engaging stabilising muscles in your shoulder girdle and so preventing a slew of shoulder injuries
Banded glute bridges - working on both abductors, and adductors, plus glutes.
Dragon flags - scale these as needed! A key skill to earn in pole, these are crucial for your success in the sport.

I hope this was helpful to you all! Keep an eye out for next week's: Runners edition!

Welcome to my new series where I give you workouts to work on your strength for specific sports! This week: HYROX.

Day 1:
Starting off strong with a 5x5 front squat. Pick a challenging weight for these! Front squats might suit the Hyrox athlete better since it as a bigger emphasis on the quads, which are important in movements like the sled push but also counterbalance to overuse of hamstrings in the run.
Weighted push ups - the easier you can rebound off the floor in the burpees the better!
Bulgarian split squats - need I say more 😅
Mixed rack KB carry - holding one KB overhead, and one KB in the front rack. This will help build up your core.

Day 2:
Romanian deadlifts (RDL) - there is a lot of demand of your posterior chain in Hyrox and the RDL is a great movement to strengthen those muscles
Pull-ups - lats are often overlooked & are so important. Having strong lats and using them in the ski & row can make a huge difference! If you can't do pull-ups yet, try assisted pull-ups or ring rows instead
Jumping lunges - after these, walking lunges feel like nothing 😅 building explosive strength is great for the sled pull as well as the wall ball shots. The more power you can produce, the more efficient you'll be!
Push presses - training shoulder strength & practicing using your hips & legs to press overheads. We want strong shoulder so that med ball feels super light

Day 3:
Bear Complex: each complex comprises of 1 power clean, 1 front squat, 1 push press, 1 back squat, and 1 push press from behind the neck. Combing everything is one go here, leg strength, power, shoulders, and grip strength. Try hold on for 5 complexes!
Bench press - some reason for the push ups: better burpees
Box jumps - working on explosive power. The aim with these is to try land with your legs straight, so pick a box height that's appropriate for you. We want to jump as high as we can, not just bring our feet up
Single leg squats - working on leg strength, and specifically single leg strength.

This was so much fun to do! Which sport should I do next??

The last one is the best one imho 😎💪

I had this painted on my wall in my home gym back in SA. As a lot of people did, I grew up with the idea that skinny is better, skinny is feminine, skinny is the ideal female form. And getting strong & lifting heavy were not appropriate for girls & women because getting bigger was the worst thing you could do!

But I started seeing these incredibly strong women, mainly Crossfitters, and I was so inspired. They were feminine and strong and powerful. And my idea of what feminine meant to me completely shifted. Being strong is femininely badass af!

If you wanna ditch the idea of being skinny and embrace being strong and doing some badass lifting, fill in the enquiry form in my bio 🔥

Also: thanks to for the mural!!

Congratulations to our winners 🥳🥳🥳

1st prize:
2nd prize:
3rd prize:

Look out for my email to book in your first session 😍

Thank you to everyone who entered 🤗🤗

Gentle, kind, and supportive personal training that'll get you crazy fit & strong ✨ DM me or fill in the enquiry form (link in bio) 🤗🤗

Whether this is your first time in the gym, or you've been out of the gym for a while, or you're a seasoned veteran, everyone is welcome!