If there’s one person you can rely on to tell you how to build muscle and strength, it’s Britain’s strongest woman: Lucy Underdown. At 36, she’s one of the best female deadlifters in the world as the first and only woman to deadlift 700lb (317kg). She’s built an elite-level career in powerlifting by focusing on consistency and progressive training, and every exercise she does is intentional: it has a purpose and it serves it.
Her approach is always ‘strength first, muscle second’. ‘My goal is to lift heavier weights, prepare myself for competitions and have fun. I don’t train to build muscle; I train to get stronger. But building strength and muscle growth go hand in hand, especially with the time and intensity of training I do,’ she tells us. Below, she reveals her top five moves for building that muscle and strength, and why they’re so effective.
Lucy Underdown’s top muscle-building exercises1.Deadlift
Underdown says: ‘Being the World Record Holder for the deadlift, I think this is a given! The deadlift has been a huge part of my training for years. It works the entire posterior chain [the muscles on the back of your body], builds full-body strength and teaches you how to move serious weight. Lifting heavy creates a huge stimulus for muscle growth.’
Underdown says: ‘Strong legs and glutes are essential in Strongwoman competitions. Squats help build the lower-body strength I need for everything from carries and stones to pressing events. I use different variations depending on my goals, but they all help build the strong foundation you need for pretty much every exercise.’
Instagram @lucyunders_strongwoman
Underdown says: ‘Pressing events are a massive part of Strongwoman, so overhead strength is essential. Whether it’s using a log, axle or barbell, overhead pressing builds strong shoulders, triceps and upper-body power while improving stability and control.’
Underdown says: ‘A strong back is crucial, especially for deadlifting. Rows and pulldowns help build your lats and upper back, which play a huge role in maintaining position and transferring force during heavy lifts. A stronger back almost always leads to a stronger deadlift.’
5. Strongwoman Event exercises
Underdown says: ‘Yoke carries, farmer’s carries and atlas stones are some of the best muscle and strength builders there are. They challenge the body in ways normal exercises can’t, forcing you to move awkward, heavy loads while building strength, and I guarantee you’ll be using muscles you didn’t even know existed!’
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.
After earning a first-class degree in journalism and NCTJ accreditation, she secured her first role at Look Magazine, where 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. Today, she oversees all fitness content across Women’s Health online and in print, spearheading leading cross-platform franchises, such as ‘Fit At Any Age’, which showcases 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.