Muscle & Fitness Hers South Africa April 2023

OUR MODEL: Melissa Trapani “FITNESS EMPOWERS ME. EVERY OTHER ASPECT OF MY LIFE FALLS INTO PLACE WHEN I AM TRAINING.” IT'S NOT EASY getting a body like Madonna— at 57, she's got the strength, stamina, and muscle tone of a fit woman half her age. Her intense work ethic plays a big part, but her personal trainer, Craig Smith, also gets credit for keeping her fit and energized. “Our workouts are designed to support what she does onstage, which means a mix of endurance, flexibility and mobility, stability, balance, and resistance training,” says Smith, who is also the creative director of Hard Candy Fitness, a chain of fitness studios created by Madonna in 2010. The pop icon, who kicks off her 42-city Rebel Heart worldwide tour this month, regularly follows…

TRAINING WORKOUT MAKE-OVER “MARIA V., STOCKTON, CA “I'm a 44-year-old grandmother. I'm weigh about 68 kilos. I work out three days a week, focusing on the upper body. My goal is to lose weight and sculpt muscle all over.” OUR EXPERT SAYS Congrats on being such an active grandmother! You're working out often enough to meet your weight loss and muscle development goals but need to focus on the quality of your training and nutrition. For workouts, try to include compound (multijoint) exercises for upper and lower body, done at a high enough intensity that you feel fully fatigued by the end of each set. Progression is critical: Every four weeks, increase the weight while hitting the rep counts outlined here. To help keep your diet on track, use a…

(3 sets, 15 reps) • Triceps Pushup • DB Biceps Curl • DB Shoulder Press • Shadow Box (30 sec.) • Speed Bag (30 sec.) • Air Jump Rope (30 sec.) • DB Bentover Row • DB Lateral Raise • Triceps Chair Dip • Shadow Box (30 sec.) • Speed Bag (30 sec.) • Air Jump Rope (30 sec.) Rest 1 minute (3 sets, 12 reps) • DB Triceps Punch Out • DB Hammer Curl • DB Triceps Extension • DB Bench Press • Concentration Curl • DB Shoulder Press • DB Shoulder Raise NEW WORKOUT ROUTINE Day 1 (Repeat 3 to 4 times, 2-min. rest between circuits) • DB Squat Curl and Press: 15 reps • Shadow Box (hold 3-lb dumbbells): 30 sec. • Plank into Pushup: 10 reps…

THE MOST overlooked — and underrated — cardio machine in the gym just might be the indoor rower. Also known as an ergometer (or “erg” among enthusiasts), the rower offers a high-intensity. full-body bum: A 64 kilogram woman rowing at a good pace can blast 119 calories in only 15 minutes. “Rowing is multifaceted in its benefits—there is virtually no impact, it can be as intense as you want, and it's versatile enough for any fitness level.” says Arielle Childs, a fitness instructor. Many think of rowing as primarily an upper-body work-out, but it actually works the entire body, including your upper back, shoulders, anus, core, glutes, hips, and especially legs. Before you hop on a machine and start pulling, keep in mind that form is the key to getting…

WARMUP (8 TO 10 MIN.): Get on the erg and focus on the parts of stroke and recovery to improve technique. PYRAMID: Focus on increasing your stroke rate by taking about 10 to 15 strong strokes at the following pace (strokes per minute): 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 28, 26, 24, 22, 20. Strength moves: Hop off the rower and do the following exercises for 45 seconds each: pushups, squats, crunches, planks. POWER INTERVALS: Pick up the pace and row for 20 seconds (try to maintain a 24 to 26 stroke rate), then recover for 20 seconds; repeat. Then row hard for 40 seconds, with 20 seconds of recovery, two times. Finish with 60 seconds of hard rowing, with a 20-second recovery after each. Strength moves: Hop off the…

Model @amy_powell_ifbbpro Such an honor to have you on Muscle & Fitness Hers, everyone has their own special story about how they got involved in health and fitness. Could you tell us a little bit about your journey to where you are today? Thank you so much for having me featured in one of the best fitness magazines on the planet! I've been a competitive soul my whole life and have always loved lifting at the gym since the age of fourteen. Extreme sports have always appealed to me. I began playing on my older brother's skateboard at the age of six. I was a cheerleader in high school and during this time I fell in love with the sport of snowboarding. I started back when the sport was in…