Renee Squad Gym

It’s been almost 2 years since I had my second baby. I’m about to turn 41 and I feel great. I haven’t done anything special, it’s the same stuff I coach my clients through.

💪🏻Got clear on my why?
I chose to have children later in life, and that choice comes with greater responsibility. I will be nearly 60 by the time my youngest finishes high school and in my 70s by the time she likely has kids. I want to be there for that.

💪🏻 Minimum 130-140g of protein daily
This is based on 2-2.5g of protein per kilo of body weight. I am on the clock before perimenopause and menopause enters my life. I knew that I only had a couple of years to get some muscle back on and really knuckle down with my training

💪🏻 I ditched being the strongest version of me
Now this might sound controversial, but I used to be very strong. Squatting over 150 kg and dead lifting over 170 kg. But I couldn’t commit to that intensity of training anymore as I didn’t have the time or energy or the youth on my side. So I adapted a more hybrid approach to training that focuses on multiple attributes. Strength is still one of them, but my goal is to be athletic not just strong.

💪🏻 I don’t let myself off the hook
This is an important one. Motherhood and working is really tough and if I only chose to turn up on the good days, there’s no way I’d get the results I wanted. I coach my clients to give the best you have on the day and nothing less. We hold ourselves to high standards and we never settle for p**s poor excuses.

💪🏻 I followed a program
Despite my two decades of experience, I still follow a program every single week and every single session.

💪🏻 I don’t eat rubbish food
Another controversial statement in an industry where coaches now encourage their clients to eat rubbish. But that never slides in our house. We eat majority home-cooked food. It’s high-quality proteins, organic fruit and veg, and we repeat that meal after meal day after day.

💪🏻 I take creatine
it’s the only supplement I take religiously and alongside magnesium glycinate, It’s the only supplement I’ve really seen results with.

💪🏻 I stayed the course no matter what. Period.

That’s me 👋🏼🙋🏼‍♀️

Anything surprise you?

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I used to think I needed to train more. At 40, I’ve realised I actually need to train better.

Here’s what my training week looks like now:

1. Three full-body strength sessions.
I lift weights just three days a week, but every session is intentional. I focus on heavy compound lifts (around RPE 8), progressive overload, unilateral work, and maintaining relative strength rather than just chasing numbers.

2. Plyometrics every strength session.
Every gym session starts with jumps or explosive movements that match the workout and my current capacity. As we age, we lose power faster than strength if we don’t train it. I want to keep my body capable of producing, absorbing, and reacting to force for decades to come.

3. One brutally hard cardio session.
Once a week I push my heart rate into the 180-190 bpm range and finish with nothing left in the tank. It’s uncomfortable, but maintaining a high aerobic ceiling and VO₂ max is one of the best investments I can make for my long-term health.

4. Reformer Pilates. (Unpopular opinion.)
Reformer Pilates has been one of the best things I’ve done since having two children, especially after my VBAC. The key is finding an instructor who emphasises progressive loading, glute strength, and deep core function—not endless complicated combinations that look good on Instagram.

5. I stay active outside the gym.
Training doesn’t end when I leave the weights room. Chasing my kids and living an active lifestyle means I naturally average around 12,000 steps a day.

At 40, I’m not training just to look good now. I’m training to be strong, powerful, capable, and independent for the next 40 years.

What does your training split look like?

What a world it could be if we weren’t so married to the exact things holding us back. I can be be guilty of this, like everyone else.

Would these hurt your feelings if they were said to you?
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There’s lot’s to celebrate with maturing 😎

Which one of these do you agree with? ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

If you are a busy mum like me, you wanna get in the gym, create some change and get on out of there. We realistically don’t have the time that we used to to indulge in our training sessions. 🥲

Through trial and error, I have found a three full body weight training program with cardio options, is the most sustainable and recoverable training volume for women late 30s and above with children.

It’s not that we can’t do more, it’s about finding the minimal most effective dose. The. Absolutely attacking those sessions with intensity.

These program templates are just examples, you can build your full body days however suits you. The goal is to pick exercises you can really progress and bring intensity to. Focus is enough volume on desired body parts to improve strength and get some hypertrophy. And also, volume and intensity you can recover well from in conjunction with the rest of your life.

Program design (and effort) is where people fall short. Without enough volume and intensity, a lot of people are just turning the wheels.

Any questions, let me know 🤝

DIETING AND A NON TRAINING DAY 😎

Here’s a realistic day in the life for me on a small diet to lose another 1-2kgs before we head off to Bali in 3 weeks.

This is a non training day.

The addition on a training day would be a chocolate cocobella during my session and then a protein shake post workout with coconut water, banana and chocolate protein 🤝

I personally do not have the capacity to track calories right now. I prefer to stick to quality food and mange portion sizes. This for me, with 2 kids, is the easiest way to maintain my weight year round.

If I ever feel too thin, I increase portion sizes.

If I feel too fluffy, I decrease portion sizes.

Any questions let me know ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

Happy Birthday (for Monday) ❤️

You are one of the best things that happened to me on the Gold Coast. You light up every room you walk in to.

Love you ❤️

Babies don’t ruin your body. But being underprepared, having unrealistic expectations or focusing on the things that don’t really matter, will leave you feeling extremely overwhelmed and out of your depth.

So let me give it to you straight.

Pregnancy, postpartum and Motherhood is a juggle. It can be super tough and require you to expand in ways you can’t imagine.

Where I see a lot of women falling short is over investing in the things that don’t matter and neglecting the things that do.

Nice prams, photo shoots and name blankets are special, don’t get me wrong. But if your body and mental health aren’t at the forefront, none of it will be enjoyable.

Babies alone don’t ruin your body. Not prioritising your health and rehab is where the real problems happen.

TRAINING EARLY IN THE MORNING!

I’m not a huge fan of being completely fasted in the morning (I know some people are fine) but I feel HEAPS STRONGER if I have some fast hitting carbs before it.

These are some of my go to if I was to be training first thing in the morning before breakfast.

However, in this instance as you’ll see on slide two, I would ensure that I was having a very hearty protein and carb dinner, so some of that would still be available for the workout in the morning. This is key to having enough energy to push through those early morning sessions.

Then you will see on slide number three my top breakfast recommendations that I would be consuming post workout within 90 minutes of completing the session.

I know this can be a real sticking point for some of my clients so SAVE this post so you can refer back to it later when you need it.