Articles by Sam Rider

Sam Rider is an experienced freelance journalist, specialising in health, fitness and wellness, as well as a REPS level 3 qualified personal trainer.

For over a decade he's reported on Olympic Games, CrossFit Games and World Cups, and quizzed luminaries of elite sport, nutrition and strength and conditioning.

Through it all, Sam has come to understand how fitness and wellness can be a force for positive change. From the individual, in transforming one’s physical and mental health, confidence and self-worth, to the collective, in championing sustainability, diversity and equality.

male personal trainer weight training in the gym

“It was so strenuous”—how a celebrity PT went from almost quitting the gym to the new star trainer on Chris Hemsworth’s Centr app

A heavy setback on his first day in the gym almost turned Korey Rowe off exercise for good—but one small step got him back on track

I'm a personal trainer and I've been using this routine to build functional core strength for over 20 years

Borrow this quick drill for your next core finisher

By Sam Rider Published 25 April 25
It only takes two minutes a day to build up the flexibility required to touch your toes, says a top mobility coach

Measure, reach and repeat says Roger Frampton

By Sam Rider Published 23 April 25
Chris Hemsworth swears by something called Foundation Training to keep back injuries at bay—here's how to master one of its core movements

Time to introduce this into your daily routine

By Sam Rider Published 17 April 25

One simple thing new parents should prioritize above all else to maintain their health and fitness, according to a Centr trainer

Here's what I'm doing differently since becoming a first-time dad

By Sam Rider Published 15 April 25
I do these two things every day to stay fit and healthy, says the newest star trainer on Chris Hemsworth's fitness app

Here's how Centr's Korey Rowe trains for longevity

By Sam Rider Published 13 April 25
Build blockbuster arms and abs with Chris Hemsworth's go-to dumbbell circuit

All you need are adjustable dumbbells and 20 minutes

By Sam Rider Published 12 April 25

A top mobility coach says you should stop stretching at the end of your workouts and do them before bed instead

Use my five-move routine to wind down before bed

By Sam Rider Published 9 April 25
It only takes two minutes a day to safeguard your spine from poor posture, says this top mobility coach

Use this daily drill and stop stressing about sitting all day

By Sam Rider Published 7 April 25
My first reformer Pilates class made me rethink everything I thought I knew about building muscle

It challenged my muscles in ways free weights never could

By Sam Rider Published 5 April 25

I'm a personal trainer and this is the six-move full-body workout I rely on when all I have is a pair of dumbbells

Workout A comprehensive circuit to build lower body, upper body and core strength

By Sam Rider Published 2 April 25

Workout
Hex dumbbells are the first bit of kit I bought for my home gym—here's why you should too

Home weights Five years later, I still use them for all my home workouts—here's how to select the right pair

By Sam Rider Published 26 March 25

Home weights
Double your grip strength and halve your biological age—here are my favorite full-body exercises for longevity

Workout Add these pulling exercises to your workout to add years to your life

By Sam Rider Published 25 March 25

Workout

I'm a personal trainer and after years of working out with clients this is the warm-up routine I think everyone should use

Warm-up Steal this for your next workout

By Sam Rider Published 17 March 25

Warm-up
These six exercises helped me overcome knee injuries and run pain-free, says a Pilates teacher

Injury prevention Anna Mounsey-Jennings used Pilates to go from experiencing knee pain every time she ran to completing a triathlon pain-free

By Sam Rider Published 16 March 25

Injury prevention
Strengthen and stabilize weak knees with this trainer's go-to lower-body workout

Workout Feeling weak at the knees? Use these three moves to build strength and stability

By Sam Rider Published 13 March 25

Workout

A calisthenics coach says these six bodyweight exercises are all you need to get strong

Workouts And they're perfect for anyone who's new to exercise

By Sam Rider Published 11 March 25

Workouts
Chris Hemsworth's trainer says this is the most common mistake beginners make when trying to build muscle

Workouts Use Luke Zocchi's tried-and-tested approach to build muscle without off-putting muscle soreness

By Sam Rider Published 9 March 25

Workouts
I tried exercising for five minutes every day for a month—here's what I learned about forming healthy habits in the process

Workouts I used WithU's Daily Sessions series to try and restart exercising regularly

By Sam Rider Published 8 March 25

Workouts

A Pilates teacher says these three bodyweight exercises will remedy lower-back pain

pilates Say hello to your posterior chain

By Sam Rider Published 6 March 25

pilates
This one Pilates abs exercise is better than a hundred sit-ups if you want to build functional core strength—here's how to master it

Pilates Use these five regressions to build up to the Pilates corkscrew

By Sam Rider Published 2 March 25

Pilates
A trainer says these three easy exercises will strengthen your posture to eliminate daily aches and pains

Workout All you need is a few minutes

By Sam Rider Published 26 February 25

Workout

A mobility coach says these are the seven best stretches for beginners to keep daily aches and pains at bay

Flexibility Use this routine to wind down before bed

By Sam Rider Published 24 February 25

Flexibility
This is the zone 2 treadmill workout Chris Hemsworth's coach uses to train for longevity

Walking Forget blood and thunder—this 30-minute routine is refreshingly low-intensity

By Sam Rider Published 19 February 25

Walking
When I'm stuck at my desk all day I use this resistance band routine to relieve pain instantly—it only takes one minute

Flexibility It doubles as a quick mobilizing shoulder drill before exercise too

By Sam Rider Published 18 February 25

Flexibility

1 2 3 4 Archives

Sam Rider

“It was so strenuous”—how a celebrity PT went from almost quitting the gym to the new star trainer on Chris Hemsworth’s Centr app

I'm a personal trainer and I've been using this routine to build functional core strength for over 20 years

It only takes two minutes a day to build up the flexibility required to touch your toes, says a top mobility coach

Chris Hemsworth swears by something called Foundation Training to keep back injuries at bay—here's how to master one of its core movements

One simple thing new parents should prioritize above all else to maintain their health and fitness, according to a Centr trainer

I do these two things every day to stay fit and healthy, says the newest star trainer on Chris Hemsworth's fitness app

Build blockbuster arms and abs with Chris Hemsworth's go-to dumbbell circuit

A top mobility coach says you should stop stretching at the end of your workouts and do them before bed instead

It only takes two minutes a day to safeguard your spine from poor posture, says this top mobility coach

My first reformer Pilates class made me rethink everything I thought I knew about building muscle

I'm a personal trainer and this is the six-move full-body workout I rely on when all I have is a pair of dumbbells

Hex dumbbells are the first bit of kit I bought for my home gym—here's why you should too

Double your grip strength and halve your biological age—here are my favorite full-body exercises for longevity

I'm a personal trainer and after years of working out with clients this is the warm-up routine I think everyone should use

These six exercises helped me overcome knee injuries and run pain-free, says a Pilates teacher

Strengthen and stabilize weak knees with this trainer's go-to lower-body workout

A calisthenics coach says these six bodyweight exercises are all you need to get strong

Chris Hemsworth's trainer says this is the most common mistake beginners make when trying to build muscle

I tried exercising for five minutes every day for a month—here's what I learned about forming healthy habits in the process

A Pilates teacher says these three bodyweight exercises will remedy lower-back pain

This one Pilates abs exercise is better than a hundred sit-ups if you want to build functional core strength—here's how to master it

A trainer says these three easy exercises will strengthen your posture to eliminate daily aches and pains

A mobility coach says these are the seven best stretches for beginners to keep daily aches and pains at bay

This is the zone 2 treadmill workout Chris Hemsworth's coach uses to train for longevity

When I'm stuck at my desk all day I use this resistance band routine to relieve pain instantly—it only takes one minute

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