In January, model and endurance athlete Kori Sampson swept to victory in the debut season of Trainer Games—a six-episode reality competition to crown the next iFIT trainer.
Described as the world’s toughest job interview, the London fitness professional prevailed, reaching a mountaintop summit ahead of his rivals.
Speaking to Fit&Well, the newly minted iFIT trainer credited his background in long-distance running and ultramarathons for his success.
But, he says, a solid grounding in strength training was also essential—and he’s shared a comprehensive full-body workout that he says will build resilience, strength and injury-preventing muscle.
“Although my main sport is running and ultrarunning, I like to train like I’m bodybuilding in the gym, which was my first love,” he says.
“I believe [resistance training] is essential for maintaining muscle and strength, especially while training for races.”
Sampson says he typically completes one push, one pull and one legs workout every week, and he’s digested this down into an efficient seven-move routine when short on time, or tapering for a race, he uses this seven-move routine for maintenance.
How to do the workout
Before getting started, Sampson recommends preparing the body with dynamic movements that will replicate the exercises detailed in the main session.
For example, this could include performing 30-45 seconds of bodyweight squats, good mornings, single-leg deadlifts, push-ups and bent-over rows with light dumbbells.
The workout detailed below begins with two supersets, meaning you should perform exercises A and B back-to-back with minimal rest.
Sampson uses a descending rep range from 12 to six for each of these exercises, ensuring adequate volume and intensity to encourage muscle and strength gains.
For these, perform one warm-up set with a light weight, then pick a weight that allows you to perform 12 reps with good form. Increase the weight slightly and perform 10 reps. Do the same again for eight reps, and again for six.
You should be able to hit these rep targets but not perform many more reps at each weight to ensure it is challenging enough for your ability.
“For beginners, I’d really focus on form over weight,” he adds, stressing the importance of performing each exercise with good technique, reducing the weight you lift if necessary.
The workout concludes with a tri-set of dumbbell exercises, targeting the shoulders, triceps and biceps. As with the superset, perform these moves back-to-back, then rest and repeat.
1A. Dumbbell squat
Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 0sec
- Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, toes pointing slightly out, holding dumbbells by your sides with your palms facing.
- Brace your core and keep your chest facing forward as you sit your hips back and bend your knees to lower.
- Keep your weight centered over your mid-foot, your heels down, your knees wide apart and your back in a neutral position to avoid rounding or over-arching.
- Descend as far as you can while keeping your heels on the floor.
- Push the floor away through your heels and mid-foot to stand back up, squeezing your glutes at the top.
1B. Dumbbell Romanian deadlift
Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 60sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing you.
- Engage your core and slightly retract your shoulder blades to brace your upper back muscles.
- Keep your back neutral as you hinge at the hips and push your butt back to lower the weights along your legs.
- Only lower as far as you can while keeping your back flat and keep your gaze on the floor in front of you rather than looking straight ahead.
- Reverse the movement by driving your hips forward to straighten up, finishing the rep by squeezing your glutes, but avoiding leaning back at full extension.
2A. Dumbbell bench press
Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 0sec
- Lie on a bench with a dumbbell in each hand beside your chest, palms facing toward your feet.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor and back imprinted into the bench.
- Inhale, then as you exhale, powerfully press the weights above you.
- Pause, then slowly lower the weights with control to the start position.
2B. Dumbbell bent-over row
Sets: 4 Reps: 12-10-8-6 Rest: 60sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs with your palms facing.
- Engage your core and slightly retract your shoulder blades to brace your upper back muscles.
- Keep your back neutral as you hinge at the hips to lower the weights down your legs.
- Your legs—and in particular your hamstrings—should be working to maintain a stable position, rather than your lower back.
- Lift the dumbbells to your torso, squeezing your back muscles at the top of the lift.
- Pause for a second, then lower the weights under control.
- If you feel tightness building up in your lower back, straighten up, reset and then resume the set.
3A. Dumbbell lateral raise
Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 0sec
- Hold a relatively light pair of dumbbells by your sides, palms facing each other.
- Brace your core, then raise the weights out to the sides to shoulder height.
- At the top of the lift, slightly tilt the front of the dumbbell down to fully target the lateral deltoids in your shoulders.
- Lower the weights with control.
3B. Dumbbell skull crusher
Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 0sec
- Lie on a bench holding dumbbells above the top of your head, with your arms extended.
- Keeping your upper arms still, bend your elbows to slowly lower the dumbbells to either side of your face.
- Extend your arms back to the start position, using the triceps in the back of your upper arms to power the movement.
3C. Dumbbell biceps curl
Sets: 3 Reps: 10 Rest: 60sec
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart, holding dumbbells in front of your thighs, palms facing forward.
- Keeping your upper arms pinned to your torso, bend your elbows to lift the dumbbells to your shoulders.
- Pause and squeeze your biceps hard at the top of the lift, then lower the dumbbells to the start position under control.
Winner of the inaugural iFIT on Prime Video, Kori Sampson is now an iFIT trainer. As a lifelong athlete, he turned his dedication to fitness into a career after finding sobriety 10 years ago. Known for pushing boundaries and rejecting conventional wisdom, he brings grit, discipline, and unapologetic intensity, specializing in hybrid training, running and weightlifting. Sampson has a Level 2 CYQ Certificate in Fitness Instructing, a Level 3 certificate in Personal Training (QCF) and Level 3 certificate in Anatomy and Physiology for Exercise and Health (QCF).