I contributed to Women’s Health for a feature looking at one of Kate Ferdinand’s high-intensity full-body gym sessions and the different physical qualities being challenged throughout the workout.
The session combined strength, stability, rotational work and conditioning, so rather than focusing on one muscle group, it asked the body to produce force, control movement and keep working under fatigue.
Strength with control
One of the key exercises was a barbell reverse lunge with knee drive.
This challenges the quads, glutes, hamstrings and hip flexors, but it also demands a significant amount of balance and core stability if it’s going to be performed well.
As I explained to Women’s Health:
“The exercise also required significant core stability and balance to execute with good form.”
That’s an important point because adding movement to a strength exercise changes the demand.
The goal isn’t simply to move the barbell from A to B. You have to maintain control through the pelvis and trunk while shifting your weight and driving the knee forwards.
Rotational power
The session also included half-kneeling medicine ball rotational slams.
These involve far more than the arms.
The abs and obliques help create and control rotation, while the glutes and hamstrings contribute from the lower body. The shoulders, lats and arms then help transfer force into the ball.
The lower body also has an important job: providing a stable base.
That combination makes the exercise useful for developing explosive rotational power while still demanding control through the trunk.
Stability under movement
Several of the exercises placed a strong emphasis on resisting unwanted movement.
Bear crawl slider leg extensions, for example, force the core to work hard to stop the torso rotating while the legs move.
Weighted bear hold shoulder taps add another layer of difficulty because removing one hand from the floor increases the demand on the shoulders, chest, triceps and trunk.
These exercises are a good reminder that core training doesn’t always need to involve crunches or sit-ups.
A lot of useful core work comes from learning to keep the trunk stable while the arms and legs move around it.
Conditioning at the end
The workout finished with battle ropes.
By that stage, the emphasis moves more towards conditioning and muscular endurance.
Battle ropes can raise the heart rate quickly while continuing to challenge the arms, shoulders, back and core.
Used at the end of a session like this, they provide a demanding finish without needing to add another complicated strength exercise.
What makes this type of workout effective?
What stood out to me about the session was the variety of physical qualities being trained.
There was lower-body strength.
There was upper-body work.
There was balance.
There was rotational control.
There was explosive movement.
And there was conditioning.
That doesn’t automatically make a workout better, but it does mean the session needs to be organised sensibly so technique doesn’t deteriorate as fatigue builds.
The quality of each repetition still matters.
A demanding workout only works well if the exercises remain appropriate for the person doing them and the movements can still be performed with control.
You can read my full contribution HERE in Women’s Health.
Joseph Webb
Expert coaching. Entirely personal.
Chartered Personal Trainer | FRSPH | FCIMSPA
