The Riddall Effect

The Riddall Effect Helping midlife women build strength for life 💪🏼💜
Qualified PT | 15+ yrs
Build strength. Feel good. Live fully.

Online Programme Enquiry Form: https://form.typeform.com/to/dZ4NJEaF
Monthly Newsletter: http://subscribepage.io/6cTVtu For over 11 years I have assisted, motivated and guided people towards leading a healthier, fitter and happier life with Personal Training, Health Coaching and Wellness Retreats. If you're looking to grow in strength, confidence, health and fitness, I can help. I offer 121 Personal Training as well as small group PT sessions. With Health Coaching I help people piece together the elements needed to achieve all encompassing and optimum health.

“Is it wrong to train fasted?”I got asked this question after a wonderful lady read our newsletter and it’s something SO...
26/11/2025

“Is it wrong to train fasted?”

I got asked this question after a wonderful lady read our newsletter and it’s something SO many people wonder ⬇️

“I train at home around 7am before breakfast. It’s a 40-minute session and I feel fine… but is this wrong?”

Short answer: Nope!

Longer answer: it depends on how you feel.

💜 If you feel strong, energised and not shaky → fasted training is totally fine.
💜 If you feel lightheaded, weak or struggle to progress → a small pre-workout snack might help.
💜 A solid breakfast afterwards is perfect for recovery and performance.

There’s no “best” way — just the way your body responds well to.

Some people love a pre-workout snack.
Others prefer training before breakfast.
Both can work!

Listen to your body, fuel in a way that supports your goals, and don’t overthink it 💪✨

Do you train fasted or fuelled? Tell me below 👇

&carolinecollective

Let’s clear up a few weightlifting myths — because these ones just keep popping up 👇🏼💪🏼🚫 “Pregnant women shouldn’t lift ...
26/11/2025

Let’s clear up a few weightlifting myths — because these ones just keep popping up 👇🏼💪🏼

🚫 “Pregnant women shouldn’t lift weights.”
✨ Truth: With the right guidance, strength training can be incredibly helpful during pregnancy — supporting posture, comfort, and confidence.

🚫 “Postpartum women should avoid lifting.”
✨ Truth: When progressed safely, strength training can support healing and help you feel strong again.

🚫 “Young girls shouldn’t lift weights.”
✨ Truth: Building strength early supports healthy bones, coordination, and confidence — it’s a very good thing!

🚫 “Older women can’t lift safely.”
✨ Truth: Lifting weights is one of the BEST ways to stay strong, independent, and energetic as we age.

Strength training is for every woman — at every stage of life.

Different bodies, different needs… but the benefits? Universal 💜
And honestly?

👉 NOT lifting weights is what’s actually risky for women — weaker bones, less muscle, lower confidence, and higher injury risk.

Strength is health. Strength is freedom.

If this helped clear things up, drop a 💜 — or share it with a woman who needs to hear it today.

&CarolineCollective

20/11/2025

This is why we train…

People think we work out because we’ve got it all together…

Truth is, we train to keep it together 😅💪

Movement keeps us sane, grounded, and (mostly) out of trouble 🤪

Whether it’s a lift, a run, or a good laugh mid-workout — it’s our therapy, our stress relief, and our daily reset.

Because strong bodies = strong minds 💜

Who else trains to keep the crazy at bay? 😂👇

&carolinecollective

14/11/2025

We reset them, now let’s strengthen them 💪🏼

In our last reel, we showed you how to release tight traps — now it’s time to strengthen them 👇🏼

Your trapezius (aka “traps”) does a lot more than you think:

✨ Supports good posture
✨ Helps you lift, pull and carry
✨ Protects your neck and shoulders

Strong traps = fewer aches, better posture, and less tension by the end of the workday 🙌

Here are 3 great exercises to build strength where it counts ⬇️

1️⃣ Cable Face Pulls – great for posture and shoulder stability
2️⃣ Prone Ys – strengthen your mid and lower traps for balance
3️⃣ Farmer’s Carries – grip, core, and trap strength in one move

💜 Pro tip: control every rep, keep your shoulders down and back, and focus on feeling those shoulder blades move.

We’re chatting more about trap strength (and why it matters) in this month’s newsletter — so if you haven’t signed up yet, now’s your chance 💌

👉 DM us or head to the link in bio to join the list!

&carolinecollective

12/11/2025

You asked, we filmed it 👇🏻

Our first Trap Reset reel got such a great response — and a lot of you said, “Can you show us the moves?” 👀

So here it is: your 3-minute Trap Reset in action 💪🏼

Perfect if your shoulders have been living up by your ears lately 😅

These moves will help you:
✨ Release upper back & neck tension
✨ Improve posture
✨ Feel more relaxed (and a bit taller!)

💜 Try it right now — it only takes a few minutes!

1️⃣ Shoulder rolls
2️⃣ Wall angels
3️⃣ Band pull-aparts

Finish with a deep breath and drop those shoulders down.

How do your traps feel after trying this? Let us know 👇🏻

&carolinecollective

10/11/2025

Feel like your ears are trying to eat your shoulders? 😖

If you’re spending long hours at a desk, driving, or just carrying life on your shoulders (literally 😅), your traps might be crying out for a reset.

Try this quick 3-minute Trap Reset to loosen off and get that tension moving 👇

1️⃣ Shoulder Rolls (30 seconds each way)
Roll slowly forwards, then backwards — big, smooth circles. Breathe deeply and drop those shoulders down with each exhale.

2️⃣ Wall Angels (45–60 seconds)
Stand tall against a wall, arms in a goalpost shape.
Slide your arms up and down the wall, keeping elbows and back in contact. You’ll open your chest and gently strengthen your mid-traps.

3️⃣ Band Pull-Aparts (10–15 reps)
Grab a resistance band at chest height, arms straight.
Pull it apart slowly, squeezing your shoulder blades together — then release with control.

✨ Bonus tip: Take a few slow breaths and relax your shoulders away from your ears… they deserve it!

Perfect for a quick desk break, post-workout cool down, or anytime your neck feels tight 💪🏼

Which one of these do you need most today — the “desk angel” or the “band break”? 👇

&carolinecollective

30/10/2025

Grief doesn’t follow rules. 💔

There’s no right way to feel it, no timeline, no clear path through it.

It just is — a constant presence that sometimes sits quietly in the background and other times hits in waves that knock you to the ground. 🌊

I recently had to say goodbye to my dog Arlo, my little sausage 🐾 — my companion, my shadow, my little piece of unconditional love.

The emptiness he’s left behind is hard to put into words. Some moments I can carry on, even feel productive. Then suddenly it all catches up with me again, and I lose focus, lost in the space he used to fill.

Grief doesn’t make sense, but it’s real. And for anyone else walking through it — whether for a person, a pet, or a moment in life that’s gone — just know: there’s no “should.”

Feel it as it comes. That’s enough 💜

Please bear with me… I’m doing my best. 🕊️

15/10/2025

Confession: this isn’t entirely true… 👀

Strength training isn’t just for women over 40 — it’s vital for everyone who’s physically able to do it (unless your day job is actual manual labour 💪).

But I talk about it most for women 40+, because we’ve been underrepresented in the weights section for far too long — and that needs to change.

True story: One of my clients in her 50s had a 16kg kettlebell delivered. The security guard warned her it was “probably too heavy for her.”
She smiled, squatted down, picked it up, and carried it away like a pro.
This is the same woman who once needed help lifting her bag into the overhead locker. Now she does it with one hand.✨

Strong bones. 🦴
Better balance. ⚖️
More energy. 🔥
Confidence that carries into every part of life. 💜

It’s not about lifting to “tone” — it’s about lifting so you can live well for a long time.

👉🏼What’s something being stronger has helped you do in every day life? I’d love to hear your wins! 💪🏼

13/10/2025

When women strength train, it’s about so much more than lifting weights.

Every time you pick up a dumbbell, you’re doing more than training your body — you’re investing in your future self.

✨ Strong muscles
✨ Dense bones
✨ Better balance
✨ Confidence in what your body can do

Strength training doesn’t just add years to your life — it adds life to your years.

Because being strong means staying active, capable, and independent for a long, long time 💜

Strong muscles. Strong bones. Strong mind.
That’s what real longevity looks like.

Save this as your reminder to lift for life 💪🏼

23/07/2025

If I could sit down with my 30-year-old self, I’d tell her this:

➡️ You don’t need to make yourself smaller to be more worthy.

➡️ Strength training is a gift, not a punishment.

➡️ Your future self will thank you for lifting, walking, sleeping and eating enough.

➡️ You are allowed to enjoy the journey, not just chase a goal.

This is what I help women with every day — not just how to move and eat, but how to feel at home in their body again. 💜

What would YOU tell your younger self? 👇



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Our Story

For over 10 years I have assisted, motivated and guided people towards leading a healthier, fitter and happier life via the medium of one to one training, large and small group exercise sessions and retreats.

If you're looking to grow in strength, confidence, health and wellness and feel good about yourself, I can help.

I offer 121 personal training as well as small group personal training sessions both gym based and in a private PT studio.

Wanting to promote health and fitness within your workforce? I offer lunchtime corporate bootcamps. It is a known fact that by encouraging your team to live healthier lives, productivity goes up and sick days go down.