Sam Hopes
Sam Hopes is a level III 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
Forget deadlifts — this 5-move kettlebell leg workout torches your quads and glutes
By Sam Hopes last updated
This leg workout with kettlebells builds your quads, glutes and hamstrings in five moves and 30 minutes.
Oura Ring 3 new features unveiled — here’s what you need to know
By Sam Hopes last updated
Oura has released three new stress management features, including Daytime Stress, Reflections and Resilience in latest upgrade to health app. Here's what we know.
I did the dragon pistol squat exercise every day for a week — here are the results
By Sam Hopes last updated
What are dragon pistol squats, how do you do them and what happens if you do 70 reps a day for a week?
Forget sit-ups — 7 of the best ab exercises you can do with sciatica
By Sam Hopes last updated
If you suffer from sciatica, here are seven ab exercises you can do with sciatica and how to do each move properly.
I did a 7-minute dolphin plank exercise every day for a week — here are my results
By Sam Hopes last updated
What is the dolphin plank, how do you do it and what happens if you do it for seven minutes a day for a week?
Forget Russian twists — this 5-move ab workout torches your delts, abs and obliques in just 15 minutes
By Sam Hopes last updated
This no crunches ab workout sculpts strong core and shoulder muscles in just 5 moves and 15 minutes.
I did 70 wrestling burpees every day for a week — here are my results
By Sam Hopes last updated
What are wrestling burpees, how do you do them and what happens if you do 70 reps a day for one week?
Running vs power walking: Which burns more calories?
By Sam Hopes last updated
Which burns more calories between running and power walking? We tested it out and the results shocked us.
Forget pull-ups — 5 best kettlebell back exercises for chiseling muscle definition
By Sam Hopes last updated
Here are 5 best kettlebell back exercises for strengthening and sculpting the upper body. Learn the benefits and how to do each move.
This 3-move bodyweight shoulder workout carves your triceps, pecs and delts in just 20 minutes
By Sam Hopes last updated
This no weights chest and shoulder workout sculpts the triceps, pecs and deltoid muscles in 3 moves and 20 minutes.
Forget sit-ups — this 3-move ab workout chisels concrete core muscles in just 15 minutes
By Sam Hopes last updated
This no sit-ups ab workout sculpts concrete core muscles in just 3 moves and 15 minutes.
This one exercise hack strengthens your hips, quads and hamstrings and improves your squats
By Sam Hopes last updated
This one lower body exercise boosts flexibility and strengthens your hips, quads and hamstrings using a simple hack.
Forget ab workouts — try this 5-move CrossFit workout Fight Gone Bad
By Sam Hopes last updated
What is the Fight Gone Bad CrossFit workout, how do you do it and what happened when our writer tried it for the first time.
Dolphin planks: How to do them and 3 variations to build steel core muscles
By Sam Hopes last updated
Learn how to do dolphin planks, benefits, common mistakes and three variations to try.
I tried this 30-minute animal flow workout every day for one week — here are my results
By Sam Hopes last updated
What is animal flow, how do you do it and what happens if you do it for 30 minutes a day for a week.
This abs workout for beginners sculpts a strong core in 4 moves and 20 minutes
By Sam Hopes last updated
This 20-minute ab workout is suitable for beginners and strengthens your core using four abdominal exercises. Talent trainer Harry Sellers explains how to do it.
Offset farmer's walk: How to do it, and the benefits for stronger core and shoulders
By Sam Hopes last updated
Learn how to do the offset overhead farmer’s carry, common mistakes, the benefits and variations to try.
Cross training shoes vs weightlifting shoes: Which is best for you?
By Sam Hopes last updated
Should you be wearing cross training shoes or weightlifting shoes in the gym? Our in-house personal trainer explains which shoe is best for you and how to decide.
Back pain? Try this 7-move yoga for sciatica routine instead of weights
By Sam Hopes last updated
If you suffer from sciatic nerve pain, try this certified yoga teacher's seven-move yoga for sciatica routine.
Forget push-ups — this kettlebell shoulder workout chisels your pecs and shoulders in 3 moves
By Sam Hopes last updated
This upper-body kettlebell workout chisels the pecs, triceps and shoulders without push-ups, using just three exercises in 8 minutes.
I did the standing dead bug ab exercise every day for a week — here are my results
By Sam Hopes last updated
Our in-house personal trainer did 70 reps of the standing dead bug exercise every day for one week. Here's her results and how to do the ab exercise yourself.
Oh My Quad — this 4-move kettlebell leg workout builds your quads and glutes
By Sam Hopes last updated
This leg workout with kettlebells shapes your quads, glutes and hamstrings in four moves and under 15 minutes.
5 best ab exercises for sculpting and strengthening your oblique muscles
By Sam Hopes last updated
These are five of the best ab exercises to sculpt and strengthen your oblique muscles without hurting your lower back.