Project Me

This is the heaviest back squat I’ve done in three years.
It’s 75kg.
But five years ago I could squat
110kg for one rep.
So should I be disappointed?
Maybe, until you consider the context.
I don’t mention it much 🤥 😂, but I had a total hip replacement three years ago.
I remember in the days following the surgery, I could barely move an inch in any direction.
My first panic-stricken thought was: “Oh my god. What have I done?”
But there was no going back so I had to make the best of it, somehow.
I started off just sitting down and standing up from a high bench with no weight.
Then I progressed to a goblet squat.
Then I progressed to an empty bar and from there I just continued adding weight every time it felt physically and psychologically safe to do so.
It’s been a long road and I was already 55 years old when it began.
But it’s taught me a lot about bodies.
Let me share that with you.
Your body is a brilliant and resilient master adapter.
It adapts to your treatment of it.
If that treatment is to never challenge it; never attempt to make it stronger; tell yourself it’s broken and give up, then that’s how it will act.
Weak, broken, vulnerable.
But if you start just working with it, exposing it to the good and necessary stress that comes from lifting weights, it will repay you tenfold.
Treat your body this way and it will take you into your later years with strength and confidence.
Lifting weights in your 40s, 50s,60s and above will help assure you not just a longer life but a better one.
It’s the difference between surviving and thriving. There are lots of amazing women in my gym who will testify to that! 💪

Maybe there is a National Hamstrings Day, I don’t know.
But what I do know, is you don’t need a reason to work those bad boys, outside of the fact that it is very good for your strength, muscle growth, balance and healthspan to do so.
The exercises shown here are Romanian deadlifts and kickstand Romanian deadlifts, both staples of our programmes.
If you’re interested in bulletproofing your body as you age, in an environment created for women who hate conventional gyms, get in touch!