Ever feel like you’re not making progress or getting stronger? Gabby Logan can relate. Despite ‘always feeling confident enough to follow workout programmes’ on her own after working with a PT ‘who was very strict about teaching me how to lift weights correctly’, the presenter discovered she was ‘repeating the same stuff over and over’. That’s when she recruited a new trainer: Rich Birkett.
‘He does remote programmes as well as lots of great tips on his account, it works for me as I need to be very flexible with my training,’ Gabby explained on Instagram. Since starting regular strength sessions together, she said: ‘I’ve loved getting stronger, feeling a bit leaner and remembering the buzz of weights again.’
She adds: ‘Still totally into the @tru.pilates.amersham team, but at 52 I need strength and flexibility, and the two complement each other so well. As my many Midpoint fitness guests told me, in midlife we need to ramp it up, not dial it down.’
Don’t just take their word for it: studies repeatedly show that resistance training can counteract age-related muscle loss, improve muscle strength and function, and support overall health and independence as we age.
Below, Gabby demonstrates the exact 7-move full-body strength circuit she does with Rich. Try it yourself, with instructions on how to do it effectively.
Gabby Logan’s full-body workout
How to do the workout: Perform each exercise for the prescribed number of reps, then repeat the whole thing 2-3 times.
1. Kettlebell goblet squat
Do: 6-8 reps
Hold the kettlebell at chest height (elbows tucked), brace your core, and lower by sitting hips down and back while keeping your chest upright. Drive through your heels to stand back up, keeping knees tracking over toes and torso tall.2. Narrow dumbbell press in tabletop
Do: 6-8 reps
Lie on a bench holding dumbbells above your chest, legs lifted into a tabletop position (hips and knees at 90 degrees) to engage your core and keep your lower back stable; keep your wrists stacked over your elbows with palms facing in and the dumbbells close together. Lower the dumbbells slowly toward your chest by bending your elbows close to your sides, then press them back up to the starting position, maintaining control through your core and avoiding arching your lower back.3. Single-arm dumbbell plank row
Do: 6-8 reps on each side
Place one hand on a bench and set your body in a strong plank position with feet wide for stability, holding a dumbbell in the free hand with your arm extended toward the floor and your core braced to keep hips level. Pull the dumbbell up toward your hip by driving your elbow back close to your body, then lower it with control to the start without letting your torso rotate or your hips drop.4. Push-ups
Do: 6-8 reps
Start in a high plank on your toes with hands under your shoulders, body in a straight line from head to heels, core and glutes engaged. Bend your elbows to lower your chest toward the floor, then press through your palms to return to the starting position, keeping your body rigid throughout.5. Side plank hip dips
Do: 6-8 reps
Set up in a side plank with your feet stacked and elevated on a box, supporting your upper body on your forearm directly under your shoulder, keeping your body in a straight line and core engaged. Lower your hips toward the floor in a controlled dip, then lift them back up to the starting position by engaging your obliques, keeping your body aligned and avoiding rotation.6. Side plank hold
Do: 30-second hold
ABC
Lie on your side with your feet elevated on a box and stack your feet and hips, placing your lower forearm under your shoulder to support your body in a straight line. Lift your hips off the ground and hold the position, keeping your core tight, shoulders stacked, and body aligned without letting your hips drop or rotate.7. Barbell deadlift
Do: 6-8 reps
Stand with feet hip-width apart, midfoot under the barbell, hinge at the hips to grip the bar just outside your knees, keep your back flat, chest up, and core braced. Drive through your heels to lift the bar by extending your hips and knees together, keeping the bar close to your body, then lower it with control by hinging at the hips while maintaining a neutral spine.
After years living with endometriosis and undergoing seven rounds of IVF, Radio 4 presenter Emma Barnett turned to training with PT Frankie Holah to rebuild strength and a more positive relationship with her body. Download the Women’s Health UK app to access Frankie’s full training plan.
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As Women’s Health UK’s fitness director and a qualified Pilates and yoga instructor, Bridie Wilkins has been passionately reporting on exercise, health and nutrition since the start of her decade-long career in journalism. She secured her first role at Look Magazine, where her obsession with fitness began and she launched the magazine’s health and fitness column, Look Fit, before going on to become Health and Fitness writer at HELLO!. Since, she has written for Stylist, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Elle, The Metro, Runner’s World and Red.Now, she oversees all fitness content across womenshealthmag.com.uk and the print magazine, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, where we showcase the women proving that age is no barrier to exercise. She has also represented the brand on BBC Radio London, plus various podcasts and Substacks – all with the aim to encourage more women to exercise and show them how.Outside of work, find her trying the latest Pilates studio, testing her VO2 max for fun (TY, Oura), or posting workouts on Instagram.