She's been on my radar for months now but I hadn’t really had an opportunity to try her programs out as I’ve been thoroughly occupied with Caroline Girvan’s EPIC programs. Starting with EPIC I then EPIC II and now in the middle of EPIC HEAT.

One of the things I really appreciate about Sydney is her positive, can-do attitude. It’s a breath of fresh air. She’s very motivating and uplifting. She gives you a pep talk at the beginning of the workout and during the workout.

Here are the other reasons I love training with Sydney Cummings:

Gives Explanations

She provides thorough explanations of what the moves are and how proper form should look and feel. This is very valuable as when we’re working out at home, we might not necessarily know that we’re doing a move correctly, particularly if there’s no one to point out incorrect form or if we don’t have a mirror to check our alignment. Corrective feedback is extremely important and can help prevent injury and make sure you’re getting the most out of the exercise.

Sydney talks throughout the sessions and I don’t mind that one bit. It’s a good reminder for the form of each exercise. There is a place for talking in workouts, and it’s something that some people don’t want but I think there is value to it. I would particularly advise people who are making their first foray into an exercise regimen to consider doing workouts with someone like Sydney, a talking trainer.

So Many Programs

The number of programs Sydney has for free on her YouTube channel is incredible. The minute one program ends a new one begins. You will never run out of fitness programs when you’re training with Sydney. This goes for those of you who might be strictly Sydney or those who like to incorporate her on various training days throughout the week!

When does she take some time off and have a break? I don’t know! But good for her for making so many high-quality workout programs for us.

Challenging Not Exhausting

Challenge is certainly relative to a large extent because it depends on how much you want to push yourself on any given day. What intensity you want to bring to your workout, how fast you want to complete the reps, how heavy you want to go with the weights, how deep you want to go in your lunge, squat, etc. However, that being said, Sydney’s workouts are going to challenge you (as much as you’d like) but it won’t tire you out the way that some other programs might. 

For this reason, Sydney’s workout programs seem like they are in favor of sustainable fitness. Whether this is her intention or not, that is the vibe I’m getting from her, and I think that’s a great vibe to be getting. It just highlights the fact that if you’re consistent about your workouts and challenge yourself on days where you can push it that little bit more, that’s more than enough! You don’t necessarily have to be going at 100% max each time you show up for your sweat session! This approach allows you to increase the intensity of your workouts gradually without getting burnt out or injured! It’s more about consistency over intensity, especially when considering long-term fitness and that fitness is a life-long journey. There’s a lot to be said for that. 

Warm-Up Cool Down

Sydney includes the warm-up in her sessions so there’s really no excuse to skip it! Warming up ahead of a sweat sesh is so important, I cannot emphasize that enough. If you’re one to skip the warm-up, please don’t because it’s much needed not only for warming up and priming the muscles but also getting into the right headspace so that you can get into the zone during the workout.

The cool down is also included and she does a nice job of leaving you with a nice stretched-out feeling after you’ve worked those muscles and got that heart rate up!

Diverse Training

Sydney incorporates all different types of training which is fantastic! You certainly won’t get bored of training with her because she includes a nice variety of exercises. We need diversity in our training to prevent injury due to overtraining, resolving imbalances, and also for our brains to be engaged and stimulated throughout the exercise.

Flows Nicely

You won’t even notice the time goes by! That’s a testament to Sydney’s ability to create workout sessions that flow very nicely. This comes down to how she structures her sessions. Even when there is repetition (which I know can be tedious and not a fan for many) it’s not a chore to be doing the same exercise two or three times. She makes it fun to do and a little challenge to try out - can we go a little bit faster, push it a little bit harder, increase the weights ever so slightly? This is really you vs you!

***

I hope you enjoyed my thoughts on Sydney Cummings! I’m looking forward to trying out a full program of hers once I complete EPIC HEAT! Send me your recommendations of your favorite Sydney Cummings workout programs :)

Thank you for reading!!