Laura Hoggins - Lift Yourself A Training Guide to Getting Fit and Feeling Strong for Life

Born and raised in Surrey, Laura Hoggins developed her passion for lifting after discovering a CrossFit box in Hammersmith over three years ago. Inspired by the community of individuals whose priority was athletics and not their aesthetic, Laura quit her office job and moved into fitness full time. Now a fully trained fitness coach and personal trainer, Laura runs her own concept class, LIFTED, at the Ministry of Sound Fitness. Laura has over 18,500 Instagram followers and has worked with British Womens Lifting, Women in Sport and This Girl Can to spread a campaign that she supports that strong is not a size. Runner-up in Mens Health Gym Awards 18 for Smartest Coach and a regular contributor to Womans Health, Metro and Health & Fitness Magazine, Laura speaks on podcasts, at festivals and events across the country and is the female face celebrating lifting in the UK. She recently launched her own podcast, Biceps & Banter.

@laurabiceps

https://www.lifted.fitness/

PENGUIN BOOKS

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First published 2019

Copyright Laura Hoggins, 2019

The moral right of the author has been asserted

Photography Paul Stuart

ISBN: 978-0-241-38592-0

This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the authors and publishers rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.

To anyone who has ever felt

they were not good enough,

not thin enough,

not fast enough,

not strong enough,

not confident enough.

You are more than enough.

Only you decide.

Take control.

Lifting changed my life, and I believe it has the power to change yours too.

So, what do I mean by lifting? At its simplest, its just that: building strength by lifting things. Essentially, youre using resistance to stimulate muscle contractions to make you stronger. The resistance you use can be weights that you hold, weight machines at the gym, resistance bands or even your own body weight (think of the resistance youre using when you do a press-up or a plank, for example). There are many different ways in which you can use your body weight or do resistance training to build strength; the fun part is figuring out which way you want to do it.

Theres zero doubt that we should all be building our own versions of strength training into our weekly schedules. Decades of research have shown us that it can reduce your body fat, improve your posture, protect your bones and heart, make you happier and help you live longer. Thats quite a list. The NHS now advises everyone to do two sessions of strength training every week, sessions that work all the major muscle groups. Thats alongside the 150 minutes of weekly aerobic (or cardio) activity were all supposed to do, such as walking, running, cycling, or playing sport.

If youre now thinking hang on, two sessions, really? youre not alone. According to the Health Survey for England in 2016, roughly two-thirds of us are managing to hit the cardio target, but only 31 per cent of men and 23 per cent of women do any muscle-strengthening work. There are many reasons for this, and I see it every day in my work as a personal trainer, which is why I am so passionate about trying to open people up to the wonders of being strong:

• Were cardio junkies. For years, women in particular have assumed that doing endless cardio exercise running, hanging out on the cross-trainer, bashing out a bit of the old step aerobics is the only way theyre going to keep their weight under control and increase their fitness. I once thought that too; I spent hours on the flippin cross-trainer and used to walk past the weights area like whatever but I was wrong, and this book will show you why.
• Lifting seems complicated. Yes, there is a bit more to it than just lacing up your trainers and nipping outside for a run or walk, but it doesnt actually have to be difficult.
• Gyms can be intimidating. Especially the weights area, which is often full of big men who look like they know what theyre doing.

Im going to address all these potential barriers in this book and show you that lifting neednt be complicated or intimidating, and that you dont even need to go to the gym to do it.

Lifting is incredibly empowering, and it makes you both physically and mentally stronger. Theres also an addictive element to it that appeals to my inner warrior, and it might speak to yours too. That feeling of lifting something you didnt think you could it not only makes you look like a total boss, but I promise youll feel like one too. Im also going to share my personal journey with you. I hope that by being totally transparent, there will be bits you can relate to, and then maybe my experience can help you too.

Ten years ago, I was dragging myself out of bed with just about enough time to get some mascara on plus a bit of dry shampoo, and then off Id go to the office for another day hunched over my desk, probably having a cigarette on the way. I was unhappy with my body, and over the years Id tried every diet going and I mean every single one.

Then I discovered lifting and my whole mindset changed. I began celebrating what my body could do rather than criticizing how it looked. Fast-forward to the present and Im now a personal trainer working in some of Londons top gyms. I was honoured to be named runner-up in the smart coach category of the 2018 Mens Health Gym Awards, and its been my absolute privilege to work on the #StrongIsNotASize campaign, alongside GB Olympic weightlifter Zoe Smith, to encourage more women into lifting, driven by British Weight Lifting and the charity Women in Sport. I want to show you that loving your body instead of trying to sabotage yourself can give you a whole new perspective on life.