My senior personal training clients always ask me what they can do at home in between our workouts together.

The following 10-minute routine is a great option for a quick and easy full-body workout. It hits the lower body, upper body, and core, and doesn’t require any equipment.

It’s a circuit-style workout, which means you should repeat each exercise 10 times, then move on to the next one. Once you’ve finished them all, repeat the circuit from the beginning.

Doing three full circuits should take around 10 minutes if you’re resting briefly between exercises. It’s okay if it takes you a bit longer at first. Continue practicing until you need less rest between the moves.

Aim to do this workout three to four times per week. You can do it once a day or a few times a day to reach your daily recommended movement goals. If you’re doing it multiple times a day, try once in the morning, once in the afternoon, and once in the evening.

These moves are all beginner-appropriate, but could cause pain or injury if done incorrectly. A personal trainer can teach you proper form and tell you when you’re ready to advance.

1. Chair squats

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand with a chair behind you.
• Draw your belly button towards your spine.
• Extend your arms in front of you.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees and lower toward the chair’s seat.
• Tap your buttocks onto the seat and stand back up.

Trainer tips: Don’t let your spine round or your lower back arch while doing this exercise. If tapping the seat is too challenging, come to a fully seated position before standing back up. Hang onto the wall or another solid structure for support, if necessary.

2. Wall push-ups

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

• Stand facing a wall.
• Draw your belly button towards your spine.
• Extend your arms in front of you and place your hands against the wall.
• Bend your elbows and lower your chest towards the wall.
• Push yourself back up to the starting position.

Trainer tips: Make sure that your head, shoulders, hips, knees, and feet stay in alignment throughout the movement; your hips shouldn’t be behind you as you lower your chest towards the wall. Avoid rounding the spine or letting your lower back arch. Stepping further away from the wall will make the exercise more difficult, and stepping closer to the wall will make the exercise easier.

3 Standing knee to elbow

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Draw your belly button towards your spine.
• Place your hand behind your head, interlacing your fingers.
• Lift your left knee to a 90° angle and bring your right elbow to meet it.
• Return to the starting position.
• Lift your right knee to a 90° angle and bring your left elbow to meet it.
• Return to the starting position.
• Continue alternating for 10 reps each side.

Trainer tips: If you have balance issues, do this exercise on one side at a time and place your free hand on the wall or chair for support. It’s okay if you can’t touch your elbow to your knee completely; just work with the range of motion you have and keep your core engaged. Those with lower back issues should move through this exercise slowly and work in a range that feels comfortable.

As much as I love the gym, there are days when my schedule won’t allow me to leave the house.

On those days, I rely on this 15-minute leg workout to build my lower body.

It’s a time-based circuit workout, meaning you’ll perform one exercise for 30 seconds before moving on to the next. Rest for one minute once you’ve completed all of the exercises, then repeat from the beginning.

The exercises in this workout aren’t very advanced, but they may challenge a beginner. If you’ve just started exercising, meet with a personal trainer who can teach you proper form and offer modifications if needed.

Doing the circuit 5 times should take you 15 minutes. Beginners should start by doing three full circuits and adding some rest in between each exercise. As you get stronger and more conditioned, you can reduce the rest between exercises and gradually increase the number of circuits you do.

If you ever feel sharp pain during this workout, stop immediately and speak with your doctor.

All you’ll need to do the routine is a little bit of space to move—no equipment required.

1. Squat

Time: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Cross your arms over your chest.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge at your hips and bend your knees to lower.
• Pause when your thighs are parallel to the ground.
• Stand back up.

Trainer tips: Keep your chest upright and avoid rounding through your spine. Your feet should remain planted throughout the movement—don’t let your heels or toes rise off of the ground.

2. Reverse lunge

Time: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Step your left foot behind you.
• Bend your knees, lowering until they’re both bent at a 90° angle.
• Stand back up and step your left foot back to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Ensure that your front knee stays aligned with the middle of your foot during the lunge. Keep your chest upright and back straight. If you can’t get your back knee all the way to the ground, that’s okay; work in a comfortable range. Use a chair or another solid structure for support if you have balance issues.

3. Glute bridge

Time: 30sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your core.
• Squeeze your glutes and lift your hips until they’re in line with your shoulders and knees.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower your hips back down, then repeat.

Trainer tips: Don’t arch your lower back as you lift your hips and avoid letting your knees cave inward. If you can’t get onto the floor, try this exercise on your bed or couch.

4. Lateral lunge

Time: 30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Step your left foot out to the side.
• Bend your left knee, keeping the right leg straight.
• Push off your left foot and return to the starting position.
• Repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Keep your toes pointing forward throughout the exercise and avoid letting your leg rotate out as you step to the side. Your chest should stay upright.

When you are new to exercise, it’s tempting to put it off, whether because you lack confidence in what you’re doing or, you are apprehensive of what you expect to be an unpleasant experience.

This beginner walking workout is addresses both issues. It’s easy to follow, and you shouldn’t ever be so out of breath that you can’t talk.

It’s a ladder workout created by fitness coach Jesper Bjerling, founder of Swedish fitness equipment company Thunder Fitness. In a ladder workout, you alternate between working and resting, with the periods of work increasing with each round up to a certain point, then the periods of work decrease each round, as if you climbed up and down a ladder.

“The walking ladder format is useful because it gradually builds up the effort instead of going straight into a long interval of brisk walking,” says Bjerling.

“It can also feel easier psychologically, knowing that after the longest brisk section, the intervals will get shorter.”

Even though it’s just 15 minutes long, you can build stamina, improve fitness and support your heart health, in that time.

Getting outdoors can also improve your mood and mental wellbeing, making this a quick, accessible workout to fit into your lunch break or before work, although you can also perform it on a treadmill if you prefer.

The beginner walking workout

In this workout you will alternate between brisk and easy walking, gradually increasing the length of your brisk intervals before shortening them again.

“The brisk walking sections should feel clearly faster than a normal walking pace, but not so much that the person gets too out of breath,” says Bjerling. “The breathing should be heavier and you might get warmer. An easy way to judge the effort is to do the talk test—during the brisk intervals you should be able to talk fairly normally but not sing!”

As you walk, try to maintain an upright posture and keep your shoulders relaxed. “Focus on quicker steps rather than longer ones,” as you speed up says Bjerling.“ Your arms can help when walking at a faster pace, they should swing naturally.”

Bjerling says beginners can aim to do this walking workout two to three times a week.

“For most healthy people, a walking workout like this will be perfectly fine. But anyone with significant heart, breathing, balance, joint or mobility problems may need to modify it.

“If someone experiences symptoms such as chest pain, unusual shortness of breath, dizziness or other concerning symptoms during exercise, they should stop and seek medical advice.”

And like all good workouts, you begin with a warm-up and end with a cool-down.

Warm-up

• 2min easy walking

Main workout

• 1min brisk walking
• 1min easy walking
• 2min brisk walking
• 1min easy walking
• 3min brisk walking
• 1min easy walking
• 2min brisk walking

Cool-down

• 2min easy walking

How to make it easier: If three minutes of brisk walking feels too challenging, there are ways to adapt the workout.

“You could shorten the brisk sections,” says Bjerling. “For example, you could do 1 minute, 1 minute 30 seconds, 2 minutes, 1 minute 30 seconds of brisk walking instead.”

“Another way to adapt it is to increase the time of the easy walking sections. Instead of 1 minute, you could do 1 minute 30 seconds or 2 minutes. For a beginner, the most important thing is that the exercise is manageable rather than following the timing rules perfectly.

How to make it harder: When the workout feels too easy, you can make the brisk intervals longer. “The next step could be to add one or more sections, or decrease the length of the easy walking intervals,” he says. “I recommend changing one thing at a time instead of everything at once.”

Shop walking shoes

If you need to upgrade your footwear, consider these top picks from Fit&Well’s guide to the best walking shoes.

Walking is the simplest thing I do to take care of my physical and mental health, and the only form of exercise I do every day.

I generally walk for no longer than an hour and because it’s low-impact and I don’t break a sweat, I assumed that I didn’t need to do anything to recover afterwards, in the way I do with other workouts.

However, since moving to a hilly area, I noticed that I was sometimes experiencing stiffness in my legs, hips and back after walking. It may be low-intensity, but regular walking can still take its toll.

So, I’ve started doing two post-walk stretches: child’s pose and a forward fold. They only take a few minutes, but they help me feel less stiff for the rest of the day.

Plus, by connecting these two behaviours (walking and stretching) together, a technique called habit stacking, I’m also stretching every day.

The two stretches I do after every walk

I decided to add these stretches to my day because they target the legs and hips. They also mobilize my back, which is always the stiffest area of my body. I hold each pose for about a minute

Here’s how to do them.

1. Child’s pose

• Kneel with your knees wider than hip-width apart.
• Reach your arms as far forward as you can and sit your butt back onto your hips.
• Hold this position.

2. Standing forward fold

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Slowly lower your arms towards your feet, keeping a bend in the knees.
• Stop when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings and hold.

Why is stretching after a walk beneficial?

“It is quite common to feel a bit stiff or achy after walking, particularly following a long walk, and certain stretches can alleviate that discomfort,” explains physiotherapist at Complete Pilates Helen O’Leary. “Child's pose and forward fold can be particularly beneficial since they put your spine in flexion, which opens out the space between the tiny joints in the spine, and stretches the soft tissues of the lower back.”

When you’re standing, your lower back is in a neutral or slightly extended position, which loads the small joints, which is why you might experience stiffness in this area of the body after walking.

“You can add a bit more of a targeted stretch into either of these two positions by adding a side bend,” O’Leary says.

“In child's pose, if you place your arms on the mat overhead, you can walk your hands to one side, so that your body starts to curve. Now really sit back into the hip on the opposite side of where your hands are—this will stretch a little more into one side of your lower back,” she suggests.

Make sure you repeat the movement on the other side, too.

When trainer Garett Reid of wellness app BetterMe: App first starts training clients with diabetes, he typically gets them to start with this tried-and-tested routine.

It’s a simple strength training workout that, when used correctly and with appropriate precautions, can help someone understand how their body responds to exercise.

That’s because building muscle or boosting VO2 max should be secondary to learning how your blood sugar levels fluctuate when lifting weights or performing cardio.

“Your first month, don’t even worry about building muscle,” Reid tells Fit&Well. “In my opinion, you need to learn how your body reacts to the training.

“Strength training is going to improve insulin sensitivity. Cardio is going to improve muscle function. That is going to improve your body’s ability to regulate glucose.

“A year down the road you can train exactly the same as someone without diabetes, but the early workouts should be all about adapting and learning how your body reacts.”

BetterMe has recently launched a series of workouts for people with diabetes in collaboration with the charity Diabetes UK, emphasizing the importance of testing blood sugar levels before and immediately after a workout, and two to four hours later.

Here, Reid, an NSCA-certified trainer, shares a full-body strength workout he recommends to his clients with diabetes when just starting out to introduce exercise safely and smartly.

How to perform the strength workout if you have diabetes

Reid tends to recommend strength training first “because in general people don’t strength train and they have low levels of muscle mass to begin with”.

Increasing muscle mass over time can also aid in glycogen storage, naturally lowering the amount of glucose coursing through your blood.

He typically recommends keeping workouts limited to six exercises that target multiple muscle groups at once.

“Pick one compound exercise for each major body part, including the chest, back, shoulders, legs and core,” he says.

For the abs, Reid favors standing exercises that challenge the entire core region to maintain balance and stability, such as suitcase or front carries, but because you may not have access to weights, the below workout uses a plank to train your core instead.

Start off with two sets per exercise, for eight to 12 reps per set (you should end the set feeling like you could do three or four more reps), and rest for 90 seconds between sets to keep training intensity low.

Repeat this routine two to three times per week for four weeks.

“The next session, do the same [number of sets and reps], then the same again. You might find it a little boring when you start, but that’s intentional.”

Once you know how your body and blood sugar levels respond to the demands of the workout, you can gradually increase the weight you’re lifting and intensity (by lifting closer to failure, feeling like you end the set with two reps in reserve) to encourage your muscles to grow.

Here’s the beginner-friendly, full-body workout Reid recommends for people with diabetes.

1. Squat

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with feet hip-width apart, toes pointing out slightly.
• Sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your knees wide and raising your arms to help you keep your chest up.
• Lower until your hips are level with or below your knees, keeping your heels on the floor throughout.
• Push through your feet to stand upright, making sure your knees don’t cave in.

Make it harder: Perform a goblet squat, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell close to your chest.

2. Glute bridge

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Press your arms into the floor on either side of your body to aid stability.
• Press through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line from knees to shoulders.
• Pause and squeeze your buttocks at the top of the lift, then lower your glutes to the floor with control.

Make it harder: Perform this exercise with your shoulders elevated on a bench or box.

3. Wall push-up

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand an arm’s length away from a wall.
• Place your hands on the wall at shoulder height, shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your elbows to bring your chest toward the wall, maintaining a straight line from your shoulders to ankles.
• Push the wall away to return to the starting position.

Make it harder: Step further away from the wall to increase the challenge.

4. Banded bent-over row

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a long-loop resistance band under both feet.
• Grasp either end of the band and sit your hips back to hinge forward, keeping a slight bend in your knees.
• Retract your shoulder blades to engage your back muscles and engage your core.
• Pull the band toward your lower ribcage, bending your elbows and drawing them past your torso.
• Pause, then extend your arms slowly.

Make it harder: Use a stronger band or start with your hands further down the band to increase resistance.

5. Resistance band standing overhead press

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 90sec

• Stand with your hands inside a small-loop resistance band in front of your shoulders, with your palms facing and your hands pressing out to create tension in the band.
• Squeeze your glutes and engage your core to avoid arching your lower back as you move.
• Lift your hands overhead, maintaining tension in the band.
• Pause, then lower.

Make it harder: Use a stronger band or secure a long-loop resistance band under your feet as you press the other end straight overhead.

6. Plank

Sets: 2 Time: 30-45sec Rest: 90sec

• Lie on your front with your forearms on the floor, elbows directly under your shoulders and your feet hip-width apart (move them further important to make the move easier).
• Engage your core and lift your hips so your body is in a straigh line from ankles to shoulders.
• Hold this position, remembering to breath normally as you count down the seconds.

Make it harder: Gently rock forward and backward to introduce greater instability.

BetterMe says it will donate 50% of profits from new sign-ups to its diabetes-supported exercise program to Diabetes UK.

Shop BetterMe bands

It’s well known that strength training can help you age well, but it’s not the only type of exercise that can help with longevity.

I always incorporate coordination training into my chair-based yoga classes and personal training sessions with older adults, to fire up the mind-to-muscle connection.

Doing this helps my clients stay sharp, agile and confident in their everyday movements, whether manoeuvring around people on the bus or multi-tasking at home.

Coordinating your limbs to move in different directions comes fairly automatically when we’re younger, but it needs more intentional training in later years—and research shows that this approach works.

A 2019 review of balance and coordination exercises in older adults found that they can improve cognitive processes like spatial awareness (helping you navigate a crowded street) and postural control and stability in a distracting environment.

Some of my clients can do coordination exercises from standing, which I combine with balancing moves. Others do them seated.

The point is, these exercises can be easily adapted to challenge your movement, balance and coordination, whatever your mobility.

1. Knee and opposite arm raise

Reps: 5-6 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged and chest upright.
• Keep your arms out to your sides at shoulder height.
• Raise your right knee and move your left arm in front of you, staying at shoulder height, slow and controlled.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating to complete your reps.

Perform it seated: Do a seated march slowly, with control, and raise your opposite arm overhead or in front with each knee raise.

2. Step-out and opposite arm raise

Reps: 5-6 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, core engaged and chest upright.
• Step your right foot out to the side—lower into a side lunge if that’s comfortable or stay upright—and reach your opposite arm forward.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating to complete your reps.

Perform it seated: Do a seated side step-out and open your opposite arm out to the side at shoulder height.

3. Catch and throw balance

Reps: 5-10

• Stand holding a ball a few steps away from a wall.
• Raise one foot, holding your balance steady on the other.
• Perform an underhand throw to bounce the ball lightly against the wall, then catch it.
• Use one or two hands, depending on your ability.
• Throw the ball in different directions to challenge your coordination and reaction times.

Make it easier: Stand on both feet or perform it seated. Experiment with the size of the ball, too.

I often look back fondly at how my fitness has improved over the years and notice how easy I now find moves I once found nearly impossible.

Sometimes it’s the little cues and tips that help you progress to more challenging workouts or master certain moves, so I’ve been asking certified personal trainers which move they once struggled with and what helped them finally master it.

When I spoke with Francesco Zen, a certified personal trainer and founder of ZLIFE, he pointed to one standout cue that helped him transform how he engages his glutes for an overhead squat.

“The overhead squat is a full-body movement. It requires consistent mobility, core activation and flexibility,” says Zen. The overhead squat is an advanced squat variation where you hold a plastic pipe or barbell overhead as you squat.

Zen tells Fit&Well that the secret to a well-performed overhead squat is stability and full activation through your quads, core and—most importantly—your glutes. “The glutes support the whole movement, top to bottom,” he says.

“A simple variation on the traditional angle [of your position] changes the whole thing,” he says.

Of course, while engaging the glutes correctly helped Zen perfect his overhead squat form, practicing it regularly is the only way to develop the unique combination of mobility and stability required.

If you’re looking for a new challenge and would like to add the overhead squat to your locker, here’s how Zen suggests approaching it. Even if you never squat with a loaded barbell overhead, doing the preparatory work will help develop your squat mechanics.

How to prepare for an overhead squat

If you’ve never done an overhead squat, then it’s best to work up to it in stages.

First, you need good mobility in your ankles, hips, spine and shoulders.

To develop that you can practice the move with just your bodyweight, raising your arms overhead. You can improve your spinal and shoulder mobility for this version with a squat and reach against a wall and a wall-facing squat with raised arms.

Once you’re ready to perform the movement without support, then hold a gym dowel, plastic pipe or even a broom to train your shoulder and spine alignment. This is also the best way to warm up for weighted overhead squats.

Zen also suggests novices try a Frankenstein squat—weighted or unweighted—to develop the stability you need for an overhead squat.

How to do a Frankenstein squat

This move follows the same concept as an overhead squat, but you extend your arms forward at shoulder height, balancing a gym dowel or barbell across the front of your shoulders.

“With your arms forward instead of overhead, the position is much easier to stabilize,” says Zen.

“It works the same core, glute and mobility foundations, and it's a simpler move to master before a full overhead squat.”

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes outward.
• Raise your arms out in front of you at shoulder height, parallel to the floor.
• If you are using a barbell, balance it on top of your shoulders, a little in front of your chin.
• Maintain an upright back as you bend your knees to lower, tracking them outward over your toes—keeping them wide and shifting your weight onto the outer parts of your feet helps to engage your glutes.
• Push through your feet and squeeze your glutes to rise, keeping your arms steady and parallel to the floor throughout the movement.

How to do an overhead squat

Now we’re at the more advanced move, so we suggest working with an exercise professional or spotter if you can.

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and your toes turned out slightly.
• Hold a barbell or a plastic pipe in front of your thighs with your hands in an overhand grip just outside your thighs.
• Raise the bar overhead so it’s directly over your shoulders with your elbows locked.
• Brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees, keeping your knees tracking over your feet as you lower, and your spine upright and your chin slightly lifted throughout.
• Pause at the bottom of the movement, keeping the bar steady.
• Push through your feet to return to the starting position.

Regular walking and running can deliver tremendous benefits, but cranking up the mileage too quickly can lead to increased risk of injury, especially if you're not resting between sessions.

“The body adapts to increased activity, but only when the increase is matched by sufficient recovery,” explains expert podiatrist Steven Thomas.

Here, he outlines the three most common walking- and running-related injuries he encounters in his clinic—and offers advice on how to avoid them.

1. Plantar fasciitis

Common symptoms: Pain under the heel.

This is one of the most debilitating walking- and running-related injuries, says Thomas.

Plantar fasciitis typically presents as pain under the heel, which worsens when you stand up after periods of rest.

“It usually eases with a few steps but can return after longer periods of walking, running or standing.”

Prevention: Increase training load gradually.

If you're a dedicated walker or runner, the safest way to avoid plantar fasciitis is to increase your mileage slowly and regularly practice some lower-body exercises.

In particular, Thomas says you should focus on lower-leg flexibility and strengthening muscles in your calf, ankle, and foot.

He recommends performing straight-knee and bent-knee calf raises, which target the often-overlooked soleus muscle, two or three times a week.

How to do a straight-leg calf raise

How to do a bent-knee calf raise

“Wearing comfortable, well-fitting footwear is also important,” he adds.

2. Achilles tendinopathy

Common symptoms: Pain at the back of the heel.

Achilles tendinopathy is most often felt where the tendon attaches to the heel bone at the back of the foot or within the middle portion of the tendon itself.

“Often the feeling is of morning stiffness or tenderness,” explains Thomas.

Sometimes, you can observe a visual thickening of the tendon.

“The pain can ease as the tendon is used but returns afterwards or the following morning.”

Prevention: Progressively strengthen and stretch the calves.

As with plantar fasciitis, strengthening the calves with straight-knee and bent-knee calf raises can protect the area from overuse injuries.

Gently stretching the muscles at the back of the lower legs is also advisable.

“If the calves are tight, hold a straight-knee and bent-knee calf stretch for approximately 60 seconds daily,” says Thomas.

He also recommends avoiding sudden increases in distance, speed or hill work and allowing adequate recovery between sessions.

“Abruptly changing to substantially flatter or more minimalist footwear can also increase the load on the Achilles,” he adds.

3. Toenail trauma

Common symptoms: Pain, throbbing or visible nail damage.

Often regarded as a marathon runner’s badge of honor, losing a toenail is a common occurrence when covering 20+ miles a week—but it’s best avoided, if you can.

“Early signs of a lost toenail include bruising beneath the nail, horizontal ridges, splitting and lifting of the nail, often observed after increased activity,” says Thomas

Prevention: Get an expert to fit your running shoes.

Poorly fitted running shoes are often to blame.

“[Shoes] should have sufficient length, width and depth around the toes, and hold the heel and midfoot securely to stop the foot sliding forwards,” Thomas explains. “Remember when trying on shoes that feet can swell with activity.”

Self-care choices can also reduce risk.

“Keep your toenails short and filed, wear well-fitted, moisture-wicking socks and test your shoe and sock combination before using it over a long distance,” advises Thomas.

What to do if you pick up a walking or running injury

If you spot any of the warning signs above, Thomas says it’s important not to simply walk or run it off—especially if any pain you’re feeling might be early signs of arthritic wear and tear.

“You should always avoid aggressively forcing a genuinely arthritic joint through a painful range,” he says.

If the injury is due to overuse, Thomas recommends monitoring how your body reacts during and after exercise, and again the following day.

“Pain that progressively worsens, changes the way you walk or run, or fails to settle between sessions indicates that the current training load may be exceeding the body’s capacity.”

Massage, ice and heat can help manage symptoms, but if symptoms persist and pain starts to affect normal walking, have it assessed.

“A clinical examination, gait analysis and sometimes a weight-bearing X-ray, can distinguish the different causes and treatments of foot-related pain.”

Buying a pair of dumbbells is a great way to start strength training at home, but after a few months you may find lifting the same weights stalls your progress.

Pippa Sealey is a personal trainer who regularly trains with dumbbells and she has a couple of tricks that can help keep your workouts challenging without having to buy extra equipment.

“I like to use shorter rest periods and unilateral movements rather than bilateral moves when there isn’t access to as heavy loads at home,” Sealey says.

One tried-and-tested technique for shorter rest periods are supersets, where you do one set of an exercise, immediately followed by a set of a different exercise.

“You may also want to use more agonist supersets,” she suggests, explaining that this involves pairing exercises that target the same muscle groups to increase the challenge to that area of the body.

Below, Sealey has shared a workout that uses these two techniques—unilateral exercises and supersets. It’s designed for people who are already confident performing fundamental movements like squats and deadlifts and are looking to increase the challenge.

How to do the at-home superset dumbbell workout

This workout uses supersets and tri-sets. In both cases, you do one set of exercise A, then one set of exercise B and, where applicable, one set of exercise C, before resting. Once you’ve completed that sequence three times in total, move on to the next group of exercises.

Here’s an overview of the workout, followed by instructions for how to do each exercise.

• 1A. Deficit calf raise x 10-12
• 1B. Hamstring bridge march x 6 each side
• 1C. Wall sit x 60sec
• 2A. Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift x 12 each side
• 2B. Dumbbell split squat x 12 each side
• 3A. Push-up x as many as possible with good form
• 3C. Single-arm dumbbell row x 10-12 each side
• 4A. Side plank hip lift x 12 each side
• 4B. Plank dumbbell pull-through x 6-8 each side
• 4C. Dumbbell sit-up x 12

1A. Deficit calf raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step, with your heels hanging off the edge.
• Slowly lower your heels below the level of the step, feeling a stretch through your calves.
• Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as possible, squeezing your calves at the top.
• Lower your heels slowly and with control, keeping a slight bend in your knees.

1B. Hamstring bridge march

Sets: 3 Reps: 6 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and your heels on the floor.
• Engage your core and push through your heels to lift your hips off the floor until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.
• Keeping your hips level, slowly lift one foot, bringing your knee toward your chest.
• Lower your foot back down and repeat on the opposite side, alternating legs while keeping your hips stable throughout.

1C. Wall sit

Sets: 3 Time: 60sec Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your back against a wall and your feet approximately shoulder-width apart, positioned slightly in front of you.
• Step your feet away from the wall to slowly slide your back down the wall until your thighs are parallel to the floor and your knees are bent to 90°.
• Engage your core and hold this position, keeping your knees in line with your toes and breathing steadily throughout.

2A. Dumbbell single-leg Romanian deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-distance apart and a slight bend in your knees, holding a dumbbell in one or both hands.
• Shift your weight onto your left leg.
• Hinge forward from your hips, lifting your right leg behind you and lowering your torso and the dumbbell, keeping your hips square to the floor.
• Stop when you feel a stretch through your supporting hamstring.
• Drive your hips forwards to return to the starting position, keeping your core engaged and movement controlled.

2B. Dumbbell split squat

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with one foot in front of you and one behind you, with your left foot in line with your left hip and your right foot in line with your right hip, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Engage your core and bend both knees to lower, keeping your torso upright.
• Lower until your back knee is just above the floor, keeping your front knee tracking in line with your toes.
• Push through your front foot to return to the starting position.
• Complete all the reps on one side before switching legs.

3A. Push-up

Sets: 3 Reps: As many as possible with good form Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Get on your hands and knees, then step each foot back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels—this is your starting position.
• Engage your core and glutes.
• Bend your elbows to slowly lower your chest, keeping your elbows angled slightly backwards rather than flaring straight out to the sides.
• Push through your palms to straighten your arms and return to the starting position.
• Complete as many controlled reps as possible while maintaining good technique.

3B. Single-arm dumbbell push press

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand at shoulder height.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your knees slightly to dip down, keeping your torso upright and heels planted.
• Drive powerfully through your legs, generating momentum to help press the dumbbell overhead, fully extending your arm.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell back to shoulder height with control.
• Complete all the reps on one side before switching sides.

3C. Single-arm dumbbell row

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your left foot in front of you, in line with your left hip, and your right foot behind you, in line with your right hip, holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
• Hinge your torso forward from your hips and place your left hand on your left thigh for support.
• Engage your core.
• Lift the dumbbell towards your right hip, bending and lifting your elbow so it brushes past your torso, squeezing your shoulders together.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell back to the starting position, allowing a controlled stretch through your upper back before repeating.

4A. Side plank hip lift

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your right side with your right elbow directly underneath your right shoulder and your legs extended, and your left foot on top of your right.
• Engage your core and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from your head to your feet.
• Slowly lower your hips towards the floor without fully relaxing, keeping your core engaged and shoulders active.
• Complete all the reps on one side before switching sides.

4B. Plank dumbbell pull-through

Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Start in a high plank position with your hands directly underneath your shoulders, feet slightly wider than hip-width apart and a dumbbell on the floor inside your left hand.
• Engage your core and glutes.
• Keeping your hips level and your body in a straight line, pick up the dumbbell in your right hand and move it to the right side.
• Place your hand back on the floor and repeat with the opposite arm, avoiding twisting or rocking your hips.

4C. Dumbbell sit-up

Sets: 3 Reps: 12 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor, holding a dumbbell in front of your chest in both hands.
• Engage your core.
• Slowly lift your upper body until your torso is vertical.
• Slowly lower your torso back towards the floor with control, keeping tension in your abdominal muscles.

I take as many fitness tests as I can. That’s not so I can feel smug about being a fitness editor who’s reasonably fit (it would be a bit embarrassing if I wasn’t), but so I can identify where I don’t measure up.

For instance, while editing a piece on the old man test a few years ago, I realized my balance was seriously lacking. Since then, I’ve committed to pulling my socks on while standing on one leg, which has resulted in a significant improvement.

So I was glad when I failed one of five fitness tests from coach Yancy Culp, Spartan DEKA co-creator and senior director, who’s also trained many of the top obstacle course racers.

Culp designed these tests to help people “check in with their body and understand whether it’s still doing the basics well.”

Here are the five tests:

1. Can you stand on one leg while doing a task?
2. Can you sit on the floor and stand back up without using your hands?
3. Can you hold a plank for 30 seconds?
4. Can you perform two reverse lunges?
5. Can you walk briskly for 20 minutes?

I failed the second one and ended up rolling around on my back like an upside-down tortoise.

It’s a variation of the sitting-rising test, developed by Brazilian researchers in the 1990s to measure muscular strength and flexibility. Failing the test has some negative implications—a 2014 study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology found an association between lower test scores and higher mortality rates.

So I asked Culp over email what I could do to improve.

“Improving hip and overall mobility is very important for this one,” Culp wrote to me. “A drill that I call knee rolls is a great one to start doing daily. I use this simple drill when working with all levels of athletes and clients.

“Start seated with knees and lower legs on the ground, both knees pointing to your right, and the soles of your feet pointing left. Lift your knees and roll them to the left until both knees are touching the ground and the soles of your feet now point to your right. Your feet will remain in contact with the ground during this transition. Continue repeating back and forth for 20 reps every day.

“You may need to use your hands as stabilisers to help during the transition, but if possible, keep the arms and hands held up during the transition. At the end of every roll, lean your body as far forward as possible toward the leg that’s on the ground in front of your body. In a short time, you’ll be able to roll forward using that leg as your support as you step right up from the ground.”

He shared a video coaching the move, too.

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

Ania Gabb’s fitness resumé is nearly as long as the races she runs.

According to the British running coach’s Instagram profile, she’s now up to 35 full-distance marathons, with an astonishing personal record completion time of 02:49—just 40 minutes shy of the world record.

Bear in mind that’s been accomplished while qualifying as a personal trainer, a group exercise instructor, a Pilates and yoga teacher, a pre- and post-natal fitness specialist, a UK Athletics-accredited running coach and, within the past couple of years, a new mum.

“Basically, every fitness class you can think of, I teach it or I’ve taught it,” she tells Fit&Well.

Gabb also leads the ASICS FrontRunner Community—a network of over 500 runners from 31 countries united by one goal: to inspire others to move for a sound mind in a sound body.

“The way I describe it is you don’t have to be fast to be a runner in the Frontrunner Community,” she says.

“Whether you’re 60 or 18, elite or a complete beginner, running for fitness or mental health, everyone has a different story. That’s what has brought us all together.”

Gabb’s passion for running started in school, where she ran cross country and seemingly took on “all the races on sports day nobody else wanted to run”, but top of her bucket list was the London Marathon.

“I used to watch it as a child. My auntie used to take me along to watch my uncle. I used to think to myself, ‘God, they’re like celebrities’. I’d high-five them and hand out Opal Fruits.”

Then, after leaving university, Gabb got her chance.

Lining up in a big Top Shop hoodie, long Sweaty Betty joggers, clutching her phone in one hand and iPod in the other, things unravelled quickly.

“I was aiming for sub-four hours but it started hailing and I got soaked, and had to stop for the loo about 10 times because I hadn’t trained with gels. I was very naive,” she admits.

Fortunately, that experience didn’t put her off.

Seventeen years and 34 marathons later, Gabb still relishes every race like it’s her first. She’s just a little more prepared for the challenge.

Here, she reveals how she stays race-ready while juggling a busy teaching schedule and navigating early parenthood.

Ania Gabb’s week in workouts

Before the birth of her daughter, Gabb used to get up early each day to exercise or lead fitness classes.

But after initially attempting to slot back into her old routine, she quickly learned she’d need to make some compromises to be fully present for her family, clients and herself.

“When I started to get back into fitness, I was putting a lot of pressure on myself,” she says.

“It was like, ‘I have to get up at 5am. I have to go and run eight miles.’ Very quickly I learned I can’t do this. I’ve just got to look after myself because otherwise I’m going to burn out.”

Here is what the elite runner’s week in workouts looks like with a two-year-old in tow.

Monday
4-6 mile easy run plus a 20-30min light lower-body strength workout.
In the evening, Gabb teaches a Body Pump Les Mills class.

Tuesday
Teaches three HIIT classes back-to-back.

Wednesday
Speed training with interval runs.
Gabb also teaches a gentle over-60s fitness class.

Thursday
Early morning run plus an upper-body strength workout.

Friday
Teaches three fitness classes back-to-back, including strength, HIIT and Pilates.
Gabb then might run with a client, keeping it “nice and easy”.

Saturday
4-6 mile easy run plus teaching a spin class.

Sunday
Long run up to 20 miles.

Ania Gabb on three rules that have made her a better runner

1. Keep a food diary

“What’s the one thing I’ve changed that’s made me a better runner? Definitely nutrition,” says Gabb, without hesitation.

Since that first troubling marathon, she’s tried every energy gel going and a variety of different meals the night before and morning of a race to discover what works for her.

“That was the biggest mistake I made on my first marathon—my stomach was not good,” she says.

“Now I tell all my clients to keep a diary. Trial and test everything. See what keeps your energy levels up. That’s what I did and I didn’t make the same mistake twice.”

2. Prioritize recovery

You can’t get quicker if you’re always ill or injured. That’s a critical lesson Gabb has learned since the birth of her daughter.

“I always go on about recovery and sleep because for a long time I was my own worst enemy,” she explains.

“I would stay up really late, then force myself to get up early to do a long run and I’d be knackered for the rest of the day.

“Or I’d make myself ill because my immune system was down.”

She now sticks to a hard deadline of 9:30pm the night before a long run. “Sleep really is the best recovery,” says Gabb.

3. Be kind to yourself

Lastly, Gabb says she has learned to take each day as it comes.

“Whatever your circumstances or race expectations, don’t put too much pressure on yourself,” she says.

“External factors like how stressful your day has been, how tired you are, how much sleep your newborn allowed you to have, can all affect performance.”

So if your training schedule dictates you need to tick off a long run on the weekend after a highly stressful, sleep-deprived week, run by feel rather than to your plan’s timetable.

You can always catch up later when you’ve had the chance to fully recharge your batteries.

Pilates is a great way to build core strength and stability, helping you feel stronger and more confident in everyday movement. By working the deep core, back and muscles around the pelvis, it can help improve posture, stability and spinal support.

“Whether that’s lifting a box, bending down to tie your laces, or simply surviving a day at your desk, it’s important to do some restorative work for body and mind,” says Pilates instructor Andrew Griffiths, a fitness expert and nutritionist at Net World Sports.

“The breathwork element of Pilates can also help with stress and anxiety,” he adds.

If you’ve never tried Pilates, this short routine created for beginners by Griffiths is a great place to start. You don’t need any experience—just some space on the floor and 10 minutes.

The 10-minute Pilates core workout

1. Pelvic tilt

Sets: 1 Reps: 8-10

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor. Rest your arms by your sides.
• Inhale to prepare. Exhale, gently tilt your pelvis so your lower back moves toward the floor.
• Inhale to return to a neutral spine.

“The goal is to be aware of your pelvis orientation, and how to activate the muscles that control it,” says Griffiths. “Small and controlled is the aim. The movement comes from the pelvis, not the legs.”

2. The hundred

Sets: 1 Pulses: 40 Rest: 30sec

• Lie on your back with your legs raised and knees bent at 90° over your hips and your shins parallel to the floor.
• Raise your head and shoulders and look towards your knees. If this feels too challenging, keep your head and shoulders on the floor.
• Hover your arms off the floor by your sides, palms facing down.
• Pulse your arms up and down in small, quick pulses.
• Inhale for five pulses, exhale for five.

Make it easier: Keep your feet on the floor.

“The target is to build up to 100 pulses, but if that feels too challenging as a beginner then 40 or 50 is a perfectly good place to start,” says Griffiths.

3. Dead bug

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Lie on your back with your arms reaching up over your shoulders and your knees bent at 90° over your hips and your shins parallel to the floor.
• Inhale to prepare. Exhale as you lower your right arm back overhead and extend your left leg forward.
• Keep your lower back connected to the floor throughout.
• Breathe in as you return to the starting position, and repeat on the other side.

“Take it slow—this one rewards control, not pace,” says Griffiths.

4. Glute bridge

Set: 2 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 30sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet hip-width apart and flat on the floor. Rest your arms by your sides.
• Inhale to prepare. Exhale as you raise your hips and spine until your body forms a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top but avoid over arching your lower back.
• Inhale to roll your spine slowly back to your starting position.

5. Bird dog

Sets: 2 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 30sec

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your hands and your hips over your knees.
• Inhale to prepare. Exhale and reach your right arm forwards and your left leg back.
• Keep your hips level and your back flat.
• Hold for a breath, then return to the starting position, slowly and with control.
• Repeat on the other side.

Griffiths says to maintain stability, “picture a glass of water balanced on your lower back that you’re trying not to spill”.

6. Child’s pose

Sets: 1 Hold: 30-60sec

• Start on your hands and knees then widen your knees out slightly.
• Send your hips back toward your heels and reach your arms out in front.
• Rest your forehead on the floor if that’s comfortable.
• Breathe deeply into your lower back and hips.

Aim to do these exercises three times a week, with a day off between sessions.

“That’s often enough to build real strength and the motor control these moves rely on, while still leaving room to recover,” says Griffiths. “Once the routine starts to feel easy, take it as your cue to progress the programme.”

How these exercises help build core strength and stability

Core strength and stability: “The hundred, dead bug and bird dog work the core and the muscles that help stabilize the spine,” says Griffiths.

Posture and the lower back: “Glute bridge and bird dog strengthen your glutes and the muscles that support your back,” says Griffiths. Strengthening these muscles can help support controlled movement and posture.

Spending prolonged periods sitting can mean your glute muscles become weak, so these exercises help strengthen them. Building strength in your glutes can help reduce the strain and load on your lower back.

Mobility: “Pelvic tilts and child’s pose give the spine and hips a gentle bit of movement,” says Griffiths.

Control and body awareness: “Pilates teaches you to move slowly and intentionally, and to tie your breath to the movement,” he says. “That habit bleeds into almost everything else you do physically.”

If you spend most of your days seated, your hips could be paying the price.

“When we're in a seated position for hours at a time, the hips remain bent for a prolonged period, and it's common to stand up at the end of the day and feel stiffness or tightness,” says Dr Marivi Lao, a physical therapist with Spear Physical Therapy.

To fix that, she suggests moving around regularly and doing targeted stretches, like the three below.

“A good starting point is doing one to three repetitions of each stretch, holding for about 20-30 seconds per side, two to four times per week,” she says. “If someone enjoys stretching and it feels good for their body, they can certainly incorporate these into a daily routine.”

Mobility is different for everyone and Lao says you should bear that in mind when working on your flexibility.

“I think of mobility as having enough comfortable range of motion to move through your day without feeling restricted,” she explains. “I also tell people that stretching shouldn't be a competition with themselves.”

In each stretch, you should feel a gentle-to-moderate pulling sensation, but you shouldn't be forcing your way into a position or feeling pain.

“If you find yourself holding your breath, tensing your entire body, or fighting to get farther into the stretch, that's usually a sign to back off a little,” Lao advises.

For the best results, the physical therapist recommends teaming this mobility routine with some targeted hip-strengthening exercises, like resistance band marches.

Here’s how to do the stretches.

1. Figure four

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 20-30sec each side

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Cross your left leg over your right, with your left ankle resting above your right knee.
• Lift your right foot off the floor.
• Grasp your right thigh with your hands.
• Gently pull your right knee towards your chest until you feel a stretch in the left hip.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Therapist tips: “I like to keep the crossed foot flexed and encourage people to relax their shoulders and pelvis rather than trying to force themselves deeper into the stretch,” Lao recommends.

“You should feel this mostly through the glute and outer hip. If you're feeling it in the knee or getting a pinching sensation in the hip, that’s a sign to back off and adjust your position.”

If you struggle to get down to the floor for this move, try performing it on your bed.

2. Kneeling hip flexor stretch

Sets: 1-3 Hold: 20-30sec each side

• Kneel on the floor.
• Place your right foot on the floor in front of you, with your knee bent to 90°.
• Tilt the front of your pelvis up slightly.
• Move your torso forward until you feel a stretch in the front of your left hip.
• Squeeze your left glute to deepen the stretch.
• Hold for 20 to 30 seconds.
• Switch sides and repeat.

Therapist tips: “One of the most common things I see [with this move] is people arching their low back and pushing their hips forward to get a bigger stretch,” says Dr Lao.

“It might feel like you’re getting more range, but you’re often just borrowing the movement from your low back. The movement should come from the hip.”

If you prefer a standing stretch, you can do this lunge version instead.

3. Supine hip twist

Sets: 1-3 Time: 20-30sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Slowly lower your knees to the left.
• Pause for a few seconds.
• Lift your knees back to the starting position.
• Gently lower your knees to the right.
• Pause for a few seconds.
• Lift your knees back to the starting position.
• Continue slowly alternating between your two sides for 20 to 30 seconds.

Therapist tips: “Think of this as gently exploring rotation rather than trying to get your knees all the way to the floor,” Dr Lao suggests.

“I like to encourage people to move slowly and breathe through it. Let the hips rotate while keeping your upper body relaxed. Your shoulder may lift a little depending on your individual range, and that’s okay.”

This is another one you can perform on your bed if you struggle to get down to the floor.

Having a strong core that can stabilize your body is vital at any age, but it gets more important as you get older.

These mid-body muscles protect your spine, keep your posture healthy and help with your balance. All of these things are vital if you want to move with ease and maintain your independence.

There are plenty of core exercises you can do at home, but one of my favorites is the suitcase carry, which involves picking up a heavy weight in one hand and walking for 30 seconds, then switching sides.

During the exercise, the weight will try to pull you off center. You have to switch on your core muscles to stay upright.

It’s not just me who thinks that this is a star exercise—physical therapist Dr Sean Sullivan also says it’s packed with benefits.

“It challenges grip strength, core stability, posture, balance, and walking at the same time,” says the owner of SpineScottsdale.

Here’s how to do the suitcase carry.

How to do the suitcase carry

Sets: 1-3 Time: 20-30sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, with a weight on the floor to your left.
• Engage your core.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and lower down to grasp the weight in your left hand.
• Stand back up, holding the weight.
• Walk for 20 to 30 seconds, then switch hands.

Tips on how to do it better

“The biggest mistake is using so much weight that you start leaning to one side,” cautions Dr. Sullivan.

You could try using a lighter weight if you struggle to stay upright, but I have a different approach.

When I’m working with a client who’s having trouble maintaining correct form, I’ll sometimes omit the walking portion of the exercise and have them stand holding a weight with one hand. Starting this way can help build deep core strength and stability.

Once they can hold the weight properly for at least 30 seconds, I’ll reintroduce walking for a shorter timeframe, completing 10-20 seconds instead of 20-30.

If you want to make the move harder, you can pick up a heavier weight.

If you don't have access to heavier weights, you can also challenge your balance by lifting one leg and holding it for up to 10 seconds with each step.

You’re not a flamingo, so why would you worry about your ability to balance on one leg?

“Balance is one of the clearest indicators of how well the body is functioning day to day,” says Yancy Culp, Spartan DEKA co-creator and senior director, who’s also trained many of the top obstacle course racers.

“It underpins confidence in movement, reduces risk of falls, and becomes increasingly important as we age.”

It’s why standing on one leg while doing a task is the first of Culp’s five fitness litmus tests, a way of helping people assess if they’ve got all the bases covered (the others cover cardio fitness, strength and mobility).

“If you struggle to stay steady while doing a task such as tying your shoe, it can be a sign that your balance and coordination need attention. The good news is that balance is something you can improve with practice—standing on one leg regularly can help you build your balance and coordination.”

I’m proof that this simple prescription works.

After I edited an article on the old man test, I tried it and realized I couldn’t put on a sock and shoe while standing on one leg.

All I did to remedy this was to almost always put on my socks while standing on one leg. It took months, but my balance has noticeably improved.

However, what if you’re not comfortable standing on one leg at all?

Culp has suggested two simple drills that, when practiced consistently and with the difficulty progressed gradually, should help you see a similar improvement.

Two balance drills

1. Delayed walking

“Many don’t think about it, but walking requires balance and coordination skills that we developed at a very early age,” says Culp.

“It’s a contralateral movement that requires opposite limbs working together to produce movement.

“For several minutes every day, do what I call delayed walking. Walk very slowly so that you’re forced to balance on one foot for a longer period of time compared to your normal walking pace during your leg transitions.

“During every session, challenge yourself to increase the amount of time for each step transition. Your balance will definitely improve!”

2. Slow high knees

“Take the traditional high knee drill and slow it way down,” says Culp.

“Slowly raise your knee and take three seconds to cycle the high knee before returning the foot to the ground.

“Continue cycling for two minutes daily.

“Every fifth day, increase your leg cycle time by one second. In 35 days you’ll be doing 10-second leg cycles and your balance will be greatly improved.

“Challenge yourself during this drill by doing things like closing your eyes for a brief period of time and reaching down and touching your foot with both hands during your leg cycles.”

Scroll through Pilates content on social platforms and you’ll find instructors executing impressive-looking moves that require expert-level core strength and control.

While it’s tempting to try and replicate them at home, you’re unlikely to be able to do them with the precision they require.

“The biggest mistake I see is beginners choosing more advanced [exercise] variations before establishing a strong foundation,” says Marina Enright, certified instructor and founder of Amare Pilates.

This can have serious implications.

“It means you may compensate with the wrong muscle groups, creating unnecessary tension in areas like the neck, shoulders and lower back,” says Enright.

“Over time, this can reinforce poor movement patterns and potentially lead to discomfort or injury.”

Getting the basics right is a necessary part of the practice, and rushing ahead to more advanced moves can actually slow things down in the long term.

Below, Enright shares three key pointers on how beginners can get the most out of Pilates.

1. Focus on quality over quantity

Pilates isn’t about blasting through as many repetitions of a move as possible, Enright says.

“Slow, controlled movements with proper alignment are more beneficial than rushing through repetitions. Always focus on quality over quantity.”

She says participants should focus on engaging the right muscles, rather than trying to do the hardest variation of a move.

2. Pay attention to your breath

Whether you’re practicing Pilates at home or in a class, your breath should be a focus throughout.

“Coordinating your breath with movement can help improve core engagement, control, and overall body awareness,” Enright explains.

“No matter how advanced we get with Pilates, we should always pay attention to the breath.”

3. Don’t be afraid to modify

Most Pilates instructors will give modifications to make a move easier or harder.

Enright encourages beginners to take the easier modifications to learn the fundamentals of each move.

“Modifications aren't a sign of weakness,” she emphasizes.

“They're an important part of building strength safely and effectively.”

If you’re working towards a specific goal or recovering from an injury, Enright also recommends working with a certified Pilates instructor.

“Having an instructor who can provide hands-on guidance, correct alignment and offer personalized modifications can make a significant difference,” she says.

The Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2026 took place in Culver City, California, on Sunday night and it saw some of the world’s biggest models and celebrities take to the stage. It featured the longest-serving Victoria’s Secret Angel—which is how the brand describes their signature models—Adriana Lima.

Lima, 45, has always been dedicated to working out—in 2023 she shared footage of her boxing to show support for Amanda Nunes ahead of Nunes’ UFC bout.

In the last 24 hours, her trainer Walter Savage shared a post on Instagram with some of the exact moves he used to get Lima ready for Sunday night’s show, and they’re surprisingly simple.

What is Adriana Lima’s workout routine?

The workout routine Savage shared consists of dumbbell and bodyweight exercises. They include:

• Biceps curls
• Straight-leg kickbacks with ankle weights
• Push-ups
• Triceps dips
• Single-arm bent-over rows

Savage doesn’t specify whether this is just part of Lima’s workout, or the entire thing, but we can assume this is an upper-body-focused workout and that the model does a separate routine to train her legs. However, the moves she is doing here are surprisingly simple and beginner-friendly, much more so than the exercises revealed in Jessica Biel’s Matchbox workout last week.

You might be surprised that someone who has been training seriously for more than 20 years chooses such basic moves, but according to Laura Johnson—a master trainer at 1Rebel who just launched their strength-focused Reshape Reps classes—simple workouts are often the most effective.

“The basics are the basics for a reason,” she says. “Curls, press-ups, dips and rows work every major muscle in your upper body, and because there's nothing complicated to think about, all your attention can focus on control, tempo and form.”

“These four moves cover pushing and pulling, so the front and back of your upper body both get worked, ensuring nothing gets left behind,” Johnson continues. “If you keep progressing them with more reps, a slower tempo or a harder variation, they’ll keep working for you, whatever your level.”

As someone who has been going to the gym for many years, I’ve always, perhaps unfairly, assumed that home workouts aren’t quite as effective as gym workouts.

However, I recently moved to a new area and I haven’t been able to find a gym I enjoy training at, so I’ve switched to home dumbbell workouts and I’ve been surprised by how much progress I’ve made.

But, working out at home means you don’t necessarily have the variety of equipment that you get at the gym. So, I asked personal trainer Pippa Sealey to put together a workout that mimics a varied gym-based workout with just a pair of dumbbells.

How to do this home dumbbell workout

“This workout allows you to increase the intensity at home by adding more sets, reps and a more challenging tempo,” Sealey explains. You’ll notice that as well as sets and reps, two of the exercises include tempo advice, which refers to how many seconds you should spend on each section of the move.

For example, if the tempo of a squat is 3111, that means you should spend three seconds lowering, one second at the bottom of the movement, one second to stand up and one second at the top of the movement.

Focusing on tempo can increase the time your muscles are under tension, which is a great way to help promote muscle growth, replicating the type of stimulus you achieve in the gym with a heavier weight.

This workout also incorporates supersets, which means you do two exercises back-to-back with no rest. “Adding in supersets is a good way of adding intensity at home,” says Sealey.

Complete all the reps of exercise A, then all the reps of exercise B to complete one superset. Continue until all the sets are complete, then move onto the next pair of exercises.

1A. Deficit calf raise

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand with the balls of your feet on the edge of a step, with your heels hanging off the edge.
• Slowly lower your heels below the level of the step, feeling a stretch through your calves.
• Push through the balls of your feet to raise your heels as high as possible, squeezing your calves at the top.
• Lower your heels back down slowly and with control, keeping your legs straight without locking your knees.

1B. Single-leg bridge

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Engage your core and lift your left foot off the floor.
• Push through the heel of your right foot to lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to your right knee.
• Squeeze your glutes at the top, making sure your hips are level and you’re not arching your lower back.
• Slowly lower your hips to the floor.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

2A. Dumbbell goblet squat

Sets: 4 Reps: 12-15 Tempo: 3111 Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Hold a dumbbell vertically against your chest with both hands, keeping your elbows close to your body and your feet approximately shoulder-width apart.
• Engage your core.
• Bend your knees and push your hips back to lower, keeping your chest upright, until your hips are at knee height or lower—take three seconds to complete this movement.
• Pause for one second, keeping your heels planted and your knees directly above your feet and pointing in the same direction as your toes.
• Push through your feet to stand upright, taking one second to complete the movement.
• Pause for one second and squeeze your glutes.

2B. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift

Sets: 4 Reps: 10–12 Tempo: 3111 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your knees slightly bent.
• Push your hips backwards to lower the dumbbells, keeping them close to your legs and maintaining a neutral spine, stopping when you feel a stretch in your hamstrings—take three seconds to complete this movement.
• Pause for one second.
• Drive your hips forwards to return to standing, taking one second to complete the movement.
• Pause for one second and squeeze your glutes.

3A. Half-kneeling single-arm dumbbell press

Sets: 3 Reps: 8-12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Start in a half-kneeling position with your left knee on the floor and your right foot flat on the floor in front of you, with both knees bent to 90°.
• Hold a dumbbell at shoulder height in your left hand.
• Engage your core.
• Press the dumbbell overhead, avoiding leaning backwards, arching your lower back or letting your ribs flare.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell back to shoulder height with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

3B. Dumbbell reverse lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells by your sides.
• Step one foot backwards and bend both knees to 90° to lower.
• Keep your chest upright, core engaged and your front knee tracking in line with your toes.
• Push through your front foot to return to standing.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides, or alternate sides with each rep to make it more difficult to maintain your balance.

4A. Dumbbell side bend

Sets: 3 Reps: 10-12 each side Rest: 0sec

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell in one hand by your right side.
• Engage your core.
• Slowly bend from your waist to the right side, lowering the dumbbell down the outside of your leg.
• Lower only as far as you can comfortably without twisting your torso or leaning forward.
• Use your obliques (the muscles on the sides of your torso) to lift your torso back to an upright position, moving slowly and with control.
• Do all your reps on one side, then switch sides.

4B. Dumbbell dead bug pull-over

Sets: 3 Reps: 6-8 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back, holding one dumbbell securely with both hands above your chest with your knees bent at 90° and legs raised with your knees directly above your hips.
• Engage your core and gently press your lower back into the floor, keeping your ribs down throughout the movement.
• Slowly lower the dumbbell overhead while extending and lowering one leg, maintaining tension through your core.
• Return to the starting position with control, then repeat with the opposite leg, alternating legs with each rep.

Shop adjustable dumbbells

To get a gym-like experience at home without taking over a spare room with a weight rack, it’s a good idea to buy a pair of adjustable dumbbells, which allow you to add or subtract plates from one set of handles. Here is our top three picks from our guide to the best adjustable dumbbells.

With age comes a natural decline in muscle mass and mobility. You might first notice this while walking—perhaps you don’t walk as far or as smoothly—but this doesn’t have to mean a loss of independence.

“Many people do not stop walking because they suddenly become too old; more often they stop because life gets busy, pain develops, or walking becomes more tiring than it used to be,” explains Devin Trachman, clinical director of Physical Therapy Central.

“As activity levels decline, the muscles that support walking become weaker, balance decreases and endurance drops, making walking feel even more difficult.”

Trachman says that this cycle can be reversed with gentle strength training to improve balance, confidence and muscle.

“Even small improvements in strength can lead to meaningful improvements in walking endurance and overall quality of life,” she says

“Rather than simply telling someone to walk more, I believe it’s more effective to build the strength and confidence that make walking feel easier and more enjoyable.

“When people become stronger, they’re more likely to stay active, remain independent, and continue doing the activities they love.”

If you’re looking for somewhere to start, Trachman recommends this one exercise to build strength in your walking muscles.

“If I could only prescribe one exercise to improve walking, this would be it,” she says.

1. Sit-to-stand

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 Rest: 60sec

“Standing up from a chair is one of the most functional movements we perform every day. It builds the lower-body strength needed for walking, climbing stairs and getting up independently.”

Muscles targeted: Quadriceps, gluteus maximus and core stabilizers

How to do it:

• Sit toward the front of the seat of a sturdy chair with your feet flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart.
• Lean your chest slightly forward while keeping your back straight. Have your hands crossed over your chest or by your sides.
• Push through your heels to stand fully upright.
• Slowly lower yourself back into the chair with control.

Form tip: Avoid using your hands if possible.

Modifications: If you need to use your hands, use a chair with arm rests for light support until you build up the strength to go hands free. Alternatively, use a table or sturdy support in front of you.

There is plenty of expert advice and evidence backing the need for strength training as we age—particularly for women in midlife. The importance of developing and maintaining power, though, is often overlooked.

“When we talk about power in exercise, we’re talking about the ability to produce force quickly,” explains Kylie Hansen, a NASM-certified personal trainer and coach at Busy Bariatrics.

“That means being able to use your strength at speed—a skill that matters when you need to catch yourself after a trip or move quickly to regain your balance.” It also helps you move rapidly when you need to, like dodging people on a busy sidewalk.

“This becomes particularly important as we get older because the muscle fibers that help us produce quick, powerful movements can decline with age and inactivity,” she says.

Training power might sound intimidating, but you don’t need to start with big jumps or complicated lifts.

“For beginners, we can take familiar movements, use appropriate modifications and focus on moving with control and intent in a safe manner,” says Hansen.

Below, Hansen shares three exercises for producing force quickly, plus a core stability move to complement them.

How to do the four-move power workout

Complete two or three sets of each exercise, then move on to the next exercise. Rest for 60–90 seconds between sets.

Hansen says that the aim is quality reps, rather than pushing yourself to the point of exhaustion.

“Power drops as fatigue builds,” says Hansen, “so I’d rather see someone perform a small number of crisp, purposeful repetitions, take adequate rest, and repeat them well than turn these exercises into a high-repetition cardio workout.”

1. Burpee

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 5-6 Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet about hip-width apart.
• Bend your knees to place your hands on the floor in front of your feet.
• Step or jump your feet back into a high plank, engaging your core to keep your body in a straight line.
• Step or jump your feet back in toward your hands.
• Return to standing and reach your arms overhead with a small jump.

Modification: Step back instead of jumping your feet back, and/or rise onto your toes instead of jumping vertically.

How it helps train power: “The burpee uses the whole body and there’s lots of room to adjust the intensity,” says Hansen. “A beginner can step through the movement, while someone more experienced can move faster with a jump at the end. When performed explosively, it requires your body to produce force quickly while coordinating the upper and lower body.”

2. Squat jump

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 5-6 Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Bend your knees to sit your hips back and lower your buttocks, keeping your chest upright.
• Push firmly through your feet and swing your arms up to propel you into a vertical jump.
• Land softly, allowing your hips and knees to bend to absorb the impact.

Modification: Rise onto your toes instead of jumping.

How it trains power: “Squat jumps introduce lower-body power using a movement most people will already recognize,” explains Hansen.

3. Squat to upright row

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 5-6 Rest: 60-90sec

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart holding dumbbells or kettlebells in front of your thighs.
• Bend your knees to sit your hips back and lower your buttocks, keeping your chest upright.
• Push firmly through your feet to stand upright and use the momentum generated to pull the dumbbells toward your chest as you rise, moving your elbows up and out to the sides.
• Lower the weights with control.

How it trains power: “This movement combines lower and upper-body movement, so you have to coordinate them at once,” says Hansen.

4. Plank dumbbell pull-through

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 5-6 each side Rest: 60-90sec

• Start in a high plank with your shoulders over your wrists, your body in a straight line from head to heels and your feet apart for stability, with a dumbbell on the floor on the inside of your left hand.
• Engage your core to keep your hips as stable.
• Use your right hand to move the dumbbell to your right side.
• Repeat on the other side.

Make it easier: Perform the movement from your knees.

How it supports the workout: “This exercise is slightly different from the explosive lower-body exercises—the challenge comes from quickly creating stability as your base of support changes,” says Hansen.

This move challenges your core to keep your hips and torso steady as you shift your weight onto one arm to move the dumbbell across the floor. It complements the explosive exercises by training stability and control.

Pilates is a fantastic way to move your body, especially if you don’t feel confident lifting heavy weights or doing high-impact cardio and are looking for a low-impact option.

Modern Pilates is a varied discipline, though, and some classes may be more suitable for younger bodies.

So I turned to Claire Seager, 51, a Pilates teacher and founder of Pilatify, which is designed with women over the age of 50 in mind, to ask what benefits Pilates can offer older women.

“Pilates brings the whole body into balance and once we’ve worked one set of muscles, we will stretch them,” Seager says. “Modern life, and age, often brings us into a head-forward and stooped posture, and Pilates aims to counteract this.

“It is low impact, keeps you strong, improves your balance and reduces stress,” she adds.

Below, she’s shared her top five beginner-friendly Pilates moves for women in their 60s and 70s. “The exercises I’ve chosen offer the perfect blend of strength, flexibility and posture correction,” Seager says.

The best Pilates moves for women in their 60s and 70s

1. Rocking cat and cow

Reps: 10

• Get on your hands and knees, pull your tummy in and up, and round your spine.
• Draw your pubic bone to your nose, rounding your back. This is cat.
• Keep that shape and move your butt to lightly touch your heels.
• Rock forward again so your shoulders are back above your hands.
• Arch your back, lifting your tailbone, head and chest. This is cow.

Make it easier: Omit the rocking motion and move between cat position and cow position.

2. Reverse tabletop

Reps: 10

• Sit on the floor with your legs together and extended, your hands on the floor slightly behind your butt, with your fingers facing forward and your chest open.
• Lift your butt so your body is in a straight line from head to feet.
• Lower slowly.

Make it easier: Start with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Then lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from shoulders to knees.

3. Knee circles

Reps: 10 in each direction on each side

• Get on your hands and knees.
• Keeping your pelvis as still as possible, lift your left leg behind you, keeping your knee bent to 90°.
• Move your left leg out to the side then back to the start, drawing an imaginary circle with your knee.
• Once you have completed the reps on one direction, complete another set of reps in the opposite direction.
• Then repeat on the other side.

Make it easier: If you find your pelvis moves as you circle your knee, just lift and lower your knee.

4. Triceps push-up

Reps: 10

• Start in a plank position with your hands underneath your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.
• Bend your elbows to lower your body, keeping your elbows tucked in by your sides and your head in line with your spine.
• Push through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

Make it easier: Keep your knees on the floor underneath your hips.

5. Thread the needle

Reps: 10 each side

• Get on your hands and knees, extend your right leg behind you and lift it to hip height.
• Move your right hand underneath your torso and thread it between your left hand and left knee, twisting your torso to the left and lowering the right side of your face.
• Reverse the movement and raise your right arm, twisting your torso to the right.
• Perform all the reps on one side, then switch sides.

Make it easier: Keep both knees on the floor.

When you like to run, you will never be able to shake the temptation to skip strength training in favor of more miles, but you must remember that regular strength training helps keep you strong enough to run regularly without injury.

“It’s a crucial part of training,” says Paupert, who is a certified personal trainer at Xceleration Fitness.

She’s put together a four-move workout exclusively for Fit&Well readers that strengthens and protects your knees and hips in particular, so you’re less likely to develop an injury and have to stop running. Not only that, the added leg strength and core stability should see you achieve faster times.

The lower-body workout for runners

If you’re unfamiliar with strength training, begin with bodyweight versions of Paupert’s four moves. “Practice this lower-body workout unweighted at first, then you can start to add light weights and build up,” Paupert says.

“As you progress, think about the weight of a big suitcase that you’d take on holiday. That usually weighs around 40lb so if you can lift a suitcase you could try, for example, your kettlebell deadlift exercise with two 20lb kettlebells.”

1. Single-leg step down

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

How to do it:

• Stand on a yoga block or weight plate that is three to four inches tall with your right foot, holding your left foot behind you so it is off the platform.
• Bend your right knee to slowly lower your left heel to tap the floor, keeping your hips level throughout.
• Extend your right knee to return to the starting position.

Progression: To make this exercise more challenging, increase the height of your block or hold a weight at your chest.

Benefits: Strengthens the quadriceps and the patellar tendon in the front of the knee. It isolates one leg at a time to help with any strength asymmetries you may have.

2. Double kettlebell sumo deadlift

Sets: 3 Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Start with a wide stance that is wider than your shoulders with your toes turned out about 45°, and two kettlebells of equal weight between your feet.
• Bend your knees slightly and push your glutes back, hinging forward from your hips to reach down and take hold of the kettlebells.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down to engage your back muscles.
• Push your hips forward and push the floor away with your feet to stand upright, lifting the kettlebells.
• Slowly lower the kettlebells back to the floor by pushing your glutes back and then bending your knees.

Benefits: Works your glutes, hamstrings and adductors while protecting the lower back and improving hip mobility. As a runner, strengthening the posterior chain is important because that’s what propels you forward as you run.

3. Lateral lunge

Sets: 3 Reps: 8 each side

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet together.
• Take a big step out to the right, keeping your torso over your right leg and your left leg straight.
• Bend your right knee to lower.
• Push through your right foot to return to the start.
• Repeat on the other side, alternating sides with each rep.

Progression: Once you have mastered the movement pattern, hold a kettlebell at your chest or dumbbells by your sides to make it more challenging.

Benefits: Strengthens the hips and knees, while reducing risk of injury by training in a direction we don’t usually move in day-to-day.

4. Suitcase march

Sets: 3 Reps: 10 each side

How to do it:

• Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell by your left side, slightly away from your body.
• Slowly lift and bend your left knee to hip height (or higher).
• Return your left foot to the floor with control then repeat on the right side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep, then repeat holding the weight on your right side.

Form tip: If the weight is in your left hand, focus on keeping the tension and control in your right obliques.

Benefits: Improves core stability, hip flexor strength and oblique strength.

After working with a personal training client for a while, I like to introduce a new challenge in the form of kettlebells.

These weights are great for building full-body strength and the uneven weight distribution provides new stimulus for muscles in your forearms and around your wrists.

I typically start by introducing kettlebell goblet squats, goblet cleans, overhead presses and halos.

You need to know how to squat, overhead press and deadlift with proper form before attempting this routine.

Here’s how to do it.

How to do this full-body kettlebell workout

I make clients work through these exercises as a circuit, so you perform one set of reps of exercise one, followed by one set of reps for exercise two, and so on. Do all the exercises in sequence to perform one round. Complete between two and four rounds as time and/or your fitness allows. If your form begins to break down, that’s a sign that it’s time to stop.

1. Kettlebell goblet squat

Reps: 8-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell in front of your chest.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, keeping your back straight, until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Pause briefly.
• Push through your feet to stand back up.

Trainer tips: Don’t let your torso lean forward excessively. If that happens, use a lighter kettlebell.

2. Kettlebell goblet clean

Reps: 8-12

• Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart, with a kettlebell on the floor between your feet.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Hinge at your hips, bend your knees, and lean forward.
• Grasp the top of the kettlebell handle with both hands.
• Drive your hips forward to stand upright, generating the momentum to lift the kettlebell vertically.
• As the kettlebell rises, move your elbows up and out to the sides and shift your grip from the top of the handle to the sides, catching the kettlebell in front of your chest.
• Reverse the movements to lower the kettlebell back to the floor.

Trainer tips: Don’t allow your back to arch or round. Stay in control of the movement at all times.

3. Kettlebell overhead press

Reps: 8-12

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell in both hands at chest level.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Press the kettlebell over your head.
• Pause briefly.
• Lower the kettlebell to your chest.

Trainer tips: Don’t allow your lower back to arch as you press the kettlebell overhead. Keep your ribs drawn in. The kettlebell should stay aligned with your body; don’t allow it to travel forward or backward as you press it overhead.

4. Kettlebell halo

Reps: 8-12 each direction

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a kettlebell upside down by its handles at chest level.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Bring the kettlebell to your right shoulder.
• Circle the kettlebell behind your head, then bring it toward your left shoulder.
• Bring the kettlebell back to your chest.
• Reverse directions, bringing the kettlebell to your left shoulder.
• Circle the kettlebell behind your head, bringing it to your right shoulder.
• Bring the kettlebell back to your chest.

Trainer tips: Keep your elbows drawn in as you circle the kettlebell behind your head. Don’t let your back arch excessively. Stay in control of the movement and don’t let momentum take over.

You’ve probably heard about the importance of strength training as you age—it’s one of the most effective ways to preserve muscle mass and bone density.

However, lifting heavy weights isn’t the only thing you should be focusing on for your long-term health, according to Antonietta Vicario, chief training officer at PVOLVE.

To boost your longevity, you should also incorporate exercises that actively challenge your stability and balance.

“As we age, maintaining stability becomes increasingly important because it supports our ability to move through life with confidence and control,” Vicario explains.

“Balance and stability aren't just fitness skills. They're part of maintaining independence and continuing to do the things we love, increasing our healthspan.”

To build better stability, Vicario recommends mixing up your routine with exercises that require your core to keep you steady while other parts of your body are in motion.

“You’re asking your muscles and joints to create strength and control while your position is changing,” she says.

“Your deep core and smaller stabilizing muscles have to communicate with the rest of the body to keep you centered, aligned, and in control.”

One prime example is the leg flutter: lying on your back with your legs extended and torso lifted, you flutter your feet up and down.

While it looks simple, it’s surprisingly hard for your core muscles to stabilize your body and prevent your torso from rocking side-to-side.

To bolster your balance, you need to do unilateral work, like single-leg deadlifts or lunges.

Combined, these styles of exercises strengthen your core muscles and train them to stabilize you when your balance is tested.

Vicario has created a workout that contains both types of moves, so you can hone these skills at home.

All you’ll need is two dumbbells—a lighter option and a slightly heavier weight—along with 20 minutes of free time.

I always tell my clients they don’t need to spend hours at a gym to get a good workout.

In fact, one of my go-to routines takes just 10 minutes and only requires a single dumbbell.

On days when my schedule is packed, I use this sequence to target my legs, arms, back and core.

It’s a circuit workout, which means you’ll do one set of reps for each exercise before moving on to the next. Perform all the exercises to complete one round of the circuit.

I always aim to do two rounds, but you can do more rounds if you have the time.

1. Single-arm bent-over row

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in your right hand.
• Engage your core muscles, hinge from the hips and lean your torso forward until your back is nearly parallel to the floor.
• Squeeze your right shoulder blade and pull the dumbbell toward your hip.
• Pause briefly when the dumbbell is near your hip.
• Lower the dumbbell with control.
• Complete all the repetitions, then repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Use your other hand to brace yourself on a chair, table, or other solid surface. You can also place one foot in front of the other and place your hand on your thigh for support. Avoid rounding your spine or allowing your lower back to arch excessively. Relax the shoulders and keep the elbow close to your body as you lift the dumbbell.

2. Goblet squat

Reps: 10

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart.
• Hold a dumbbell by one of its ends with both hands.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower until your thighs are parallel with the floor.
• Pause briefly.
• Push through your heels to stand.

Trainer tips: Push your hips back before bending the knees. If you’re a beginner, place a chair behind you and aim your hips towards the seat. Keep your spine straight and avoid leaning forward excessively. If you are leaning forward, use a lighter weight or practice the move without a dumbbell. Don’t let your knees cave in as you stand up, and keep your heels on the floor throughout the movement.

3. Dumbbell halo

Reps: 10 each direction

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding a dumbbell by each end in front of your chest.
• Engage your core muscles and move the dumbbell towards your right shoulder.
• Circle the dumbbell behind your head, bringing it to your left shoulder.
• Bring the dumbbell back to your chest.
• Continue circling the dumbbell in this direction 10 times, then repeat in the other direction.

Trainer tips: Keep the dumbbell as close to your body as possible. Avoid letting your elbows splay out to the side as you take the dumbbell behind your head. Keep your core engaged throughout.

4. Dumbbell woodchop

Reps: 10 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding the shaft of a dumbbell in both hands.
• Engage your core muscles, hinge at the hips slightly as you bring the dumbbell to the outside of your left hip.
• Drive your hips forward and swing the dumbbell above your right shoulder.
• Hinge your hips behind you as you bring the dumbbell back to the left hip.
• Continue for 10 repetitions, then repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Stay in control of the movement at all times, and avoid letting momentum take over. Keep your spine straight and don’t let your back round or arch excessively.

GLP-1 medications are an integral part of many people’s weight-loss journeys.

One of those is NASM-certified personal trainer Kylie Hansen.

“I’ve had bariatric surgery, I currently use a GLP-1 and I’m a personal trainer and nutrition coach,” Hansen tells Fit&Well.

“One of the biggest things I’ve learned through my own weight-loss journey is that seeing the scale go down and building a strong, healthy body are not the same thing.

“At this point in my journey, I’m much less interested in exercising just to burn calories or make the scale move. I want muscle.”

She adds that she sees muscle as an insurance policy that allows her to live an active life.

“I want to be strong, capable and able to continue doing the things I love as I get older.”

Hansen favors dumbbell workouts and strength training with machines at the gym, as the added stability gives her the confidence to lift heavier weights.

“I’ve had spinal surgery, and I find that dumbbells allow me to move in a way that feels more natural for my body,” she says.

“I don’t believe there is one perfect way to strength train,” says Hansen.

“Find movements that work for your body, start where you are and give yourself opportunities to get stronger. These are three movements I personally love.”

1. Goblet squat
2. Walking lunge
3. Dumbbell punch

1. Goblet squat

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-12 Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a kettlebell or dumbbell at your chest with both hands.
• Brace your core and keep your chest upright.
• Bend your knees and lower your hips as low as comfortable, keeping your feet flat on the floor.
• Push through your feet to extend your legs and return to standing.

Why Hansen recommends this exercise: “Squats train a lot of muscles in one movement, particularly the quads and glutes, while also involving the hamstrings, core and other muscles that help stabilize the body,” says Hansen.

“If I had to choose one movement, squats would definitely be on my list because there is so much you can do with them.

“You can do a sit-to-stand from a chair, a bodyweight squat, goblet squat, sumo squat, heel-raised squat, close-stance squat—the list goes on.

“I love that because you can meet yourself where you are instead of thinking you have to perform a certain version of an exercise for it to count.

“Maybe today your squat is simply getting out of a chair without using your hands. That's still something worth working on.

“Eventually that might become a bodyweight squat. Then maybe you hold a dumbbell.

“Over time, you can gradually challenge yourself with more resistance or a variation that's appropriate for you.”

2. Walking lunge

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 8-10 each side Rest: 60-90sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and take a step forward with one foot.
• Bend both knees, lower your back knee toward the floor.
• Push through your front foot to bring yourself forward, stepping directly into the next step with your opposite leg leading.
• Continue alternating legs until all reps are completed.

Form tip: Keep your leading foot stable, your torso stable and chest upright.

Make it easier: If walking lunges aren't comfortable or you're still wobbly, perform a supported or stationary lunge.

Make it harder: Hold dumbbells if you're ready for more.

Why Hansen recommends this exercise: “I love walking lunges because they challenge each side of your body independently,” says Hansen.

“They also require balance, coordination and control while building lower-body strength.

“Walking lunges work the quads and glutes while also involving the hamstrings, calves and core.”

3. Dumbbell punch

Sets: 2-3 Time: 20-30sec Rest: 45-60sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, knees slightly bent and your core engaged.
• Hold a pair of light dumbbells in front of your shoulders.
• Drive one arm forward in a controlled motion, without locking your elbow.
• Return to the starting position and repeat on the other side.
• Continue alternating while maintaining control.

Form tip: Keep your core engaged throughout the movement and avoid using momentum to throw the weights around.

Why Hansen recommends this exercise: “This one might not be the first exercise people think of when they hear strength training, but I love it because movement doesn't always need to feel intimidating,” says Hansen.

“Not every exercise has to be complicated. Especially for someone who is just beginning to exercise or coming back to it after a long time. I think there's value in finding movement you actually enjoy doing.

“Sometimes picking up a couple of very light dumbbells and moving can help someone begin seeing themselves as a person who exercises.

“I would use this as a lighter resistance movement rather than treating it as a replacement for progressively loaded strength exercises like squats, lunges, presses or rows.”

“Light dumbbell punches involve the shoulders and arms while your core stabilizes your body as your arms alternate.”

Hansen’s tips for exercising on GLP-1s

You’ve got the GLP-1, you’ve got the workout; you’re sorted, right? Maybe not.

Hansen found that her relationship with motivation changed dramatically while on GLP-1 medication.

“The medication helps me eat less, so the scale can move without me feeling like I'm doing a tremendous amount of extra work,” she explains, “and my brain says, ‘Oh, I don't need to do anything!’ That's where I have to challenge myself.”

She adds that weight loss and building a healthier body aren't necessarily the same thing.

“I still have to decide to exercise. I still have to think about my nutrition. I still have to work on the habits I want to have long after losing weight stops being my immediate goal,” she says.

“A GLP-1 doesn't strength train for me. It doesn't build my habits for me. That's still my job.”

“Whether you're taking a GLP-1, you've had bariatric surgery, or neither applies to you, your mind is one of the most powerful tools you have.

“We have to learn to recognize and challenge the thought patterns that either move us toward the person we want to become or keep us stuck where we are.”

One of our favorite celebrities spreading the word about strength training is Jessica Biel.

The internet went bananas for the arm and back workout she posted in December 2025, and now she’s sharing footage of how she physically prepared for her role in Matchbox The Movie.

Her latest post features commentary from her long-time trainer Ben Bruno and opens with a clip of her on set in a green backless dress.

“People understandably want to know about her back workout—the thing is, Jess does full-body workouts and actually focuses a bit more on legs and butt than upper body,” Bruno says in the clip.

He also adds that Biel tweaked her lower back a few months before getting ready for the movie, so he had to get creative to keep challenging Biel without aggravating her back.

Two moves in the video, the squats which use a foam roller, are great examples of that creativity, and could help some people squat while reducing the pressure on their lower back.

But the exercises Biel is performing are very advanced, and shows the strength she’s already working with. The moves combine isometric holds (a technique Alison Brie also uses to develop strength without bulk), balance through core stabilization and weighted compound movements (exercises that employ multiple muscle groups at once).

I put my personal trainer hat on to take a look at the exercises Biel’s doing and how they’re useful.

Horizontal ring row with forward slide

Gymnastic rings are a fantastic way to build strength across your upper body.

This move targets all the posterior muscles (those that run along the back of your body) —rhomboids, trapezius, rear deltoids and latissimus dorsi—combined with core strength for stability, particularly in the forward shift with bent knees.

In the hold at the top of the movement, your shoulders are actively retracted, improving shoulder strength and stability.

Wall-assisted goblet squat

This squat against the wall with a foam roller is a more supportive way to squat, targeting your quads, glutes and hamstrings, while bolstering your posture and protecting your lower back.

Adding weight increases the intensity and core resistance.

Wall-assisted double dumbbell squat

This wall-supported squat has the same setup with the foam roller behind the back, but holding two dumbbell weights instead of one at your chest.

The difference allows you to load more total weight, challenging your grip strength and upper back and shoulder muscles.

Wall-assisted double dumbbell Bulgarian split squat

This is a variation on the traditional Bulgarian split squat where the top of the rear foot rests on a weight bench. By pressing the sole of your back foot against a wall instead, it shifts more of the work onto your front leg.

It also makes your glutes work harder than your quads, changing the focus of the strength work.

High-side plank with resistance band knee and elbow drive

This is an advanced core and hip strengthening exercise where the resistance band (hooked onto an anchor point out of shot) forces your core to resist the band pulling you out of position.

As you drive your knee and elbow close together, your core has to work hard to keep you stable and balanced.

Resistance band weighted lateral lunge

The resistance band on an anchor point for this weighted lateral lunge creates horizontal tension, forcing Biel’s core and hip stabilizers to work harder.

Loading the movement by reaching a weight to the floor trains mobility and depth of movement. The challenge here is resisting the forward pull from the weight simultaneously with the side pull of the resistance band.

Bulgarian split squat hold with lateral raise

This is a traditional Bulgarian split squat with your rear foot on a weight bench but held at the bottom of the movement in an isometric position.

This unilateral move challenges your balance and stability, quads and glutes, with an extra demand from the single-arm dumbbell side raise, working your deltoids.

Raising your arm out to the side while in a low split squat forces your core to keep your pelvis stable against wobbling or twisting.

Side-lying press and reach

This is more of a mobility move to improve general shoulder mobility and scapular health. These smaller movements with lighter weights ensure you can do the heavier lifting with less risk of injury.

Once you’re lying sideways on a bench up to the hips, you press a light weight out in front of you at shoulder height, then raise it overhead.

Biel has her legs locked in place by husband Justin Timberlake, but you could also use a glute-ham developer machine in the gym.

Low-side plank with leg raise hold

This side plank hold is extra challenging with the leg raised. Raising the arm overhead makes the move even harder because your obliques (side abdominal muscles) have to work harder to keep you stable. It also engages your upper back and shoulders, preventing your chest from collapsing forward.

Keeping your raised ankle flexed ensures engagement through your side hip and glutes.

Training your deep core muscles—the ones that wrap around your spine in your torso—can help with everything from your balance to your posture and spinal health.

One of the best ways to target these muscles is through Pilates, a practice that involves moving your limbs with control in sync with your breath.

“It builds foundational stability from the inside out,” says Madison DiSalvo, Pilates instructor at STRONG Pilates Commack.

DiSalvo recommends starting with these four moves that require you to hold your mid-body still while your limbs are moving. Here’s how to do them.

1. Dead bug

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15 each side

• Lie on your back.
• Reach your arms straight up, bend your knees, and lift your legs so your calves are parallel to the floor. Your spine should be in a neutral position.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale and lower your right arm above your head and extend and lower your left leg, stopping just before your back arches.
• Inhale as you return to the starting position, then perform with the opposite limbs, switching sides with each rep.

The trick here is to keep your torso, lower back, and pelvis completely still, resisting the pull created by the movement of your arms and legs. This will activate your transverse abdominis, a corset-like muscle that sits below your ribs.

2. Bird dog

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 10-15 each side

• Get on your hands and knees, with your hands directly under your shoulders, your knees under your hips, and your spine in a neutral position.
• Exhale as you reach your right arm forward and extend and lift your left leg behind you to hip height, without letting your hips tilt or your lower back arch.
• Lower with control on an inhale, then perform with the opposite limbs, switching sides with each rep.

As with the dead bug, this move creates a cross-body rotational torque, which your deep-lying core muscles have to resist.

The dead bug exercise is more challenging for your deep core muscles, but the bird dog will test out your balance and coordination.

3. Bear plank

Sets: 3-5 Time: 20-30sec

• Get on your hands and knees, with your toes tucked and your hands underneath your shoulders.
• Inhale to prepare.
• Exhale, draw your navel to your spine, and lift your knees one inch off the mat.
• Hold this position for time.

As you lift, keep your back flat and your neck elongated. Try to activate your pelvic floor as you execute the move.

4. Plank leg lift

Sets: 2-3 Time: 10-12 each side

• Get on your hands and knees, then step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels, with your hands directly underneath your shoulders.
• Keeping your pelvis level and your back in a neutral position, exhale as you lift your right leg, squeezing your right glute.
• Lower on an inhale, then repeat with your left leg without shifting your weight from side to side.
• Continue, alternating sides with each rep.

Make sure your lower back doesn’t arch as you lift your leg.

If you spend extended periods looking down at a device or slouching forward in front of a screen, you might have experienced discomfort in your neck—now widely known as tech neck.

Raj Suppiah, a physical therapist at Foundation Physical Therapy and Wellness, says this is the “strain of neck muscles as a result of a prolonged flexed [looking down] posture”.

“Spending a lot of time hunched over phones and computers can cause the muscles of the neck to become tight and overloaded, which can cause stiffness, pain or headaches,” he says.

To avoid developing tech neck, Suppiah recommends the following four points:

1. Take short movement breaks, every 30 to 45 minutes.
2. Adjust your screen so the top third aligns with your eyes or forehead.
3. Keep your keyboard and mouse close enough that you’re not forced to look down or reach forward.
4. Commit to regular exercise—specifically walking, strength training and mobility work for your neck, shoulders and upper back.

While you adopt Suppiah’s preventative measures, I asked Ashley Katzenback, a doctor of physical therapy and the owner of Cape Concierge Physical Therapy, what are the best exercises to ease screen-related neck discomfort and why they work.

1. Side neck stretch

The side neck stretch can ease tightness between your neck and shoulder, encouraging comfortable sideways movement.

Reps: 3 Hold: 5sec each side

• Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor and shoulders relaxed.
• Hold the right side of your chair with your right hand.
• Carefully move your left ear toward your left shoulder, keeping your chest facing forward.
• Feel a gentle stretch down the right side of your neck.
• Hold for five seconds, repeat twice more.
• Move gently within a comfortable range and stop if there’s any pain.

Why it helps: “The side neck stretch works on your upper traps, levator scapulae, scalenes and sternocleidomastoid,” says Katzenback. “When these muscles are tight, your head migrates forward, leading to headaches, jaw pain and upper-back pain.

“I encourage this stretch to be done actively rather than passively because you work on recruiting the opposite side muscles while stretching the side in question.”

Active stretching is when you use your neck muscles to move your head into the stretch, rather than pulling it with your hand.

“For example, when you actively side-bend your neck to the right you are stretching the left side, while strengthening the right side,” says Katzenback. “This has been shown to be more effective than pulling on your neck.”

2. Chin back tuck

Reps: 5-10 Hold: 2sec

• Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor and shoulders relaxed.
• Place your finger on your chin.
• Move your neck and head backward, moving your chin away from your finger.
• Hold for a couple of seconds.
• Release the position and repeat.

Why it helps: The chin tuck helps to gently lengthen the back of your neck, and draws your head back from a forward position. It’s a movement exercise as well as a stretch.

“This exercise activates the deep neck flexors that become weak and shortened from excessive sitting with forward head posture,” Katzenback says. “It also stretches tight suboccipital muscles that tend to cause headaches and tension radiating down into your shoulder blades.”

3. Seated chest stretch

Reps: 5 Hold: 5-10sec

• Sit on a chair with your feet flat on the floor and shoulders relaxed.
• Extend your arms down by your sides, palms facing forward.
• Lift your chest slightly to feel a stretch across the front, without arching your lower back.
• Hold for 5-10sec, then release.

Why it helps: The chest stretch targets tightness rather than pain, stretching chest muscles to counteract the forward slouch towards a keyboard or device.

“Sometimes no matter how hard we try to strengthen the posterior chain [muscles in the back of your body including the neck and upper back], if your anterior chain [muscles in the front of your body including the chest and shoulders] is too tight, it's like pushing against a brick wall,” Katzenback says.

“When you do this stretch while seated at your desk, you must actively recruit your mid-back muscles [rhomboids, lats, mid traps, delts] to help pull your shoulders back.

“As the day progresses while you work at your computer, your lower back tires of supporting you, causing the thoracic spine to round, pulling everything forward. These stretches are all geared toward keeping your spine in optimal position.”

Walking is an effective form of exercise that can improve cardiovascular fitness, support mental health and mobility.

“Walking is one of the most underrated workouts out there. It's free, low impact, and you can do it almost anywhere,” says NASM-certified personal trainer Nelly Flaque from Nelly F Fitness.

And there’s a straightforward way to get more out of it—add short bursts of faster walking.

“Picking up the pace is the easiest upgrade you can make to your daily walk,” she says. “Faster intervals push your heart rate higher, burn more calories, and make your legs and glutes work harder with every step. Then the easy walking section lets you recover so you can push again.”

“Over time, your heart gets stronger, your endurance improves, and your normal walking pace gets faster,” says Flaque.

Research suggests that walking pace matters alongside daily step count. A new study of 64,743 people, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, found that a faster stepping pace was associated with a lower risk of death, including among people taking fewer than 5,000 steps a day.

Below, Flaque shares a beginner-friendly 20-minute walking workout, plus advice on finding your pace, refining your technique and progressing the routine.

“Don’t forget to wear supportive shoes, bring some water and start conservatively,” says Flaque. “If you have heart, joint, or balance issues, always check with your doctor before adding faster intervals.”

How to do this interval walking workout

At first, aim to perform this workout three times a week on non-consecutive days. Keep your regular easy walks on the days in between.

Warm-up

Time: 4min

Walk at an easy pace. Don’t be tempted to skip this part. “Cold calves and shins are the first to complain when you speed up!” says Flaque.

Intervals

Time: 12min

Alternate one minute of fast walking with two minutes of easy, slower walking to complete one round. Perform four rounds in total.

“During your easier stretches of walking, you should be able to hold a full conversation,” says Flaque. “During your fast intervals, you should only be able to get out a few words at a time.”

She suggests an effort of around four out of 10 for the easy sections and seven or eight for the faster intervals. “It should feel challenging, but something you can hold for a minute or two.”

Make sure you pace yourself so you can complete all four rounds. “If your first interval wipes you out, the rest of the workout falls apart. Save something.”

Cool-down

Time: 4min

Return to easy walking. Finish with a calf and hip flexor stretch if you like. Here’s a short routine of post-walk stretches to try.

How to walk with good technique

To help you speed up, Flaque recommends using your arms. “Bend your elbows to about 90° and swing them front to back—not across your body,” she says.

She also says to take quicker steps, not longer ones. “Reaching your front foot way out in front acts like a brake and stresses your shins and knees.

“Land on your heel, roll through the foot and push off hard with your toes. That push-off is where your speed comes from,” she adds.

Keep your shoulders relaxed, look ahead and lightly engage your core. “Think tall, not leaning,” she says. “This causes your head to drop, your posture collapses and will inevitably slow you down.” Keep your gaze ahead and upper body relaxed.

How to progress

“Once the workout feels comfortable, change one thing at a time,” says Flaque. Her progression options include:

• Shorten the recovery time from two to one minute.
• Increase the fast interval from one to two minutes.
• Add more rounds to build up to a 30-minute session.
• Walk up a gentle hill for your fast intervals.

Shop walking shoes

If you need to upgrade your footwear, consider these top picks from Fit&Well’s guide to the best walking shoes.

Your hips can suffer from stiffness and feel uncomfortable after sitting for long periods. But not moving enough isn’t the only cause.

Often pain comes down to a “mismatch between what your body is currently prepared to handle and what you’re asking it to do,” explains physical therapist Raj Suppiah.

“You might sit most of the week and then play three hours of pickleball on Saturday,” he says. “You might suddenly increase your running mileage. Or you might start a new gym program and do significantly more than your hips are accustomed to.”

The hip likes movement, says Suppiah, co-founder of Foundation Physiotherapy & Wellness, but it also needs to be strong and supple to tolerate the demands we put on it.

“There are obviously other reasons for hip pain,” he tells Fit&Well. “Arthritis can contribute to pain and stiffness as we get older. Tendons around the hip can become irritated. And sometimes what feels like hip pain is actually coming from the lower back.”

If your hips need some care, Suppiah has three stretches that can help ease stiffness and discomfort associated with prolonged sitting.

“I commonly recommend these three stretches because together they target the front, back and inside of the hip,” he says.

1. Half-kneeling hip flexor stretch

Reps: 5-6 each side Hold: 10sec

• Start in a half-kneeling position with your right knee on the floor and your left foot flat on the floor in front of you, with your left knee bent to 90°.
• Gently tuck your pelvis and lean forward until you feel a stretch through the front of your right hip.
• Avoid arching your lower back when leaning forward.
• Hold the stretch, then swap sides.

Why it helps: “We spend a lot of time with our hips in a flexed position,” says Suppiah. “This stretch gets the hip moving in the opposite direction and can be especially helpful if you feel stiff through the front of your hips after sitting for a long time.”

2. Figure-four glute stretch

Reps: 5-6 each side Hold: 10sec

• Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.
• Cross your right ankle over your left thigh.
• Take hold of the back of your left thigh with both hands and gently pull it toward you until you feel a comfortable stretch through your right glute and right hip.
• Hold the stretch, then repeat on the other side.

Why it helps: “This is a simple way of improving mobility through the back and outside of the hip,” says Suppiah. “The glutes [buttock muscles] and deeper muscles around the hip are important for everything from walking and running to climbing stairs and getting out of a chair.”

3. All-fours adductor stretch

Reps: 8-10 each side Hold: 6sec

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your wrists and your hips over your knees.
• Extend your right leg out to the side, with your foot on the floor.
• Keeping your back neutral, slowly rock your hips back toward your heels until you feel a stretch along the inside of your thigh.
• Hold the stretch, then repeat on the other side.

Why it helps: “We often focus on the front and back of the hip and forget about the inner thigh—the adductors,” says Suppiah. “These are an important part of how the hip moves and controls load. I like the rock-back element because you’re not just stretching, you're taking the hip through a comfortable range of motion.”

For all movements, stay within a comfortable range and seek advice if the exercises cause you any pain.

Suppiah advises against relying on stretching alone, adding: “It can help you maintain mobility, but strength and capacity are just as important for keeping your hips healthy,” he says.

These five hip-strengthening exercises are a great place to start for building strength, stability and hip mechanics.

“Regular movement, strength exercises—like squats—also strengthen your back and core, and play roles in preventing hip pain.”

Teaching chair workout classes for older adults has changed the way I think about exercise.

My regulars are aged from their late 60s to early 90s, and they all come for the same reason—they want to stay independent.

They want to walk further, get in and out of a car without help, carry their groceries, and reach into a high cupboard.

I hear first-hand from them about how strength training has changed their lives.

After one of my clients had a hip replacement, a nurse commented on the upper-body strength that helped her get out of her hospital bed.

Another now finds it easier to get in and out of her daughter’s car, while one of my regulars can now swim for longer and walk further to the bus stop without her stick.

Their progress reminds me why building strength and balance in our 40s and 50s matters.

If you want to stay independent later, I'd recommend doing routines like this one now.

The four exercises

• Seated knee lift and sit-to-stand
• Dumbbell hold and leg raise
• Farmer carry
• Shoulder press

Do each exercise eight time (per side if relevant), apart from the farmer carry, which you will do for 30 seconds. Aim for two rounds overall.

You will need a sturdy chair and a pair of dumbbells. Start with weights you can comfortably control throughout each move.

1. Seated knee lift and sit-to-stand

Sets: 2 Reps: 8

• Sit towards the front of a sturdy chair with your feet about hip-width apart. Place your hands on the chair for balance, if needed.
• Lift, then lower your right leg in a smooth movement.
• Do the same with your left leg.
• With both feet planted back on the floor, put your hands across your chest, lean forward slightly and push through your feet to stand.
• Lower back into the chair with control. That’s one rep.

Why this move? Getting out of a car involves two movements we often take for granted—bringing your legs out and standing up from a low seat.

Seated knee lifts work the hip flexors that help you move your legs in and out of the car, while sit-to-stand strengthens your thighs and glutes for standing.

Practicing both in your 40s and 50s is a simple way to build strength for an everyday task.

2. Dumbbell hold and leg raise

Sets: 2 Reps: 8 each side

• Stand holding a dumbbell in your left hand.
• Slowly lift your right leg out to the side, keeping it straight.
• Lower the leg without leaning to either side.
• Complete eight repetitions, then swap sides.

Why this move? Doing unilateral (one-sided) exercises helps to build balance by making each leg work independently while the muscles around your hips and core keep you steady.

3. Farmer carry

Sets: 2 Time: 30sec Rest: 30sec

• Stand holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Walk around the room with control, keeping your torso upright and avoid leaning from side to side.
• After 30 seconds, bend at your hips and knees to put the weights down.

Why this move? Walking with weights mimics holding heavy grocery bags and challenges your grip and carrying strength. Grip strength is also used as a marker of overall muscle strength and has been associated with long-term health outcomes.

4. Shoulder press

Sets: 2 Reps: 8

• Start in a standing or seated position.
• Hold a dumbbell in each hand at shoulder height, with your palms facing forward and elbows bent.
• Keep your wrists straight and your torso steady. Breathe out as you press the weights overhead, without arching your lower back.
• Lower the weights slowly to shoulder height.

Why this move? This strengthens the shoulders and arms so that lifting items onto a high shelf and taking them down again is easier.

I recommend walking to all my personal training clients as a low-impact way to improve their cardio fitness, but I know many of them skip stretching after their stroll.

Doing that once or twice is fine, but regularly neglecting to stretch after movement can lead to stiff muscles.

Most of my clients don't have time to do a full-body routine after every walk, so instead I suggest they do one simple move: the bodyweight good morning.

It releases tension throughout your body's posterior chain—the muscles running down the back of your body—including your glutes (buttocks), erector spinae (the muscles alongside your spine), hamstrings (on the back of your thighs) and calves.

It also involves hinging forward from your hips, which helps with joint mobility.

Here's how to do it.

How to do the bodyweight good morning

How to do it:

Time: 60sec

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees.
• Have your hands on your hips or by your ears with your elbows out to the sides. Doing the latter will activate your back and stretch your chest and shoulders.
• Hinge at your hips, pushing your buttocks back as you lower your torso until it’s parallel to the floor, or until you feel a stretch in the back of your legs.
• Keep your shoulder blades engaged and your back flat.
• Drive your hips forward to return to the starting position.

Trainer tips: Avoid straightening your knees, as this will reduce the stretching effect on your hamstrings and back. Focus on pushing your hips behind you for best results.

You’ve probably heard about the importance of lifting weights as you get older, because it’s a fantastic way to future-proof your muscles, bones and joints.

However, there are some good reasons why you might not feel confident with weights right now. Perhaps you’re recovering from an injury, haven’t exercised in a while, or don’t want to pay for a gym membership or invest in bulky equipment.

Jill Brown is a 59-year-old board-certified health and wellness coach, personal trainer and Pilates instructor and, as you’d expect, she’s seriously fit. As she revealed in her workout diary, she says that lifting heavy weights is no longer part of her routine.

“I don’t lift heavy because of injuries,” Brown tells Fit&Well. “There’s plenty of research that shows that muscle grows just as well with lighter to moderate weights.”

But if you’re going to use a light weight, something else needs to increase to make sure your body is challenged enough to respond by building muscle. Brown does this with reps.

“I’m a fan of 20 reps,” Brown says. “When you're doing high reps, your heart rate stays up, which means you burn more calories.”

However, she doesn’t recommend that beginners start this high. “For a beginner, start at six to eight reps and work your way up,” she suggests.

“Start wherever you are—see how many you can do. Write down that number, and then the following week, add some more,” Brown advises. “If you can do a plank for 20 seconds, great. Do 20 seconds for the first week. Then the next week, 25 seconds. Then the next week, 30 seconds.”

Below, Brown shares the 30-minute workout she recommends for anyone getting started with strength training. She suggests starting by doing as many reps of each move as you can do with good form, and increasing your reps incrementally each week.

You will need a long loop and short loop resistance band for this workout. Here are a couple of options from Theraband.

Jill Brown’s 30-minute resistance band workout

1. Squat

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet around shoulder-width apart with your toes pointing slightly outwards.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat, keeping your chest upright.
• Push through your feet to return to standing.
• To make this more challenging, place a resistance band just above your knees and gently press your knees out against the band as you move.

2. Lunge

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8 each side

How to do it:

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart.
• Take a big step forward with one foot, then bend both knees until you tap your back knee on the floor, keeping your front knee tracking over your toes and your torso upright.
• Push through your front foot to step back to the starting position.

3. Banded bent-over row

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, and place a long resistance band underneath your feet.
• Engage your core.
• With a slight bend in your knees, hinge forward from your hips and push your butt back, keeping your back straight.
• Take hold of the band in both hands, with your hands hip-width apart and tension in the band between your feet and your hands—this is your starting position.
• Pull the band towards your lower ribs, bending your elbows and drawing them past your torso, gently squeezing your shoulder blades together at the top of the movement.
• Slowly extend your arms to return to the starting position.

4. Banded lat pull

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Hold a resistance band overhead with your arms extended and your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart, with a small amount of tension in the band.
• Pull your hands apart as you bring the band down towards your upper chest, bending the arms and drawing your shoulder blades down and back.
• Slowly extend your arms overhead, keeping tension in the band as you return to the starting position.

5. Child’s pose to kneeling push-up

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

How to do it:

• Kneel with your butt resting on your heels, your knees hip-width apart, your arms extended forward, and your palms and forehead resting on the floor—this is child’s pose.
• Move your body forward and up so your arms are extended.
• Once your shoulders are directly above your hands, bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor.
• Push through your hands to extend your arms and return to child’s pose, moving your butt back to touch your heels.

6. Banded floor press

Sets: 2-3 Reps: 6-8

• Lie on your back with a resistance band wrapped underneath your upper back, holding the ends with your elbows bent and upper arms resting on the floor.
• Brace your core and extend your arms straight up.
• Slowly bend your elbows to lower your arms back towards the floor with control, keeping tension in the band.

A friend recently decided to improve his fitness and running, but within a few weeks, he was taking time off to nurse aches and niggles—not ideal.

With my marathon running history and personal trainer hat on, I advised him on where he might be going wrong. It turned out he wasn’t doing any mobility or strength work—two non-negotiables for running well and staying injury-free.

“When you’re running, you’re using multiple joints and muscles at once and they need to seamlessly work together,” says personal trainer Saima Husain, who regularly posts mobility routines online.

“Your mobility needs to be dynamic—not static—and it needs to mimic the mechanisms of running,” says Husain.

“Dynamic mobility teaches your brain and muscles to expand your range of motion through controlled flexibility.”

Without effective mobility work, joints won’t be as supple, forcing other body parts to compensate—setting you up for injury.

“When you’re running, you’re pounding your feet,” says Husain. “Your calves will feel it but your ankles are going to take the load too.

“You’re also running with your hips. But if those two joints are not as flexible and strong, then your knees might take more of the brunt and your lower back might start to ache.”

If your joints are stiff it will also affect your strength training.

“Your mobility is what’s going to help you with weighted training, too,” says Husain.

“If you don’t have good ankle mobility, for example, when it comes to squatting, you might find you don’t have low depth, or you might be leaning forward, or you experience hip or knee issues.”

“See it as your pre-workout,” adds Husain. “If you have a drink to energize you for your workout, your mobility work is basically the same. Do it first, before every run or strength session.”

Watch coach Saima’s lower-body mobility routine for runners

Want to give it a go? She breaks down all six moves below.

1. Knee-over-toes hip stretch

“This is like a buy-one-get-one-free move,” says Husain. “You’re targeting your ankles, big toe—essential for push-off—and it activates your glutes and hips.

“Your hip flexors are lengthening and shortening—as they do in running—and the same for your hamstrings. So it’s a real posterior [back] and anterior [front] extension and flexion, all-in-one kind of move.”

How to do it:

Sets: 2 Reps: 6 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and take a large step back with your left foot.
• Lower your left knee to the floor, balancing on your toes.
• Lean forward to shift your right knee over your toes.
• Hold briefly to work your ankle flexion.
• Lean back onto your left ankle, pointing your right toes up.
• Hold briefly to stretch through your right leg hamstrings.
• Complete all the reps on one side, then repeat on the other.

2. 90/90 hip rotation

“The two key elements here are to always raise your top leg to your maximum range, then bring your other leg through,” says Husain.

“Use your hands for support because not everyone can do it without hands. Your hands will help you with controlling the movement.”

How to do it:

Sets: 2 Reps: 3-6 each side

• Sit on the floor with your left knee resting in front at a 90° angle.
• Place your right knee at a 90° angle on the floor to your side.
• Raise your right knee, then your left, rotating from your hips, until your feet are flat on the floor.
• Continue rotating until your right knee is in front and your left knee to your side.
• Reverse the movement to return to your starting position.

3. World’s greatest stretch compression flow

“I like this flow as it gets into your lower back and helps you coordinate movement with your breath, which is super important when you run,” says Husain.

“Aim to inhale as you step forward in the world’s greatest stretch and exhale as you go back over your heels.”

How to do it:

Sets: 2 Reps: 3-6 each side

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart and take a large step forward with your right foot.
• Lower your hips close to the floor and place both hands on the floor.
• Lower your right elbow and forearm to the floor then stretch your right arm overhead.
• Look up at your right hand, stretching through your chest.
• Lower your right hand back to the floor and shift your hips back toward your ankles, stretching through your straight arms and lower back.
• Repeat on the other side.

4. Kneeling hip CAR (Controlled Articular Rotation)

“This is all about hip control through the hip joint. It’s great to do leg swings forward and sideways [in a warm-up] but controlled, isometric moves are important for building strength,” says Husain.

“This also helps you see if one side is weaker, stronger or tighter than the other, and activates your core.”

How to do it:

Sets: 2 Reps: 3-6 each side

• Start on your hands and knees with your shoulders over your hands and your hips over your knees.
• Engage your core muscles and keep your spine neutral.
• Engage your right hip, raise your right foot and bend your knee to a 90° angle.
• Rotate your right knee slowly out to the side, back and then forward in a circular motion.
• Repeat in the opposite direction.
• Complete your reps on one side, then repeat on the other.

Trainer tip: “Imagine you have a bowl of water on your lower back. Control the movement and maintain stability so this imaginary water doesn’t tip over at any point,” adds Husain.

5. Deep squat plus knees to floor

“This move opens the knees and improves knee flexion. You’re also working your toes, as you go forward and back,” says Husain.

“A lot of running’s pushing mechanism comes from the toes, especially the big toes. If your toes are weak, your ankles could be weak, which might work up to affecting your knees.”

How to do it:

Sets: 2 Reps: 6

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, then lower into a deep squat. Hold a sturdy surface for support if you need.
• Push your knees forward to tap them on the floor in front—your heels will come up and you’ll press forward into your toes.
• Reverse the movement.

Make it easier: If ankle and hip mobility is limited, place a raised surface in front of your knees to reduce the range.

6. Kneeling shin lift

“Working your tibialis [the muscle along the front and outer side of your shin bone] through this extension and stretch, is going to help improve your ankle flexion, which is what you're constantly doing in running,” says Husain.

“Your tibialis takes the load so this will help avoid shin splints. It’s a neglected area but it’s important.”

How to do it:

Sets: 2 Reps: 6 each side/direction

• Sit in a low-kneeling position with your buttocks on your feet.
• Place your hands on the floor either side of you for support.
• Raise one knee off the floor, stretching the front of your lower leg.
• Repeat on the other side.

Many of my personal training clients over age 60 are unable to get down to the floor. That prevents us from doing traditional core exercises like crunches, sit-ups, or planks.

Luckily, my favorite deep core moves are done while standing upright, anyway.

Training your abs and wider core muscles while standing can improve your balance, help you maintain good posture, and make everyday activities easier. These moves can also be quite challenging, even if you’re relatively strong and fit.

That’s why I give the following standing core exercises to both my younger clients and seniors alike.

How to do the workout

You’ll need a pair of moderately heavy dumbbells for this workout. The right weight will allow you to do all of the reps in a set without needing to rest, but leave you feeling fatigued by the end of your set.

Start by doing one set of each exercise, and progress to three sets as you get stronger. I’d suggest doing this workout for a minimum of three times a week to see progress.

These exercises are doable for most, but if you’re a beginner, consider meeting with a certified personal trainer for guidance on proper form.

1. Farmer’s carry

Sets: 1-3 Time: 20-30sec

• Stand tall with your feet hip-width apart holding a dumbbell in each hand.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Walk for 10-15 seconds.
• Turn around and walk in the opposite direction for 10-15 seconds.

Trainer tips: Keep your spine extended and your chest up throughout the exercise. Don’t let your body tilt to one side as you walk.

2. Dumbbell woodchop

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 10-12 each side

• Stand holding a dumbbell.
• Engage your core muscles.
• Hinge at your hips, push your buttocks back behind you and bring the dumbbell to your left side.
• Drive your hips forward and swing the dumbbell above your right shoulder.
• Bring the dumbbell back to your left side.
• Continue for 10-12 reps, then repeat on the other side.

Trainer tips: Stay in control of the swing motion at all times and avoid letting momentum take over.

3. Overhead march

Sets: 1-3 Reps: 10-12 each side

• Stand holding dumbbells.
• Engage your core and lift the dumbbells overhead, extending your arms.
• Lift your left knee to hip height, bending it to 90°, and hold it in this position for one second.
• Lower your left foot to the floor.
• Repeat the movement with your right knee.
• Continue alternating knee lifts, aiming for 10-12 reps on each side.

Trainer tips: Don’t let your lower back arch excessively. If you find that happening, use lighter dumbbells or practice the exercise unweighted. Avoid rushing and keep the dumbbells aligned with your shoulders throughout the movement.

Weighted vests have been having a bit of a moment this year, with athletes and influencers espousing their many benefits across social media.

It’s hard to argue with load-bearing exercise, widely considered an effective remedy for age-related conditions like sarcopenia (muscle loss) and osteoporosis (bone weakening).

So, when I was offered the chance to test out a new streamlined weighted vest from U.S. brand OMORPHO I seized it—and promptly set about using the 6lb G-Vest Run and 10lb G-Vest Icon for all my workouts for 30 days.

The problem was that I happened to be training for a marathon at the time and forgot one of the fundamental principles of how to exercise safely.

Instead of building strength gradually, I bit off far more than I could chew.

I compounded the added load I was wearing during workouts by running further each session, or at faster speeds, which led to my knees swelling up and my fitness plateauing.

Now that I’m on the other side of the marathon, I’ve had time to reflect. Here’s what I would have done differently.

1. Start as light as possible

Strapping on an extra 10lb might feel manageable at first, but over the course of a 30-minute workout, it can really take its toll.

It’s like reaching for a heavier set of dumbbells in the gym.

If you’ve benched 45lb weights all your life, you wouldn’t suddenly increase that by 20lb. You’d move onto 48lb, then 52lb, then 57lb and so on.

The same principle should apply to weighted vests.

“The general recommendation, like with most resistance training, is to start light and gradually build up as strength and comfort with the vest improve,” Holly Haywood, lead instructor at Third Space, a chain of luxury health clubs in London, tells me.

A good starting point is no more than 5% of your bodyweight.

“For example, someone who weighs 160lb might begin with an 8lb vest,” says Haywood.

“As your body adapts and if your technique remains sound, you can progressively increase the weight, so long as wearing the vest doesn’t affect your technique.”

If using the vest for running workouts, like I was half the time, I’d argue you’d be better off starting even lighter, more like 1-2% of your body weight.

Then, when you feel ready to go up in weight, progress gradually in incremental jumps of no more than 2lb at a time.

2. Don’t wear it on long runs

I thought wearing the weighted vest during my slow-paced, long runs would be easier and more effective than during short interval sprint sessions.

I was wrong.

In practice, the extra weight gradually wore down my joints, muscles and resolve, bringing one particularly sapping 14-mile run to a grinding halt at the 12.5-mile mark.

That’s why I also wouldn’t recommend wearing one when taking long walks either.

“Wearing a weighted vest and moving under a heavier load forces your body to work harder, resulting in more calories being burnt,” says Haywood.

“But if the vest is too heavy, or worn incorrectly, it can put additional strain on joints such as knees, hips and ankles.”

It can also compromise form, elevating risk of injury.

“It’s vital to always speak to trainers or physios to make sure your vest is working for you, not against you,” adds Haywood. “If it begins to feel uncomfortable on your joints, move to a lighter vest, or remove it completely.”

3. Save the vest for bodyweight workouts

While giving my knees time to recover, I focused on using the vest to add incremental load to bodyweight exercises like push-ups, dips and pull-ups.

This, I found, is where the OMORPHO vest excels.

Its figure-hugging design meant the vest didn’t clatter into the floor when performing push-ups or restrict upper-body mobility on the pull-up bar (nor while running, jumping, sprinting or doing sit-ups for that matter).

That meant I could focus on executing each rep with good form.

The added resistance offered by the vest also made workouts more efficient, because I was able to increase the intensity of the session without having to perform more reps.

Just make sure your movement patterns are sound before adding load, warns Haywood. “Good form should always be your top priority.”

4. Remember, weight is not the only variable

The biggest mistake I made during my month-long weighted vest experiment was forgetting one of the fundamental principles of exercise: only increase one variable at a time.

In the context of running, the duration of your run is one variable. The tempo or speed at which you run is another.

Then there’s the weight, or load, of the vest.

I was increasing multiple variables at once: running further, or faster, or more frequently, while carrying a heavier load.

With hindsight, in the first week I should have run the same distances at the same paces as the previous week, just wearing the 6lb (or lighter) G-Vest Run, and taken note of how my body coped.

If you’re still determined to introduce a weighted vest into your workouts, Haywood recommends starting with something as simple as a treadmill walk.

“Build up your volume as you would your mileage if you were training for a run or race,” she says, suggesting beginning with a brisk walk for 15-20 minutes.

“Provided you’re feeling good with the weight, add a 1% incline to increase the effort, rather than increasing speed or time.”

Once that feels comfortable, in your next session you could increase the incline by another 1%, or your speed by half a mile per second.

Just don’t increase everything all at once.

“Adding a weighted vest to your workouts will make every step or rep feel a little harder,” says Haywood.

“So all you’ll need to do is make slight tweaks to your variables over time to see improved muscular endurance and cardiovascular fitness.”

Spending hours at your desk and hunching over your phone can hurt your posture—but the right kind of exercises can undo some of the damage.

Boston-based Pilates instructor Julie Erickson, founder of Endurance Pilates and Yoga, suggests practicing this three-move sequence.

Done regularly, it can restore mobility and strengthen your back, making it easier to sit and stand upright.

1. Roll up / roll down

Reps: 8-10

• Sit with your legs straight and your arms reaching forward.
• Inhale, then tuck your tailbone under and slowly roll your torso down to the floor.
• Reach your arms overhead so they’re lying on the floor, then point them up to the ceiling.
• Exhale, engage your core, and curl your head and chest up until you’re sitting up.
• Inhale and roll forward over your legs, then come back up to sitting.

Make it easier: Roll down only halfway, or tuck your feet under a strap or the couch.

2. Swan prep

Reps: 5

• Lie face down with your palms flat on the mat next to your ribcage and your elbows bent at about 90°.
• Press into your hands and lift your chest off the mat, drawing your shoulders back.
• Look forward and elongate your neck.
• Slowly lower back down.

Make it harder: Use your back muscles to lift your chest further off the mat, straightening your arms if you can.

3. Spine twist

Reps: 5 each side

• Sit with your legs straight and arms out to the sides. Your shoulders should be dropped down away from your ears and your elbows slightly lifted.
• Inhale, then elongate your spine and rotate your ribcage to the right without moving your hips or lower back.
• Exhale, then try to rotate a little further.
• Return to the centre and repeat on the other side.

Welcome to Workout Diaries, a series where we ask expert trainers to talk us through what a week of exercise looks like for them, helping you figure out how to develop and maintain an effective workout routine.

Georgia Testa has always enjoyed working out, but it became central to her recovery after health issues.

The Pilates instructor and Studio 281 founder had skin cancer in 2018, when she was just 22. Three years later, she had a complicated C-section birth.

“It took me around three years [after the birth] to feel as though I had properly rebuilt myself,” she tells Fit&Well.

Pilates was central to her postpartum recovery: “It taught me to slow down, reconnect with my body and rebuild strength from the foundations rather than trying to rush back to where I’d been before.”

Now, the instructor says she feels stronger than ever, but her definition of fitness has changed.

“It’s much less about pushing myself as hard as possible and more about building a body that is strong, capable and healthy for the long term.”

To maintain that strength, she works out for a minimum of three times a week, for 20 to 45 minutes each time.

“Three proper sessions a week is my non-negotiable. If I manage five [sessions], that’s a brilliant week, but I deliberately don't tell myself that I have to train five or six times,” she says.

Here’s what an average week looks like for her.

Georgia Testa's workout diary

Monday
A walk or treadmill session

Tuesday
Hyrox or a functional fitness session

Wednesday
30 minutes of boxing

Thursday
Strength training

Friday
Rest day

Saturday
Hyrox training

Sunday
Rest day

Georgia Testa’s tips for developing an exercise routine

1. Routine over motivation

“I don't rely on motivation because it naturally comes and goes,” says Testa.

“For me, routine is much more powerful. If I've decided Tuesday at 8.30 am is when I train, I try to treat that commitment in the same way I would a work meeting.”

2. Make exercise part of your social life

Testa says that community is a factor that keeps her coming back to work out day after day.

“Training with people you genuinely enjoy being around makes exercise something you look forward to rather than another thing on your to-do list,” she says.

“That's a huge part of what we try to create at Studio 281.”

3. Identify why exercise is important to you

Testa says her daughter is a driving force behind her fitness.

“I want to have the energy to keep up with her and I want her to grow up seeing that looking after yourself is important,” she says.

“I also want her to grow up seeing exercise as a normal, positive part of life.”

She adds that this means her priorities have shifted to building strength and promoting longevity.

“I want to be strong, mobile and capable for as long as possible and strength training plays a huge part in that.”

4. Variety keeps things interesting

Testa says that varying her routine helps her maintain consistent progress and keeps things interesting.

“Some days I want the energy of a class and to train alongside other people and other days I want to put my headphones on, go for a run or set myself a challenge,” she says.

“Fitness doesn’t have to look exactly the same every day.

“Pilates will always be a huge part of my training—both Reformer and mat—but I also love strength training, running and functional fitness, particularly Hyrox-style sessions.”

5. Build up slowly and sustainably

“People often decide they're going to completely overhaul their lives and suddenly train five or six times a week,” says Testa.

“It might work for a fortnight, but if it isn't realistic, eventually something gives and you feel like you've failed.”

She advises beginners to commit to two or three achievable sessions a week and build up from there.

“Twenty or thirty minutes absolutely counts. Find movement you enjoy, ideally find people you enjoy doing it with, and focus on consistency rather than perfection,” she says.

There are some celebrities who appear to achieve superhuman levels of fitness. For many actors and singers, that’s because staying in shape is part of the job, so they dedicate much more time to training than the average person.

But celebrities also have access to some of the best trainers in the business. Alison Brie, who stars in “Mad Men”, “Community” and “Masters Of The Universe”, recently talked through her workout routine with trainer Jason Walsh in an interview with Women’s Health.

The star is 43 years old now, but says she started strength training 15 years ago after working with Emily Blunt. She then upped her training when she played a wrestler in the series “GLOW”.

It’s resulted in Brie developing serious strength. For instance, part of her routine involves doing weighted pull-ups with 45lb plates.

In the video, Walsh revealed some of the clever techniques he uses to ensure each session is as effective as possible.

One approach involves performing an isometric hold of an exercise before doing reps of the same exercise. “It recruits the nervous system at such a high rate that you can get really strong without getting bigger,” he explains.

During this particular workout, Brie pushes against a fixed bar in the Zercher squat position as hard as she can, before doing Zercher squats with a barbell.

To help you add this technique to your workout regime, I asked Mark Harris, a level 4 personal trainer, strength and conditioning coach, and ambassador for Mirafit, to put an accessible home workout together that uses this method.

What are the benefits of isometric holds?

“Isometric holds involve contracting your muscles forcefully without actually moving the joint,” explains Harris. “The primary benefit is a massive increase in time under tension without creating friction or wear and tear on the joints.”

“Isometrics are also incredible for building structural stability and overcoming strength plateaus, as you can specifically target and strengthen the exact angle of a movement where you usually struggle,” Harris explains.

He says that this technique is a great way to upgrade strength workouts. “Holding the most difficult part of a lift (like the bottom of a squat or the bottom of a push-up) forces you to brace your core and find your true balance point,” says Harris.

“This perfectly primes your posture for the functional reps that follow.”

A 15-minute isometric hold contrast workout

“Perform the isometric hold first, then immediately complete the functional reps,” says Harris. “Move to the next exercise with minimal rest. Once you complete all four exercises, rest for 60 to 90 seconds.” Repeat, completing four rounds in total

1A. Goblet squat hold

Time: 30sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out, holding a kettlebell in both hands in front of your chest.
• Engage your core.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, pausing when your hips are in line with your knees, or lower.
• Hold this position for 30 seconds, keeping your chest up and core braced.
• Push through your feet to extend your legs and hips, standing upright.

1B. Goblet squat

Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart with your toes turned slightly out.
• Hold a kettlebell with both hands at your chest.
• Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower, pausing when your hips are in line with your knees, or lower, keeping your chest up and core braced.
• Push through your feet to extend your legs and hips, standing upright.

2A. Push-up hold

Time: 10sec

How to do it:

• Get on your hands and knees with your hands underneath your shoulders. Allow your elbows to turn out slightly.
• Step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels and engage your core—this is your starting position. (Lower your knees to the floor from this position to perform kneeling push-ups instead.)
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest.
• Pause when your chest is an inch off the floor and hold this position for 10 seconds.
• Press through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

2B. Push-up

Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Get on your hands and knees with your hands underneath your shoulders. Allow your elbows to turn out slightly.
• Step your feet back so your body is in a straight line from head to heels and engage your core—this is your starting position. (Lower your knees to the floor from this position to perform kneeling push-ups instead.)
• Bend your elbows to lower your chest until your chest is just above the floor.
• Press through your hands to extend your arms and return to the starting position.

3A. Bent-over row hold

Time: 15sec

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down to engage your back muscles.
• Hinge your torso forward from your hips and push your butt back, keeping your back straight and lowering the dumbbells down your legs—this is your starting position.
• Lift the dumbbells to your ribs, squeeze your shoulder blades together, and hold this position for 15 seconds.
• Lower the dumbbells with control.

3B. Bent-over-row

Reps: 10

How to do it:

• Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
• Engage your core and move your shoulders back and down to engage your back muscles.
• Hinge your torso forward from your hips and push your butt back, keeping your back straight and lowering the dumbbells down your legs—this is your starting position.
• Lift the dumbbells to your ribs, squeeze your shoulder blades together.
• Lower the dumbbells with control.

4A. Glute bridge hold

Time: 15sec

How to do it:

• Lie on your back and plant your feet a few inches away from your butt with your feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart.
• Push through the heels and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Squeeze your glutes and hold this position for 15 seconds.
• Lower your hips to the floor with control.

4B. Glute bridge

Reps: 15

How to do it:

• Lie on your back and plant your feet a few inches away from your butt with your feet flat on the floor and hip-width apart.
• Push through the heels and lift your hips until your body is in a straight line from your shoulders to your knees.
• Lower your hips to the floor with control.

Do you have problems focusing? Are you overstimulated by noise? Do you struggle to work in a distracting environment?

I did too, once, but my Loop Switch 2 made those issues a thing of the past, and they are now reduced by 20% in Amazon's Big Deal Days sale.

This amazing deal is exclusively for Amazon Prime members, but you can sign up for a free 30-day Amazon Prime trial and get instant access to membership perks.

You can then cancel any time, or it’s $14.99 a month (plus taxes) once the trial is over.

I love that I can wear my Loop Switch 2 while working to block out distractions, then head to the pub or a gig without changing to a different pair.

The handy makes it easy to toggle between modes and find a noise level I'm comfortable with.

For me, that varies throughout the day and depends on what I'm doing and how overstimulated I feel. Being able to respond and adjust as my environment changes is invaluable, especially as someone with sensory sensitivities.

Instead of rooting through my purse in a panic looking for a more powerful set of Loops, I simply reach up to my ear and flick the switch to suit my needs.

More Loop Earplug deals

I’m a personal trainer and I spend the majority of my time in leggings—so I’m picky about which ones earn a place in my wardrobe.

Amazingly, I still wear some Fabletics leggings I bought in my early 30s (I’m now 48), so I know how much value you can get from a pair that lasts.

Comfort is essential, but I also look for a high waist, handy pockets and a fit that stays put through runs and squats. Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days discounts include Nike leggings with up to 34% off and Adidas with up to 39% off, alongside affordable brands discounted by as much as 44%. Here are some other bargains that caught my eye.

These gorgeous fleece-lined leggings from COOLOVER made the list because they offer extra warmth on chilly winter walks, while YEOREO’s seamless “butt lifting” leggings come with a three-layer tummy control waistband and a choice of 10 colors.

For everyday value, you can’t go wrong with Leafigure’s two-pack of high-waisted leggings. They have pockets (the dream!) and at $11.99 with 20% off, they are an affordable way to stock up if, like me, you get behind on the washing and always appreciate a fresh pair at the back of the drawers. Choose from 15 different colors. And don’t miss this amazing deal on these buttery soft IUGA leggings, now with 44% off!

Jennifer Aniston has been candid about how her approach to working out has changed as she’s gotten older.

The 57-year-old actress and Pvolve partner once subjected herself to lengthy, intense workouts, but now values short, functional routines.

“I’ve learned that consistency doesn’t have to mean long workouts,” she stated when Pvolve released her favorite arm and abs workouts.

“I feel stronger now than I did years ago, and that’s because I focus on consistency over extremes.”

It’s these short, functional sessions that have built her impressive arms and abs, according to Aniston—and you can get the exact workouts and equipment she uses in the Pvolve sale.

Aniston partnered with Pvolve back in 2023 and now works out under the guidance of the company’s head trainer, Dani Coleman.

“Jen's really down for the get down,” Coleman told Fit&Well in an interview last year.

“She truly lets me throw anything at her; everything is taken with a grain of salt, and she always keeps me laughing.”

Since partnering with the brand, Aniston has regularly shared the exact workout routines she does on the app: you can copy her express arms and abs workouts, along with a 30-day workout routine she recommends for longevity benefits.

The Pvolve workout method focuses on low-impact movements, taking inspiration from Pilates, and mixing it with strength training and mobility.

The app features both pre-recorded workouts and live classes, with a focus on mobility, strength and cardio.

You can access the app without buying any of the accompanying equipment that Pvolve sells, but that may limit the classes which you can participate in.

Rarely does a day pass when I don’t reach for one of my long-loop resistance bands.

This simple bit of exercise equipment, which is discounted in the Amazon Prime Big Deal Days sale, is one of the smartest investments you could make for your health and fitness.

It’s often the first thing I’ll reach for at the start of my workouts to prepare my body for action, or to simply ease stiffness in my neck and shoulders after a long day at work.

I’ve used it with virtually every client I’ve ever coached to unlock tight shoulders.

And since I first introduced my 75-year-old relative to its potential to reverse years of poor posture, it’s now the first thing he asks to borrow whenever he visits.

The name of the exercise that has worked wonders for my step father-in-law? Shoulder dislocations.

Don’t let the name put you off. Here I am demonstrating the move earlier in the year, as part of another shoulder routine I recommended to readers.

How to do shoulder dislocations with a resistance band

• Hold the band in front of your thighs with your arms straight and your palms facing you.
• Gently pull your hands apart to create tension in the band.
• Lift the band over your head.
• Maintaining tension in the band, bring your hands behind your body, until the taught band taps your behind.
• Reverse the motion to return to the start.

Bringing the band over your head and behind your body gently forces the socket joint in your shoulders to explore a range they rarely get asked to venture into.

As a result, the first few reps will feel especially sticky as the joint re-familiarizes itself with its full range of motion.

Take those first few reps slowly, giving your body a chance to adapt.

Pretty quickly your range will improve and you should feel a nice sensation as synovial fluid lubricates the inner workings of the socket, making it easier to pass overhead each rep.

As this move becomes easier, bring your hands closer together to add tension and challenge your shoulders to explore an ever greater range of motion.

Shop resistance band deals