IS.E.Fitness

England's Strongest Woman 2023! ✨

It's crazy to me that I got to be a part of this, what an experience!

I put everything that I had into prepping for this competition in the 8 short weeks that we had, and I can't believe that I survived AND showed up to get some big PBs! The standard of the women I was competing against was amazing!

160kg deadlift PB 🤩
170kg frame carry with no drops!
70kg log - this was always going to be a reach for me, managed lots of nice cleans though 😆
70kg sandbag carry disgustingness
& my first attempt at a stone run!

This time, just one year ago, I had tried my first ever competition, if you'd told me that a year later I'd be taking part at England's Strongest I would've said you were mad 🙃

Thanks to all my clients for their support, and believing in me, as well as putting up with my frazzled self for the last 8 weeks.. normal, less stressed service will resume! At least until I sign up to the next thing! 😅

✨Stepping out of the comfort zone!✨

This weekend I took part in my first novice strongman competition - something I've wanted to try for a long time, but have been too nervous to do anything about!

Sometimes though, you just have to throw yourself in and see what happens... 💪

As I always tell my clients, even though it sounds cliche, everyone starts somewhere!

3 months until the next one 🙃

Upgrade your deadlifts with this lockout tip!

On the left, instead of stopping when I've reached the top and my body is in a straight line, I've continued to push my hips forwards which allows my lower back to arch.

This is a common mistake when deadlifting that over time could potentially cause discomfort in the lower back! 👎

Rather than really focusing on "locking out" at the top, instead concentrate on:

⭐ "pushing your feet down into the floor" ⭐

This simple cue will naturally put your body into alignment at the top of the deadlift as you push the floor away.

You'll be standing up tall, with your hips stacked in line with the rest of your body, rather than pushed forwards!

This small modification could make a difference to how your lower back feels during and after deadlifts... 😊

Try it out on your next deadlift day!

Strong Women 🤩

I have the pleasure of knowing (& training) many strong women 💪

Happy International Women's Day!



Sue Smith Sharon Carman Despina Koukouvais Louise Bullen

We're pleased to see the sunshine here at HQ! ☀️

Hopefully it won't be long before we're throwing the double doors wide open...

Mood-Boosting Exercise + Glorious Sunshine = A Winning Combination ✨😄

Are you getting the most out of your Lat-Pulldowns?

The Lat-Pulldown is a popular and effective exercise that targets the muscles of the back. They're great for building back strength, for working towards pull-ups and can also help with improving posture when performed correctly...
They're one of our favourites here at IS.E.Fitness 😄

Here are a couple of useful cues to help you get into the right position:

⭐ Chest up - "show off the logo on the front of your shirt."
⭐️ Shoulders pulled back and down - "put your shoulder blades in your back pockets."

By making sure that your shoulders are already in place - pulled down and away from your ears - before you start to pull, it helps to ensure that you're actually using the target muscles, your Lats!
(The large V-shaped muscles on either side of your back...)

And the same cues apply for the variety of grips and handles that you can use too!

Happy Back Gains! 💪

Want to do full body press-ups on the floor? Work towards them with INCLINE PRESS-UPS!

Press-ups are a great exercise for upper body strength, but they are not the easiest!
The most common way to modify full body press-ups is to set up with your knees on the ground, and whilst this isn't a bad option, it's not always the best choice - particularly if you're just starting out!

Kneeling press-ups can help you to build your upper body strength, but full body press-ups are just that - FULL BODY, so you also need to be strengthening your core and back in that positioning! 😄

This is where incline press-ups come in...you can gradually work your way down lower and lower, practicing core bracing and nailing your form.

✅Works your chest, shoulders and triceps.
✅Work on engaging your core to keep your body in a straight line.
✅Provides an easy way to progress as you can gradually lower the height over time.

Start at a height where you can do 3-4 sets of 6-8 press-ups with good form (no arching through your lower back🍌). Once you've worked up to completing 10 press-ups at that height, lower the incline and repeat!
With practice you'll get to a point where you can do 8-10 reps at a set-up that it barely elevated off the floor, that's a good point to try a set of floor press-ups and see what happens!

Your incline doesn't even have to be on a rack in the gym... you could use windowsills, tables, park benches or even a wall. Whatever is a convenient (and sturdy! 😅) set-up for the height you want to work at!

How much do you ❤️ press-ups?! 🙃