Muscle & Fitness Hers South Africa July 2025

“FUNCTIONAL FITNESS” IS A BUZZWORD thrown around by savvy trainers and experts alike, but the concept is often tossed aside when it comes to fitting it into your workout. After all, it’s tough to make time for exercises that don’t appear to have a physique benefit. “Functional fitness is for all of the movements you do in life, from chasing your kids to hiking a mountain. But often people disregard it because they think they won’t be effective,” notes Liu Gross, athletic director for React Fitness in Chicago, USA. That’s a mistake, because functional fitness not only helps you move more easily and reduce injury risk; it can also sculpt muscles and blast calories. Working with Chicago-based physical therapist David Reavy, Gross has created a functional routine that kicks your…

• EVERYONE LOVES a good high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session, and exercise variation is key for better muscle development and fat loss. But what exactly do these all-out techniques do for your body? We asked trainer, Socanomics creator, and fitness model Selena Watkins to explain how HIIT can help you get sculpted and lean. The methods: Tabata (20 seconds on, 10 seconds off; four minutes); EMOM (Every Minute On the Minute); and AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible). Watkins says, “These three protocols are so effective because they raise your metabolism while preserving muscle and torching fat.” Plus… You’ll raise your power output. › A study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research shows that elite female volleyball players had improved agility, sprinting, and burst exercise performance when they…

SECTION 1 IF YOU HAVE… NO GYM ACCESS CAN’T GET TO THE GYM? THESE EQUIPMENT-FREE ROUTINES SCORCH CALORIES USING JUST YOUR BODY WEIGHT SO YOU CAN DO THEM ANYWHERE, ANYTIME. PERFECT 10s TIME: 10 MINUTES EXPERT: GENNIFER STROBO, IFBB FIGURE PRO IG: @GENNID “This workout gives a heart-rate boost and can be squeezed in even if you only have a few minutes.” Do each move for 30 seconds, resting 20 seconds between each one. Each cycle lasts 10 minutes.” ■ Mountain climber ■ Burpee ■ Straight-leg Front Kick ■ Crossover Pushup ■ Narrow High Jump ■ Bicycle Crunch ■ Stepup ■ Plank ■ Skater Lunge ■ Good Morning (hands on head) ■ Sumo Squat ■ Crunch FULL-BODY BOOT CAMP TIME: 15–30 MINUTES EXPERT: BEDROS KEUILIAN, FOUNDER AND CEO OF FIT BODY…

It is so good to have you join the Muscle and Fitness family. Can you please tell us a bit about yourself? My name is Kristin Maruska. I was born and raised in New Mexico, with roots that are Spanish, Danish, and Hungarian. I’m a Speech-Language Pathologist by profession, but I also wear many other hats: I’m a group fitness instructor, bikini fitness competitor, personal trainer, and bikini posing coach. For over 20 years, I’ve had the privilege of teaching group fitness classes ranging from Body Pump and Zumba to HIIT and Step Aerobics. While I’ve worked as a personal trainer, my current passion lies in coaching competitors on their stage presence and posing; helping them radiate confidence and grace. Sports have always been a huge part of my life;…

AT SOME POINT in the past few workouts, you’ve probably done a pushup, and there’s a good chance you’ve done it wrong. “People often do pushups incorrectly. They’ll place their hands in the wrong position, let the midsection sag, or flare the elbows out,” says Julia Ladewski, a strength and conditioning coach. “These mistakes don’t allow the right muscles to be targeted.” That’s no reason to give up on this most classic of training moves. “Pushups are a true measure of relative strength—plus there are so many variations, and they can be done anywhere,” says Ladewski. Here, she breaks down the perfect pushup. START HERE 1. Get the right hand position. › Lie facedown on floor, hands in line with the centre of your chest and just wider than shoulder…

READER’S PAGE! @GYPSETGODDESS CAITLIN TURNER “Beach yoga is my favourite summer workout because there are so many new and unexpected variables. The wind and shiftiness of the sand make balancing a lot more difficult than at home or in the studio. Plus, it’s hard to beat the soundtrack of the birds and the ocean waves to set the tempo of my breathing and keep me focused and flowing through the most difficult moments in my practice.” @ADRIANAJAMESNYC ADRIANA JAMES “One of my favourite workouts: 10 exercises for 3 rounds. Do 35 seconds of work, 20 seconds of rest; rest one minute between rounds. Do this workout three times a week. As your stamina improves, increase work time and decrease rest each week (40 seconds work/20 seconds rest; 45/25; 45/15). 10…