Chipper A style of metabolic conditioning where the number of reps per exercise decreases with each round or set.
Circuit A sequence of three or more exercises performed back to back, with a brief rest before repeating the sequence.
Climb the ladder A style of metabolic conditioning where the number of reps per exercise increases with each round or set.
EMOM Short for “every minute on the minute”. A style of metabolic conditioning where you perform the prescribed number of reps of an exercise or a set of exercises at the top of every minute, then rest for the remainder of the minute.
Finisher A short metabolic conditioning circuit at the end of a workout day. Designed to completely fatigue your body with bursts of cardio work.
HIIT Short for “high-intensity interval training”. Alternates between short periods of high-intensity cardio exercise and short periods of rest. A form of metabolic conditioning.
Main lift The main strength exercise in your workout day. A functional compound movement that uses a barbell or other weight (deadlift, squat, row, or press).
Metabolic conditioning A method of training that involves a high rate of work with little rest. It conditions your muscles to efficiently use your body’s energy, making you fitter.
Reps Short for repetitions. The number of times you consecutively perform an exercise without resting.
Round One sequence or cycle of the exercises in a circuit.
Set One sequence or cycle of the exercises in a superset.
Superset A sequence of two exercises performed back to back, with a brief rest before repeating the sequence.
Tabata A style of metabolic conditioning where you perform 20 seconds of an exercise at your maximum effort, then rest for 10 seconds. Repeated for 8 rounds, or a total of 4 minutes.
Alex Silver-Fagan discovered her love for fitness and lifting weights while at university. She felt strong and unstoppable when in the gym, a feeling she had not experienced before. After graduating from New York University, Alex began to explore a variety of fitness styles, both professionally and personally – from bodybuilding and bikini competitions, all the way to CrossFit and group fitness.
Now Alex is an ACE-certified personal trainer, a group fitness instructor, a 200-hour certified yoga teacher, a sponsored athlete on TEAM Bodybuilding.com, and holds multiple certifications, including: KBA 1 kettlebell, FMS, and CFSC. She began teaching classes and training private clients in 2015, and she was soon chosen by NIKE as one of their top NYC trainers.
Alex’s fitness methodology emphasizes balance, nutrition, cardio performance, and resistance training, all with the underlying goal of achieving confidence and strength.
First and foremost, I dedicate this book to you and your fitness journey. You’ve already taken the first step, now simply stay focused, have patience, and crush it!
Thank you to my dad for always encouraging me to chase my dreams, and thank you to my grandma for your endless love and support.
Big shout out to everyone at Solace New York, my home gym and my family.
Thank you to Ann Barton and Alexandra Elliott at DK for making this first authoring experience simple, fun, and exciting. Also, special thanks to Nigel Wright, Jason Riker, and Christie Caiola for their amazing job on all of the photos, and to my gorgeous and strong models (Carla, Kristie, Natalia, and Sami) for bringing the vision to life.
DK would like to thank the following:
Models Sami Chheng, Carla Miranda, Kristie Muller, Natalia Roberts, and Alex Silver-Fagan
Makeup artist and hair stylist Christie Caiola
Proofreader Laura Caddell