Joey King is proof that strength training is all about mastering the basics. The actress known for her role in The Kissing Booth films recently took to Instagram to celebrate crushing a personal deadlift record in the gym. The key to her success has been learning the fundamentals and having a good attitude, according to her trainer Jason Walsh, B.A., C.S.C.S., certified personal trainer, president of Rise Movement, and CEO of Rise Nation. (
So how did King go from bodyweight basics to 140-pound trap bar deadlifts? “I think a lot of it had to do with attitude…and eagerness to listen and want to get better, stronger,” says Walsh, who also lists Alison Brie, Brie Larson, and Chloë Grace Moretz as clients. It’s important to gradually progress when strength training, working your way up from doing “just pure movement” to holding a kettlebell to using landmines to using a trap bar, he explains. “That’s pretty much the game of training,” he says. “The art of training is getting people to connect and understand what something’s supposed to look like, feel like, and then add a little bit more, make it a little bit harder.”
As for nailing the lift King did in her Instagram video, Walsh recommends starting with the basic movement of a hip hinge. To learn the movement, you’ll want to put your hands on your thighs and sit your hips back, he explains. Then you might progress to holding a kettlebell and eventually a trap bar while doing this move. Of course, it’s best to work with a trainer who knows when you’re ready to graduate to the next level of an exercise when trying something new.
If you've been putting off adding strength training to your fitness routine, allow King's latest achievement in the gym to motivate you to get started.
