Sam Hopes
Sam Hopes is a level III qualified fitness trainer, level II reiki practitioner, and senior fitness writer at Future PLC, the publisher of Tom's Guide. She is also about to undertake her Yoga For Athletes training course. Having trained to work with mind and body, Sam is a big advocate of using mindfulness techniques in sport and fitness, and their impact on performance. She’s also passionate about the fundamentals of training and building sustainable training methods. When she's not writing up her experiences with the latest fitness tech and workouts, you’ll find her writing about nutrition, sleep, recovery, and wellness.
Latest articles by Sam Hopes
My all-time favorite insulated The North Face jacket is 30% off right now
By Sam Hopes last updated
The North Face Antora Triclimate jacket is supremely waterproof and wind-resistant. Save big on one of the most popular winter jackets during the sales.
I teach stretching routines for a living — 3 exercises that strengthen your hips and open your hamstrings
By Sam Hopes last updated
Three bodyweight exercises that stretch and strengthen your hip flexors and hamstrings, according to a personal trainer.
Forget burpees — this 3-move CrossFit workout strengthens your entire body using dumbbells
By Sam Hopes last updated
The CrossFit workout can be done in just 21 minutes using three full-body exercises. Here's how to do it.
I tried 60 hand-release push-ups every day for one week — here are 3 things I learned
By Sam Hopes last updated
What are hand-release push-ups, how do you do them and what happens if one writer does them every day for one week during a fitness challenge?
You just need this 4-move dumbbell workout and 20 minutes to chisel your shoulder muscles
By Sam Hopes last updated
The four-move dumbbell workout strengthens and builds your shoulders in under 30 minutes, and it's beginner-friendly. Here's how.
Australian pull-ups for beginners: How to do them, and the benefits for building your back and biceps
By Sam Hopes last updated
Learn how to do Australian pull-ups, the benefits, common mistakes, and variations to try as a beginner.
I did 50 kettlebell thrusters every day for one week — and here are my results
By Sam Hopes last updated
What is the kettlebell thruster, how do you do it, and what happened when a fitness writer did the exercise every day for one week?
Deadlift beginners: 5 things I wish I had known before I started deadlifting
By Sam Hopes last updated
A personal trainer shares five ways to improve your deadlift technique whether you're a deadlift beginner or just refining your skill set.
I'm a personal trainer — this is my favorite dumbbell exercise for building full-body strength
By Sam Hopes last updated
The dumbbell thruster is my favorite full-body exercise for building strength and muscle. Here's how to do it, the benefits and variations to try.
Forget push-ups — you just need 1 kettlebell and 15 minutes to build your chest, shoulders and legs
By Sam Hopes last updated
You just need one kettlebell and this 3-move workout to build full-body strength and muscle, and it only takes 15 minutes.
Forget Russian twists — I did 50 Russian push-ups every day for one week, here’s what happened
By Sam Hopes last updated
What are Russian push-ups, how do you do them and what happens if you do 50 reps each day for seven days?
What are the 'big 5' compound lifts in weight training?
By Sam Hopes published
The 'big five' compound exercises in weightlifting are the bench press, deadlift, shoulder press, pull-up and squat. Here's how to do them, the benefits, and how to program them.
Forget sit-ups — you only need 1 kettlebell and 3 seated ab exercises to sculpt your core
By Sam Hopes last updated
These three seated ab exercises strengthen your core muscles and hips using one kettlebell and a 15-minute workout. Here's how to do them, according to a trainer.
The best ab workouts — free ab workouts you can do from anywhere
By Jane McGuire last updated
The best ab workouts — from free ab workouts to 10-minute ab workouts, here's the best ab workouts to try.
Hack squats vs trap bar deadlifts: which is better at building quad strength?
By Sam Hopes last updated
What are hack squats and trap bar deadlifts, how do you do them, and what are the benefits? A personal trainer explains which is better for building quad strength and muscle.
Reverse curls: how to do them, and the benefits for bulking your biceps
By Sam Hopes last updated
Learn how to do reverse curls, along with the benefits, common mistakes, and four variations we recommend for building your biceps muscles.
Deadbugs: How to do them, and the benefits for building your core muscles
By Jane McGuire last updated
Learn how to do a dead bug, the benefits of dead bugs, and how to progress or regress the exercise for your ability.
Push-ups: How to do them, the benefits, and modifications to try
By Jane McGuire last updated
How to do a push-up, the benefits of doing push-ups and the modifications to make push-ups easier or harder.
Oura just released new feature to help you manage stress — what you need to know
By Sam Hopes last updated
Oura has just released its latest Resilience stress feature to join Daytime Stress and Reflections. Here's what we know so far.
Plank exercise: This is how long you should hold a plank for
By Jane McGuire last updated
How long do you need to hold a plank exercise to see results? It's not as long as you think.
4 strength exercises that sculpt your glutes and build a strong core without ab exercises
By Sam Hopes last updated
Four glute exercises that build strength in your buttocks and add definition without hip thrusts or glute bridges, according to a personal trainer.
Forget burpees — build muscle all over with one kettlebell and these four moves
By Sam Hopes last updated
Strengthen your core, build full-body muscle, and raise your heart rate in less than 30 minutes.
I just did this 200-rep push-up challenge — here’s what happened to my body
By Sam Hopes last updated
Our in-house personal trainer tried this 200-rep push-up challenge. Here's what happened and how to do it yourself.