Kirsty Godso's Intuitive Strength Training: Top 5 Moves for a Balanced Body

Unlock Your Potential: Train with Intuition, Build with Strength

The Guiding Principle of Intuitive Exercise

Godso's philosophy centers on intuitive training, a concept she actively promotes through her collaborations, such as the 'Set the Pace' campaign with activewear brand Vuori. This approach encourages individuals to perceive movement as a sensation to be embraced rather than merely a challenge to overcome. It involves deeply understanding and responding to one's body's signals, fostering a sustainable and enjoyable fitness journey.

Embracing Strength Training: A Personal and Professional Choice

Now in her late thirties, Godso prioritizes listening to her body, choosing activities that resonate positively with her. For her, strength training is a natural fit—it's nurturing, engaging, demanding, and supportive. She extends this principle to her clients, always inquiring about their preferred forms of exercise to integrate them into their weekly schedules. This ensures that while a comprehensive training plan may include less enjoyable elements, there are always activities that align with individual preferences, motivating them through more challenging sessions.

Core Strength-Building Exercises for Holistic Fitness

Beyond intuition, Godso's training is rooted in functionality, aiming to enhance stability, mobility, and overall physical power. She shares five foundational strength-building exercises that are a staple in her routines and those of her celebrity clients, known for their effectiveness in targeting various muscle groups and improving body mechanics.

Hip Thrusts: Foundations of Glute Strength

Hip thrusts are a cornerstone of Godso's routine, celebrated for their efficacy in strengthening the glutes. She incorporates diverse variations, including barbell, single-leg, and elevated hip thrusts, to continually challenge the muscles from different angles. These exercises are crucial for developing powerful glutes and improving posterior chain engagement. To perform a hip thrust, sit with your back against a bench, feet flat. Lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees, squeezing your glutes at the top. Control the descent back to the starting position.

Cable Face Pulls: Enhancing Posture and Upper Back Strength

Emphasizing the importance of a strong and aesthetically pleasing upper back, Godso highly recommends cable face pulls. This exercise is integral to improving posture and is a regular feature in her weekly workouts. To execute, set a cable machine to shoulder height with a rope attachment. In a staggered stance, pull the rope towards your face, flaring elbows out, and then slowly release. A key tip is to pause for one to two seconds at the peak of the pull, enhancing core engagement and muscle activation.

Deadlifts: A Full-Body Powerhouse

Deadlifts are deemed essential by Godso, not just for lower body development but for their comprehensive activation of the entire posterior chain and core. She primarily uses kettlebell deadlifts with her clients, alternating between Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) and split-stance variations, often incorporating single-leg versions to boost stability. To perform, stand with feet hip-width apart, hinge at the hips, and lower the weight while maintaining a neutral spine, then drive through your heels to return to a standing position, engaging glutes and core.

Triceps Extensions: Sculpting Arm Definition

A favorite among Godso and her clients, triceps extensions are particularly effective as a burnout exercise, performed with high repetitions and moderate weight to maximize muscle fatigue and definition. The movement can be performed standing with a single dumbbell held overhead. Keep your elbows close to your head, lower the dumbbell behind you by bending your elbows, then extend your arms to return. Godso's pro tip is to keep elbows tight, maintain a slight forward hinge, and avoid shrugging shoulders to ensure proper triceps isolation.

High Plank Single Arm Rows: Core and Upper Body Synergy

This exercise, while challenging, is a client favorite for its ability to engage the entire body, especially the core. Godso offers two main variations: a high plank with one arm elevated on a bench or yoga block, performing a row with a dumbbell in the other hand, or for advanced practitioners, a plank with a single-arm cable row from a low setting. The emphasis is on maintaining a flat back and core stability throughout the movement, prioritizing form and control over heavy weight.

Kirsty Godso's Essential Training Doctrines

Kirsty Godso integrates several key principles into her training methodology to ensure optimal performance and well-being for her clients. Firstly, she advises against fasted workouts, recommending a small pre-workout snack to provide necessary energy. Secondly, she suggests incorporating 15 to 20 minutes of walking or stair climbing post-strength workout to aid recovery and fat burning, noting it also provides a feel-good factor. Thirdly, she emphasizes the importance of foam rolling and activation exercises before strength training to enhance mobility, improve recovery, and strengthen mind-muscle connection. Lastly, Godso advocates for a cumulative step count throughout the day, suggesting short walks after meals for blood sugar regulation, digestion, and mental breaks, especially outdoors.