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In her nearly 14 years in the fitness industry, celebrity trainer Kirsty Godso has worked with a wide array of clients (most recently, she’s trained Hailey Beiber, Olivia Rodrigo, Kaia Gerber, and CharliXCX, to name a few).
During this time, she’s also watched as the fitness industry has shifted and evolved, increasingly shaped by data, mounting intensity, and social media chatter. But amid all the noise, Godso has maintained a very different mindset when it comes to fitness.
“To me, a quieter, more intuitive approach is really at the heart of how I train my clients and myself,” she tells Women’s Health. “In an industry that always has a new training trend and a lot of outside noise, I always focus on putting the personal in personal training. It’s about focusing on the specific needs of each client and not getting distracted by the latest and greatest things that the algorithm is serving you.”
In fact, the concept of intuitive training is at the heart of her recent Set the Pace campaign with Vuori (she’s a collaborator with the activewear brand), which is centered on the idea that movement is something to feel rather than something to prove.
These days, the 37-year-old trainer also listens to her body much more than she did in her 20s, noting what feels good and what doesn’t. “For me, strength training is authentic to me. It’s what feels nurturing, fun, challenging and supportive to my body,” she says, adding that she always asks her clients what kind of movement they enjoy, and makes sure it’s built into their weekly routines.
“You likely won’t love every workout in your schedule if you’re following a proper training plan, but having those workouts that feel really in line with your needs and authenticity will get you through the hard stuff, too.”
While her training approach may be intuitive, it’s also highly functional—focused on supporting stability, mobility, and overall strength. Here, Godso shares five go-to strength-building exercises that all of her celebrity clients do, and love:
5 Full-Body Strength Moves Kirsty Godso Swears By1. Hip Thrusts
“I absolutely love hip thrusts in many versions. They’re an amazing exercise when done properly and are an essential glute strength movement. I use a lot of different variations such as barbell hip thrusts, single leg hip thrusts, single leg elevated hip thrusts, dual leg elevated hip thrusts. It’s a movement I coach and personally do multiple times a week so I like to mix up the variations to keep hitting the glutes a little differently.”
How to:
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Sit with feet flat on the floor in front of a couch, workout bench, or stable chair.
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Place forearms flat on surface so elbows point back and fingers point forward. (Alternatively, you can rest your shoulder blades directly across the surface, which is the way to go if you plan to add weights to the move.)
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Lift seat up off floor and walk feet out until planted slightly beyond knees. This is your starting position.
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Push through heels and engage glutes to extend hips up until body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees.
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Reverse the movement to return to start. That’s one rep.
Pro tip: Have a mirror next to you, so you can get body awareness about your positioning. You want the knee to be stacked over the ankle at the top position of the move. If the foot is too far out you’ll feel more hamstrings, and if the foot is too close, you’ll feel more quads. Make small adjustments to find a position you can hold at lockout at the top without rib flare or arching through your lower back, then add the weight once the feet are set.
2. Cable Face Pulls
“This exercise is all about that hot, strong upper back and helps work on your posture. I do this exercise at least twice a week and swear by it.” (Demonstrated in fourth video clip above.)
How to:
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Set the cable to shoulder height when standing and add the rope attachment.
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Start standing in a staggered stance with weight evenly distributed on both legs, a slight bend in knees, back heel elevated, and both hands holding the ends of the rope.
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Pull the attachment toward face, palms facing each other, allowing elbows to flare out at shoulder height.
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Reverse the motion to return to start. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: Slow down. When you squeeze at the max range of the pull position, try holding it for one to two seconds before controlling the rope back in. When you go slower you’ll also feel more core engagement.’
3. Deadlifts
“I think deadlifts are an essential exercise not only as a lower body exercise but for how well they light up your entire posterior chain. They’re amazing for the glutes and hamstrings but also require a lot of core strength. I predominantly use kettlebell deadlifts with my clients and will alternate between Romanian Deadlifts (RDLs) and split stance deadlifts with one or two weights. I love to incorporate single leg exercises in my workouts to improve stability.”
How to:
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Stand with your feet shoulder-distance apart, with a barbell or dumbbells positioned in front of you.
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Hinge at your hips and lower down, with a slight bend in your knees, until your back creates a 90 degree angle with the ground—or, if you’re using a barbell, far enough down to grab the bar (you can choose an overhand grip, underhand grip, or mixed grip). Keep your spine neutral by looking forward, not up.
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Keep your shoulders back, then squeeze your glutes and your core as you stand up straight, tuck your pelvis, and lift the weight.
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Pause for a moment at the top, then slowly lower back down to the ground. That’s one rep.
Pro tip: If you struggle with the hinge in a deadlift, try attaching a thick resistance band to a pole, stepping into it and securing it around your hips then step away far enough until you feel some tension on it. The band will help guide your hips back into the hinge position and will also give you more glute work when you have to push back up against it to come to the top of the move.
4. Triceps Extensions
“My clients and I are absolutely obsessed with these! I love to use them as a burnout exercise at the end of a circuit and do high reps using a moderate weight so you can control it. Trust me, it burns.” (She’s partial to a cable triceps extension!)
How to:
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Stand holding one dumbbell between both hands overhead with straight arms. (Option to hold two weights together overhead.)
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Keep biceps by ears, then bend elbows to lower dumbbell slowly behind head.
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Pause, then press weight back up to straighten arms, returning to start. That’s 1 rep.
Pro tip: The key to getting the most out of this for your triceps is to keep your elbows tight to your rib cage the entire time, maintain a slight hinge forward in your torso so you’re not standing completely upright and pull your shoulders away from your ears so you’re not trying to work from your traps and shoulders.
5. High Plank Single Arm Row
“This is the one my clients love to hate and vice versa! It’s an upper body exercise that works your entire body and your core like crazy.”
How to:
Kirsty recommends a couple variations:
Option 1:
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Get into a high plank position with feet wide to stabilize the hips.
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Using a bench or yoga block to elevate one arm, hand placed under your shoulder and a dumbbell in your other hand.
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Row the weight up without losing your flat back positioning.
Option 2:
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If you’re advanced, set up in a plank position on the floor with feet wide and then grab a cable set at the lowest height with a handle attachment and perform a single arm cable row. (Demonstrated in final video clip below.)
Pro tip: Both of these exercises require a huge amount of stability making a lighter weight feel more difficult. Start light and build your confidence, focusing on form first.
Godso’s Training Non-Negotiables
When it comes to mindful training, here are a few principles Godso has all of her clients stick to:
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“I prefer that women don’t train fasted, even if they have something small before their morning workout so they have more energy and some fuel to burn! My go to is some protein powder in my morning coffee or matcha.”
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“I love to add 15 to 20 minutes of walking or stair master at the end of my strength workouts when I have time. Some studies show this can help both speed up recovery and burn fat but honestly, I mostly do it because it feels good!”
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“Take time to prep your body for your strength workouts through foam rolling and activation. A lot of people skip this but it’s really important for mobility, better recovery and better activation and connection in your workouts. It doesn’t have to be long, just 5 to 10 minutes at the start of your workout.”
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“I prefer a focus on step count across the day versus trying to get 10K steps in one go. Small 10 minute walks post meals help stabilize your blood sugar and aid digestion as well as give you a nice little mental break, especially if you can get outside.”
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