Workout With SL X Tereza Halova

Fitness is embedded in Tereza Halova’s DNA. Her father was an athletics coach, and by the age of three, she had stood on a pair of skis. By the time she reached her teens, she had been competing in athletics for seven years and later trained as a snowboarding instructor in her 20s. After training as a PT in Sydney, she stumbled across FRAME, where she now teaches some of the studio’s buzziest and sweatiest classes. Advocating a full-body approach to fitness, Tereza’s workouts guarantee serious results. Here she shares her workout rules…

Make Movement A Habit

“My approach is simple – move every day without putting too much pressure on yourself and do it because you love it. You don’t always have to train at 100% effort until you drop dead, and nor should you. Forget what you see on social media – you don’t have to lift weights every day nor do you have to run a 10k every week. Some days, your body may be up for a HIIT session; other days you may be more in the mood for a gentle strength session; or you may feel tired and in the mood for a walk. Tune into your body and give it what it needs on a daily basis – it’s all about creating habits. Once exercise starts to become part of your daily routine, that’s when you’ll start seeing results.”

Don’t Be Afraid Of Weights

“So many women are wary of lifting weights and stick with cardio. One of the biggest mistakes I see women making is spending too much time on cardio-based machines. If you’re working out on a stationary bike, cross-trainer or treadmill because you love it, great. But if you’re just doing it because you think it burns more calories, think twice. Resistance training is a far more effective way to burn body fat and build strength in one fell swoop – swap a couple of cardio sessions for strength training and see for yourself which works better. Some of my favourite moves when it comes to building strength include squat thrusters, Romanian deadlifts and bent-over rows. These moves tick a lot of boxes – they’ll raise your heart rate to build fitness and will improve strength and endurance. If you do have some free weights, don’t be afraid to go heavy – as a woman, it’s tricky to bulk up. Instead, you’ll look leaner and more toned.”

Stick With It

“Without being consistent, you’ll end up back in square one over and over again. In order to get better at anything in life, repetition is the key. Without being consistent and progressively overloading your body, you’ll find it tricky to achieve your goals, which may demotivate you in return, which may lead to you not adhering to a specific training programme. The end result? You may give up entirely. If exercise isn’t naturally in your blood, you may need slightly more discipline and determination, but consistency really is the best way to see results.”

Don’t Be Afraid To Start Slow

“Whether you’re completely new to exercise or are just easing yourself back in after the last year, don’t be afraid to scale things back. There’s no rush – it’s not a competition. Remember that staying injury-free should be your top priority, so focus on form, even if you feel you don’t need to. Start with a lower load (i.e. lighter weights) and higher reps, aiming for a workout to feel around 70-80% of your maximum effort. Don’t jump straight into what you were doing prior to the pandemic. Think progressive overload and consistency.”