Smash Active

Interesting in shifting gears into training? Or just bored with your current training and need something fresh?
DM me 😉 we can shift the gears together!

Let me (re)introduce myself 👋🏼

HELLOO! My name is Ashlee, but please call me Ash (unless you’re my parents because its weird when they do it!). In addition to being a PT I love food, wine, coffee and Christmas!

I have been in the health and fitness industry since 2015 and have been running Smash Active as a face to face PT business since April 2017, and have branched out online THIS YEAR (more on this soon). Before that I studied and worked in performing arts, primarily as a classically trained dancer.

As a dancer, I was on strict diets and constantly judged on shape and size of my body. I always knew this didn’t feel quite right and that experience inspired me to pursue my now passion (and business) to help people (especially women) see how fitness and exercising should be a celebration of what your body can achieve.

I have made it my mission to create an environment where everyone feel comfortable and confident to exercise through all walks of life. I aim to help educate my community, which now includes you (if it didn’t already), to be fit, strong and confident in their own skin and to use our training to better their every day lives - but still enjoy life in the process!

So if you’re new here, welcome! I hope this space is either informative, thought provoking and motivating to you x

Hump day thoughts ✨

I have had the absolute pleasure of working with Shirley recently, and after only a few weeks she has had some HUGE and AMAZING wins!
More energy, less aches, feeling stronger and like she can take on the world
If this is the result after less than a month, I cannot wait to see what we will achieve together in 3 months, 6 months, 12 months and beyond

Shout out to .skinner (and me😅) for smashing her goal on the weekend competing in the 10K run!

At the beginning of 2023 Sam told me that as part of her 2023 goals she wanted to get back into running.

She did not disappoint and really threw herself in head first. She quickly progressed - aiming for a respectable 10K.

We got pretty close, but then came a calf injury. She didn’t let it get her down.

She did her rehab, put in the work and with time started to make progress once more. Then came a well deserved European holiday which involved lots of steps but not too much running (as should be expected on holidays).

A few months ago we decided together that we would sign up for the 10k together - something I had never done before but had been really inspired by Sam and her progress and determination this year.

In true Samantha fashion she did a cheeky 10K the week prior but then absolutely smashed her time goal on the weekend and I am so proud of her!

What goals are you setting for the rest of the year? Don’t wait til Monday/next month/next year to start working towards that thing you have been thinking about. Be like Samantha ! Take action! Be your own motivation!

But if you want a friendly nudge, running buddy, structured plan and/or accountability this is your sign to reach out! Let’s start achieving those goals together today!

Love your work .skinner 🤩

Spring has definitely sprung! 🌸

It doesn’t matter whether you like the gym, the great outdoors, or the comfort of your home - this is your loving reminder to move your body 💃🏼

Not sure how? Or looking for a little extra guidance? Did you know not only do I offer face to face training but now also offer online training? Ask me for more info!

Will weights training make me bulky?

This is both my FAVOURITE and most HATED question!!

I hate this questions because its a reminder of the misinformation about training “ cardio training = skinny, weights training = bulky”
But it’s my FAVOURITE myth to debunk!

NO BABE, weights will not make your bulky, weights training will however:
- strengthen your muscles and tendons,
- minimise injuries,
- increase your bone desnity
- grow your confidence,
- boost your mood,
- Decrease body fat
- Increase your appreciation of what your body can do, and
- make you a certified BOSS BITCH (according to me anyways)!

The science: Building muscle (what we mistake as the cause of “bulky”) actually takes AGES for anyone but its even harder for women (which is why its so important to do!!). As women we do not develop anywhere near as much natural testosterone as men, making is WAY harder for us to increase our muscle mass.

So what might make people look bulky? Possible a high body fat percentage, but you know what’s a good way to help control that …. You guessed it, weights training!

Shout out to a certified strong ass boss babe 💪🏼💪🏼

This is my why ✨

A lot of the fitness industry talks about empowerment.

As recently wrote in her newsletter, empowerment is an intrinsic state of being, it’s not something you can be given.

This reminded me of my why, why I do what I do, why I love it, and what my mission is in my business.

It’s not for me to empower you, it’s to help you empower yourself! To be your own motivation! To empower yourself to be a strong, bad ass bitch. ✨

K love you byeee xx

A little louder for all the women in the back 🙌🏼

This crisp weather is making for some perfect outdoor training conditions ☀️

6 years ago today a baby Ash took a leap of faith and Smash Active was born ✨

Feeling grateful today for all the amazing humans I have had the pleasure of working with along the way, each and everyone of you helped shape me and my business into who and what it is today!

Best decision ever 💕💕 onwards and upwards!

Pictured: baby ash in 2017, that one time I accidentally died my hair too dark ash in 2019, pre engagement 💍 (literally happened a few hours after this picture was taken) ash in 2023.

This is NOT your usual instagram fitness challenge. This is a self care challenge. L

WTF ARE 'TWOABLES'?

Two-ables are mini doable tasks, they are simple, uncomplicated, self loving, and MUST be easy to apply to your day.

The idea of adding self care into your busy routine can be so overwhelming and seem impossible, so just start with something as small as 2 mins…. Two-ables 😉

Whether you are chasing fitness, weight loss, muscle growth, toning, self confidence or simply just a healthier lifestyle (lol not so simple) you need to put in the work outside of the gym to see results in the gym.

I will be setting out to complete this challenge myself, why don’t you join me! Keep me accountable and let’s love ourselves… together!

The 30 days Twoable Self Care Challenge was taken from Nardia Norman email subscription.

Friday truth bombs 💥

Controversial coming from a Personal Trainer I know, but your training isn’t the most important ingredient when trying to achieve healthy results 🤷🏼‍♀️

Is your training important? Absolutely✅

But without all the other lifestyle foundations will it get you healthy results? Most likely not 😬

You need to adequately fuel your body, you need to be on top of you sleep, your stress, your steps and other daily NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis - eg taking the stairs over the lift) and a solid base of both mental and physical well-being.

Only THEN can your training help you get you the results you’re after 💪🏼

Don’t misunderstand me, I’m not saying training isn’t important. But life is all about layers. So if you’re killing it in your training and you’re not seeing results - maybe you need to look at your foundations to make sure you are best supported to achieve those goals.

Not sure how? Reach out and let me help you set up some quick and easy ways to start building those strong foundations 💪🏼



The Hierarchy of Healthy Results Model was taken from the Training Women Academy, Female Health + Performance certification by Nardia Norman with and ✨

To all my women ✍️

You are strong, you are beautiful, you are fierce, you are invincible, you inspire me to turn up every day and be my best self everyday.

I could not possibly be more proud or grateful to have you in my life and for you to continue to allow me to be a part of yours.

Happy international women’s day 💕

Take it from a self defined little thing 🙋🏼‍♀️✨

Over time all those little almost unnoticeable changes will build and when you look back you’ll realise how far you’ve come!

Try things outside your comfort zone ✨

first handstands this week! Still lots of work to do but I promised here we would get her upside down on her hands at least once and we did! Here’s the proof 😛

What are you doing to get outside your comfort zone?

2023 let’s do this ✨💪🏼

Returning back to work and want to get back to routine?

A new year is a great time to set up some new goals, reflect on the year that’s past and set up for the year ahead!
Here are my 5 tips for new year training success!

1️⃣ Take your time ⏰

2️⃣ Ease back into it 📈

3️⃣ You gotta have a plan Stan! 🗓

4️⃣ Rest refuel and recover 💤

5️⃣ Listen to your body 🙋🏼‍♀️

#2023

Let’s talk 🩸

After almost 6 months of intensive strength training (what I now have realised was in fact power lifting😅) I was super excited to finish the year strong, full of PBs and feeling like a strong AF bad ass

Alas, this is me, at the end of last week, after missing all my programmed numbers and failing a few lifts. Defeated and deflated.

What happened? I had my period 🫠

Sound familiar?

Every menstruating persons experience with their period and their hormone cycle will differ. Some people get this awesome thing we call period strength where their body can do wonders while on their period, and others just can’t handle the load, or intensity and need to dial things back. And then some of us 🙋🏼‍♀️ experience both.

This last week was a great reminder that my training needs to work around my body and my cycle, which doesn’t always sling with the calendar.

And that’s ok! And now I know to nurture my body through these times, and bring back the strength and intensity when me and my body are ready - not someone else’s calendar

The world is your oyster 🦪 ✨

No pain no gain? No truth!

How sore should I be from my workout?
Did you know that being sore a day or two after a workout actually has no correlation with how hard the workout was, how effective the workout was or your performance output!

When you challenge your muscles you actually cause some micro-damage to the muscle cells and surrounding connective tissue.
This damage isn’t a bad thing!
These micro tears are what encourage your muscles to repair themselves stronger than before.
This damage can cause soreness which we call DOMS - delayed onset muscle soreness. This is typically only lasts 1-3 days. DOMS is highly variable person to person, exercise to exercise (jumping lunges will almost always be a killer), and body part to body part.

Some training sessions won't leave you with sore muscles - but that does NOT mean you are not improving and it also doesn't mean you didn't have a good workout.
You may feel less sore as your muscles adapt to your training, get stronger and learn to distribute workloads and coordinate better with each other through familiar movements.
So, unless your goal is to feel sore, you do not have to be sore after every workout!
What can sore muscles tell you?
- Some damage has been made to the muscles
- Muscle repair is in progress
- Which (but not all) muscles were trained
- You have challenged your muscles in a new way eg. new movement, intensity, volume or load
- You may have been dehydrated
- You may not have been adequately fuelled
What muscle soreness doesn't tell you
- How hard you trained
- Whether your workout was effective or not - You’re building muscle or getting stronger - You’re burning calories or losing fat
What are some more reliable
signs of a good workout?
- How you feel!
- You were physically, neurologically or mentally challenged - You are progressing
- You can lift a heavier weight than before
- You can complete more reps than before
- Your form has improved
- You mastered a new skill

- You are achieving your goals
- You feel better than before you started

Be proud of your progress ✨

If you didn’t take a selfie did you even go to the gym 🤔

All smiles this morning with Ronnie, until I gave him some extra finisher reps 🤭🤭

It’s time to knuckle down, set strong intentions and put in the hard work through to the end of the year - and have fun doing it ✨

How well do you know and understand your cycle? 🔄

Periods are a huge part of female life. They happen approximately every month.

Every woman’s experience with her period may differ, some can be debilitating💢, some can be a breeze, but most of the time in my personal experience and in the recount of my clients they sit somewhere around uncomfortable but “bearable”. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Often though, our periods can really throw us off our movement, training and exercise.

And then, when it’s not your period, there’s a bunch of different cocktails of hormones flowing through your body that affect how you may look, feel physically and mentally and your energy levels.

So how well do you know your cycle? If you’re a long time follower take this as your annual reminder, and if you’re new here welcome! This is just surface basics but hopefully can give a window into your own cycle.

And how can you use this cycle understanding to better your training?

See above ☝🏼

And as always, listen to your body! Every woman’s body is different and has different needs. Listen to your body and give her what she needs and she will pay you in physical and mental dividends.

Keeping fit interesting 😏