Suranne Jones’ 5-Move Strength Workout: Why Simple Full-Body Training Works at 48
Uplift Iron ClubSuranne Jones has spent years playing physically demanding roles, but her current training approach is refreshingly ordinary: a short list of big, repeatable strength movements rather than a complicated celebrity routine. In a recent interview, the 48-year-old actor shared a five-move session built around a Romanian deadlift, reverse lunge, hip thrust, Pallof press and farmer’s carry. It is a useful template because every exercise has a clear job, and none requires chasing novelty.
Why This Five-Move Workout Makes Sense
The routine covers the movement qualities many adults actually need from strength training. The Romanian deadlift trains the hip hinge and posterior chain. Reverse lunges add unilateral leg strength and balance. Hip thrusts load the glutes without asking for another technically demanding compound lift. The Pallof press challenges the trunk to resist rotation, while the farmer’s carry turns grip, posture and bracing into a moving full-body task. Together, those exercises train muscle and useful physical capacity without requiring a two-hour session. That matters because consistency usually beats theoretical perfection. A program that can be repeated every week gives you a chance to improve load, repetitions, control and confidence over time.
Romanian Deadlifts Build the Hinge
The Romanian deadlift is the heaviest pure strength movement in the session. Instead of squatting the weight down, push the hips backward while keeping the load close to the legs and the spine controlled. That lengthens the hamstrings under load and asks the glutes and back to maintain position. Stop the descent when your hip hinge is finished, not when the plates reach an arbitrary height. For many lifters that means the weight ends around mid-shin. Start with a load that lets you feel the hamstrings doing the work and add weight only when the same range and control remain. Two to four hard sets of six to twelve repetitions can fit comfortably into a general strength plan.
Reverse Lunges and Hip Thrusts Cover the Legs
Stepping backward into a lunge often feels friendlier than stepping forward because you can control the landing and keep the front foot planted. The exercise trains the quads and glutes while exposing left-to-right differences that bilateral lifts can hide. Keep the front foot flat, descend under control and use a stride length that lets both hips and knees move naturally. Hip thrusts then complement the lunge and Romanian deadlift by challenging hip extension in a different part of the range. With the upper back supported on a bench, drive through the feet and extend the hips until the torso and thighs form a strong line. Do not turn the finish into a lower-back arch. Moderate sets of eight to fifteen controlled repetitions work well.
The Pallof Press Trains Anti-Rotation
The Pallof press looks easy until the cable tries to pull your torso sideways. Stand perpendicular to the cable or band, hold the handle at the chest, brace and press the hands straight forward without letting the shoulders or hips rotate. The farther the hands travel from the body, the longer the lever becomes and the harder your trunk must work. It is a useful core exercise because the objective is resisting motion rather than producing endless spinal flexion. Use enough resistance to make staying square difficult but possible. Slow repetitions or short pauses with the arms extended work well. Two or three sets on each side can be enough to create a clear training effect without turning the core section into a separate workout.
Farmer’s Carries Finish With Grip and Bracing
Farmer’s carries are almost comically simple: pick up two heavy weights and walk without letting posture collapse. Grip, traps, trunk, hips and gait all have to cooperate while you move. Keep the ribs stacked, take controlled steps and resist leaning from side to side. The load should feel heavy enough that you have to brace, but not so heavy that you shuffle or lose position immediately. Progress by walking farther, carrying heavier weights or increasing total rounds. A few 20-to-40-metre carries at the end of the session create a useful conditioning effect without needing a complicated finisher.
How to Make the Routine Progressive
The biggest lesson is not that these five movements are magical. It is that a small menu of exercises can be enough when the work is progressive. Perform the session two or three times per week, leave at least a day between hard sessions, and record what you do. When you reach the top of your chosen repetition range with clean form, add a small amount of load. If recovery is poor, reduce a set before abandoning the plan. Jones’ routine is also a reminder that strength training in your forties does not need to look radically different from good strength training at any other age. The priorities remain stable: train the major movement patterns, use challenging but controllable loads, recover and keep showing up.
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