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According to Women’s Health, 37-year-old celebrity trainer Kirsty Godso has spent nearly 14 years in the fitness industry training high-profile clients including Hailey Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Kaia Gerber, and Charli XCX. Amid a fitness landscape increasingly driven by algorithms, data, and social media intensity, Godso advocates for a quieter, intuitive approach to movement that focuses on individual client needs rather than online trends, a philosophy central to her recent “Set the Pace” campaign with activewear brand Vuori.
Kirsty Godso’s Five Essential Full-Body Strength Exercises
Godso relies on a functional training method that prioritizes mobility, stability, and overall strength. According to Women’s Health, she incorporates five foundational strength-building moves into her celebrity training regimens:
1. Hip Thrusts
Godso utilizes hip thrusts as an essential glute-strengthening movement, cycling through variations such as barbell, single-leg, single-leg elevated, and dual-leg elevated hip thrusts multiple times a week. To perform them, sit with feet flat on the floor in front of a stable bench or couch, place forearms flat on the surface with elbows pointing back, and lift the seat while walking feet out slightly beyond the knees. Push through the heels and engage the glutes to extend the hips into a straight line from shoulders to knees, as reported by Women’s Health.
Pro Tip: Place a mirror nearby to check your positioning. Ensure your knee is stacked directly over your ankle at the top of the movement. Adjust foot placement so you feel the work in your glutes rather than your hamstrings or quads, and avoid lower back arching.
2. Cable Face Pulls
Targeting the upper back and posture, cable face pulls are a staple in Godso’s routine at least twice a week. According to Women’s Health, exercisers should set a cable machine to shoulder height with a rope attachment, stand in a staggered stance with knees slightly bent, and pull the rope toward the face with palms facing each other and elbows flared.
3. Deadlifts
Deadlifts light up the entire posterior chain, working the glutes and hamstrings while demanding core stability. Godso predominantly utilizes kettlebell deadlifts with her clients, alternating between Romanian deadlifts (RDLs) and split-stance deadlifts using one or two weights. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, hinge at the hips with a slight knee bend until the back forms a 90-degree angle with the ground, and drive through the heels while keeping a neutral spine, per Women’s Health reporting.
Did You Know? Adding a thick resistance band secured around your hips and anchored to a pole can help guide your hips back into the proper hinge position during a deadlift.
4. Triceps Extensions
Used frequently as a high-rep burnout exercise at the end of a circuit, triceps extensions isolate the arms using moderate weight. According to Women’s Health, hold a dumbbell overhead with straight arms, keep your biceps close to your ears, and bend your elbows to lower the weight behind your head before pressing back up.
5. High Plank Single Arm Row
Described by Godso as a move clients love to hate, this upper-body exercise challenges total-body stability and core strength. Exercisers can perform a high plank with feet wide, utilizing a bench or yoga block to elevate one hand while rowing a dumbbell with the other, or use a low cable machine attachment for an advanced variation, as detailed by Women’s Health.
Alternative Full-Body Workout Frameworks
According to Men’s Health, fitness director Andrew Tracey recommends full-body workouts featuring moves like Romanian deadlifts, chest-supported rows, dumbbell bench presses, deficit Bulgarian split squats, and half-kneeling dumbbell chops. Similarly, Fitwirr highlights foundational bodyweight exercises such as standard squats, push-ups, side planks, hollow holds, and seated Russian twists to establish core stability and functional strength.
Godso’s Training Non-Negotiables and Daily Habits
Beyond specific exercises, Godso adheres to several daily wellness rules outlined by Women’s Health:
- Fuel Before Training: Godso prefers that women do not train on an empty stomach, recommending a small energy source like protein powder in morning coffee or matcha.
- Post-Workout Walking: She adds 15 to 20 minutes of walking or stair-climbing after strength sessions to aid recovery and support fat burning.
- Warm-Up Activations: Five to ten minutes of foam rolling and mobility work prepare the body for safer, more connected movement.
- Accumulated Step Counts: Rather than forcing 10,000 steps at once, Godso advocates for short 10-minute post-meal walks to stabilize blood sugar and support digestion.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are Kirsty Godso’s go-to exercises for clients?
According to Women’s Health, Godso’s top five strength movements are hip thrusts, cable face pulls, deadlifts, triceps extensions, and high plank single-arm rows.
Why does Godso advocate for intuitive training?
Godso focuses on an intuitive approach to cut through algorithm-driven fitness trends and help clients concentrate on authentic, nurturing movement that fits their specific needs, as reported by Women’s Health.
Should you train on an empty stomach?
According to Women’s Health, Godso advises against training completely fasted, suggesting a small pre-workout snack or protein in coffee to provide adequate energy.
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