Free weights or machines? Learn the real difference, when to use each, and how to combine them for strength that lasts, from coach Jennifer Yansucon.

If you've ever stood in front of the pantry at 8pm eating more than you meant to, then spent the next morning feeling guilty. Are you also someone that skips breakfast and as you get caught up with work you ended up rushing to find lunch that might not have the best nutritional value? I want to remind you that you are not lacking willpower and you're not broken. You're caught in a cycle that has very little to do with discipline and everything to do with biology. This is one

Think lifting weights makes you tight? Strength training may build more usable mobility than stretching alone. Learn why from coach Jennifer Yansucon.

Ask most women if they can do a pull-up, and you'll usually get some version of the same answer: "No — I've never been able to." It's one of the most common fitness goals I hear from clients, and also one of the most misunderstood. The truth is, very few women are ever taught how to build toward one that is different from not being capable of it. Why pull-ups get treated differently for women Biologically, women do tend to carry a higher proportion of body fat and a different

When most people think about why they lift weights, the reasons usually starts and ends somewhere around "look better, feel stronger, maybe protect my joints." Fewer people realise that every time you strength train, you're also sending a direct signal to your brain — one that current research suggests may protect it for decades to come. The myokine connection When your muscles contract under load, they don't just move your body. They also release a class of signalling protei

Recovering from an injury can feel like an uphill battle. You lost your sense of connection to your body and how it used to feel. You may feel protective, guarded and scared of re-injuring again. You've done all the rehab work, your doctor and physio say "You're all cleared". But you can't help feeling hesitant to return to certain activities you used to do. That hesitation isn't weakness. It's your nervous system doing exactly what it's designed to do: protect you from some

If you are a woman in her 40s, you may have noticed your body changing in the last few years. Less energy. Stubborn belly fat. Joints that ache more than they used to. Trouble sleeping or staying asleep. You are not the only one, you are not imagining it and you are not broken. You're likely in peri-menopause, and strength training is one of the most powerful tools you have to work with your body through it, not against it. Why peri-menopause changes the rules As oestrogen d