I’m a personal trainer and many of my clients are either complete beginners or returning after a long break from exercise. It can be hard to know where to start and my advice is always to keep it simple. That’s why I love this four-move workout by Olympic gold medallist Sally Gunnell.
Sally Gunnell stormed to victory by winning gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and she remains the only woman to hold Olympic, World, European and Commonwealth titles concurrently.
In this workout, Gunnell focuses on compound moves targeting multiple muscle groups at once. You can use a dumbbell as she does or simply your bodyweight if you’re a beginner.
Scroll down to give it a try with the video and my form tips.
How to do Sally Gunnell’s workout
Gunnell has split the four moves into two blocks, so complete all three sets of the shoulder press and squat combo, before moving onto the dead bug and bridge.
Here are a few extra form tips for each move.
1. Standing shoulder press
- When you press the weights overhead, avoid locking your elbows out—keep a slight bend to maintain tension in the shoulders.
- Maintain a slight bend in the knees to control and stabilize the movement.
2. Goblet squat
- Hold the weight close to your chest throughout.
- Keep your chest up and back straight as you lower into the squat.
- Push through heels to stand back up.
3. Dead bug
- Keep your lower back pressed into the mat—avoid any arching.
- Focus on controlled movements as you lower and raise your arms and legs.
- If your lower back is arching, keep your arms by your sides.
4. Glute bridge
- As you lift your hips, squeeze your buttocks and engage your core.
- A good way to brace the core is to imagine someone is about to punch you in the tummy.
- Avoid arching your back as you lift the hips.
What weight should I choose?
If you’re a complete beginner, start with just your bodyweight. Focus on performing three sets of the exercises with good form, a few times a week, for a few weeks.
Once you’re moving well, try adding light dumbbells, like 2-4kg. Getting the technique right is more important than lifting heavy when you’re starting out.
That said, the weights should still challenge you on the last few reps of each set. Gunnell recommends doing 10 repetitions of each move. When that feels easy, do 12 reps before increasing your weight and going back down to 10. The last two repetitions should always feel tougher—that’s when the real progress happens.
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