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 through her shoulders/back workout at Gymmet Stockholm.

Gishe thinks that its important to consider lowering weights when training shoulders to be able to get controlled movements that will lead to better contact through the whole movement.

Video: Upper Body Workout with Gishe Bewena 

, 21 years old, moved to Sweden 5 years ago to start a new life. He is originally Moroccan/Liberian and when he moved he found training to be a way into the society. He has been training since then and he loves his new lifestyle.

Aissa is hustling for progress in his physique and preparing for upcoming competitions in Men's Physique.

With a dedicated mindset, he is prepared to do whatever it takes to reach his goals.

This video is all about his hard work and Aissa's passion for bodybuilding clearly shows as we we follow him through a back and arms workout.

Video: When We Train We Go All In - Back And Arms With Aissa Boimaa 

 is an inspiring 20-year-old guy that is willing to give everything it takes to succeed with his training and the dream to be a competing athlete.

In today's video we get to follow Max as he takes us through an upper body session that involves chest, triceps and back at an outdoor gym. You can always get your training in, you just have to be creative and motivated.

Video: No Gym? No Problem! - Upper Body Outdoor Workout

 is a bikini fitness athlete that trains hard and lifts heavy, every day with no exceptions. Despite that all her planned competitions got canceled this spring, she is still grinding, doing her thing and developing her perfect bikini division physique.

If you want to grow your glutes & hamstrings muscles or increase strength this is a perfect workout for you. It takes time to develop a certain physique or develop a certain area of your body but if you work hard every time you workout and lift heavy, you WILL see the results. Be patient... Everything takes time, you have to love the journey and the process!

Video: Step up your Glute & Hamstring Workout - Liliana Sakhanova

Having a great workout, great day and great life in general ALWAYS starts in your mind.

Nathalia Melo understands times can be tough and motivation won't always be at peak highs however mind power will always govern the efforts and affect your end game.

So make up your mind to give it your all with Nathalia Melo's 30 minute full body workout.

This rep for rep workout consists of 3 circuits of 3 exercises for 30 seconds each for 3 rounds each.

Video: Rep for Rep Full Resistance Band Workout with Nathalia Melo 

Gishe is 23 years old, living in Stockholm and she trains a lot to manage her daily life and studying. She just became a part of the Better Bodies team and we are happy to have her on board.

Today we are getting through an intense full-body Tabata workout with Gishe. The total workout includes 6 different movements with a short pause in between and repeats 5 times. The most important in this workout is to get your heart rate up and get some sweat on. No equipment needed in today's workout so just follow along as we run you through this series of body-weight exercises.

Video: Full Body Tabata Workout

More in Motivation

Do what you can, where you are, with what you have!

Better Bodies CEO Michael Johansson is fired up seeing all the uncompromising ways of training by everyone in the community! Times are tough but that has not stopped any of us.

In the spirit of everyone amping up the training and everyone keeping the energy at a new high, MJ wants to give back.

! To enter, post a video of you training wherever you have to under these circumstances and tag @officialgasp @officialbetterbodies and @destinationdallastexas

We will re-post your stories and you're eligible to win one of the $50 gift cards.

Better Bodies Give Back with CEO Michael Johansson

To build confidence, to increase quality of life, to avoid physically taking out frustrations?

We all have our reasons we exercise and compounded reasons that we choose to excel in the gym creating more muscular, cardiovascular efficient and conditioned bodies.

LiErin McCune-Streit from Dallas, Texas was an athlete in school, played division 1 softball and now helps others to learn to love training.

Here we see how she trains legs with her own intense spin on it that tests her endurance.

_"I think people underestimate the link between physical health and mental health. The 2 are linked."

Video: I Love the GYM - Leg Day with LiErin McCune-Streit

 is one of Swedens biggest fitness profiles. She's a Wellness Fitness athlete with an impressive background and a personal trainer who puts a lot of heart and soul into both her own career and her clients.

Today we're joining Caroline as she takes one of her clients Edwin through a workout. Edwin wants to focus on his glutes and get in shape for the summer.

Caroline Aspenskog Personal Training

More in Ambassadors

Better Bodies ambassador Liliana Sakhanova is 25 years old. When she was 9 Liliana and hr family moved from Kazakstan, Russia to small town Mariestad, Sweden. The past 6 years her family have lived in Gothenburg and Liliana herself made her way to the capital of Sweden, Stockholm. We meet Liliana to get to know her better.

I live in Stockholm together with my boyfriend Gibbe Nakhle. I'm currently studying part time and working as an online personal trainer and posing coach.

I have always been into training and sports since I was a child. My mom got me into ballet when I was little and when we moved to Sweden I continued with figure skating. Unfortunately I developed Chronic Compartment Syndrome in both legs and eventually at 20 I had to get surgery.

I had to stop competing in figure skating when I was around 16 years old and began as a figure skating coach and judge.

When I was 17 I went to the gym for the first time as I wanted to keep up with some kind of training. This is when my fitness journey started. I wanted to know more about fitness and started to educate myself within training and nutrition. A few years later I discovered that you can actually compete in bikini fitness and I saw it as an opportunity since I missed to compete like I used to.

In 2017-2018 i decided to compete and found a coach to help me start my journey.

My biggest achievements so far has been Swedish Nationals where I took first place and an overall win and it was my 3rd competition in the bikini fitness division. Shortly thereafter I was sent to World Championships in Bratislava to represent Sweden where I took 8th place.

Fitness life has taught me a lot. Discipline, dedication, hard work and a lot of joy. Im aware of my body, my nutrition and I love being in the gym and be able to work on myself as a person and as an athlete. I have also met a lot of people through fitness industry and I’m happy to be able to motivate and inspire others.

As mentioned earlier I decided to compete in 2017-2018 and did my first competition 2019. After winning Swedish Nationals I decided that I really wanted to pursue a fitness career and to focus completely on that.

I am currently on a diet and preparing for my first competition of 2020 in Malta (IFBB Diamond Cup) April 9-12. I’m aiming to win my PRO-card this season. Among Malta I have planned to compete at Sweden Grand Prix, Oslo Grand Prix, European Championship in Santa Susanna and maybe 1-2 more competitions.

My plan is to win my PRO-card this spring, compete internationally and also making a good placing at European Championships. If all that goes well I'd like to take an off season in summer and compete again later this fall, hopefully in the PRO-division.

My long term goal is to make it to Joe Weiders Olympia and that means that I must change from Elite-PRO division in IFBB to IFBB Professional League and take it further in the USA. My plan is to be able to qualify to compete at the Olympia within 2-3 years.

I love being with my family back home in Gothenburg, spending time with my boyfriend and hanging out with friends. Unfortunately I’m not able to meet my friends that much during my competition season, but they understand my lifestyle and my fitness goals. I have to mention my cat as well (LOL), she is adorable. My other interests are traveling, finding new amazing places and some good food (when I’m not on diet of course).

Being a part of the Better Bodies family means a lot to me and I’m grateful to be able to work with such a great and welcoming company that genuinely cares about you as an athlete. Their support makes a big difference in my continuous fitness journey/goals I want to accomplish.

For a person who is just starting their fitness journey I'd like to say: don’t give up, it will get hard but it will only make you stronger. Be curious, find a good coach that matches your thinking and genuinely cares about you. Believe in yourself and fall in love with the whole process.

I feel like some people want to compete just because it's ”popular” nowadays and not because they love lifting weights and to evaluate/progress in the gym. For me it's important to feel that you love working out, lifting heavy and making an effort in every session. Find your ”why” and remind yourself every time you're in doubt or want to give up. Don’t listen to someone who is skeptic, just do your thing and enjoy every moment.

My motto in life goes by the saying ”Nothing happens unless we dream first”, dare to dream and work hard for it - every success story starts with a dream! :)

Get to know Liliana Sakhanova

Helene Ahlson has been a Better Bodies ambassador for more than ten years. We have followed her journey during all these years and now Helene is facing a new chapter of her life as she is expecting a child. Pregnant or not, Helene is sticking to her training centered lifestyle and here she shares some of her own tips for training during pregnancy. Here is part 2 of her "Training During Pregnancy" articles. (Read part 1

 of this article series, everything was still so new for me. I was trying to comprehend that I had a little life growing inside of me, that eventually would be a real human, a new little individual.

I went from having put all efforts on myself, my career with work and competitions, to having to let go of my ego and prioritize something else. From the moment I knew I was pregnant I let go of some stress and I transferred focus from myself to the little one inside of me, and it felt like such an obvious and natural thing to do. And I have been loving my pregnant belly more and more every day.

During this whole pregnancy I have not only gained perspective of life and what actually matters, I've also gained more knowledge and experience about what training during a pregnancy really is. As a Personal Trainer and Online coach, this experience has been equally important as the knowledge I had gained through previous studies.

As I am writing this I am one day out from estimated child birth. While my first article focused on the first and second trimesters, this one is focused on trimester 3.

During the third trimester (week 28-40) the belly grows a lot and the abdominal muscles will start splitting more in the middle as the gravity point shifts. This will increase the impact on the back and often leads to neck and back problems. To counter this, having done core and weight training to strengthen core and back muscles is very important.

To know your own body well and be aware of muscle tension is a big advantage for child birth. There is a big difference between training in week 29 and week 39. Towards the end of the pregnancy you're bigger, your breath will be harder to catch and the belly will be in the way for many things you could do before. You may also start to feel mentally tired of being pregnant.

During the last trimester it's important for the ones who are already active, to be paying close attention to how you train and how it affects you.

If any of the following applies to you, you should get a doctor approval before you continue training:

Other medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases etc. should be thoroughly evaluated by a Dr. before you seek any recommendations regarding training.

Pointers for training during the 3rd trimester

If you have been training close to normal until now, you should know your body pretty well and how it reacts to training. You should be able to decide whether you are too tired to train or whether you can increase intensity and weights. Even if you feel you know exactly how your body usually responds and will respond to training, there are a few things you need to consider when you are in the final trimester, especially if you are pregnant with your first child.

Always analyze your workouts during and after so that you know whether your body reacted differently and if there is anything you need to adjust in your training. As mentioned in my first article: your body's signals are what decides how your training can proceed and develop during pregnancy, especially during the third trimester.

Keep weight training - but reduce the weights

We aren't chasing any world records at this time, even if many pregnant women may start to feel stronger during 2nd and 3rd trimester. When you weight train during pregnancy you'll always think "function", the most important thing is to know WHY you train and which exercises you choose to perform. Training should first of all be focused on maintaining your strength and condition, and condition you for child birth and the upcoming mom-life with all that comes with it (monotone lifts and positions that may not be optimal from an ergonomic perspective etc.). WHAT you are training need to be a choice considering the fact that you no longer have minimal support from your inner core muscles due to the physical changes your body has gone through.

I recommend to choose exercises that are focusing on the deep core muscles and pelvic floor. Even exercises for back, rear delts, general posture and glutes. All these muscles are being affected a lot during pregnancy, as well as when the child is born and during nursing.

You should already have removed your ab training during the 2nd trimester, but you can still do other exercises that stabilizes your core and aren't targeting abs specifically. Equipment like medicine balls, TRX, kettlebells and stabilizing balls can come in handy here. You can perform exercises that challenges your core some, but nothing that targets abs specifically (with achieving a 6 pack being on your mind).

To sweat is healthy, even when you are pregnant. Many women are afraid of getting warm during training while having a baby in heir belly, and to some extent you have to be careful. The fetus doesn't have the same capabilities as you when it comes to transporting away heat, and this is the reason you shouldn't become TOO hot and focus on getting your sweat on while pregnant. Drink cold water frequently during your workout to help cooling off your belly from the inside.

Continuing walks and light jogging (if you are used to jogging/running already) is good, as long as it doesn't hurt anywhere, and doesn't cause contractions.

It happens easily that you'll get stiff and that some muscles gets tight and shortened during pregnancy and your first time as a mom. This is natural due to the gravity point shifting and your posture. Muscles that probably should be prioritized a bit more are lower back, shoulders/neck, glutes, hip flexors, and chest.

During the second part of the 3rd trimester your primary focus should be on preparing your body for child birth. This means keeping hip flexors in good shape and being able to control your pelvic floor with specific exercises. This part is important during the birth, especially when you push. Also, breathing and relaxation exercises can be good to make time for and add to your schedule. The short breaks during the most intensive parts of birth can may be the deal-breaker to whether you can do it or not.

The following exercises may work for you during the 3rd trimester, as long as you have been able to train more or less as usual and without pain up until this point.

 - Less impact than jogging and a good way to warm up or do cardio.

 - Great for cardio, and helps strengthening the back side of the body (which is extra important during pregnancy)·

 - Great for cardio, even high intensity, but reduce the tempo.

 - Works for most, but don't go as deep as usual, and lower the weights. Squats with dumbbells or kettlebells may be better than barbell if you are experiencing back issues. Different varieties of squats like holding rings or backed up towards a wall with a stabilizing ball can be good alternatives for you if you don't want to add external weights and pressure.

 - A great exercise even for pregnant women... IF you are used to doing it. Since your belly is growing it can be necessary to eliminate deadlifts later in pregnancy. Sumo deadlifts may work better - as long as your pelvic allows it.

 - Great exercise for all pregnant women. Feel free to add rubber bands for additional resistance.

 - Good one, but keep the resistance low. Do more reps with lighter ball instead of fewer with heavier ball.

 - Good and strengthening exercise for the whole back side of the body. It does though demand quite a bit of core control to keep the back straight.

 - Instead of a flat bench, use an incline bench so that you are half-way sitting when you do chest presses. This way you avoid laying flat on your back which puts a lot of pressure on vena cava.

 - Push ups with arms on for example a bench works as long as you're able to stabilize your core and keep your back straight.

 - Most arm and shoulder exercises with dumbbells works great. Doing these seated eliminates some of the need for core control.

 - Exercises seated in various machines are generally OK through the whole pregnancy as they are putting less pressure on the core.

 - Good exercise if you have done it before, but use lighter weight and think about core stability. This is good for both strength and conditioning.

 - Good exercise for the inner core muscles, very functional! In this one it is important that you don't compensate by leaning your body in either direction. Keep your hips straight and still. Challenge yourself a little by only holding one weight so that the opposite side is working.

 - Good shoulder and glute exercise. Stand on all four and lift arms and legs diagonally.

 - Good for the back side of your body. Remember to keep your shoulders active.

 - You can't train these too much. Add them during workouts as well as in everyday life.

Helene Ahlson - Training During Pregnancy Part 2

Helene Ahlson has been a Better Bodies ambassador for more than ten years. We have followed her journey during all these years and now Helene is facing a new chapter of her life as she is expecting a child. Pregnant or not, Helene is sticking to her training centered lifestyle and here she shares some of her own tips for training during pregnancy.

A year ago I didn't expect this to happen. I was in the middle of my career with figure competitions, my own business as a Personal Trainer, Fitness coach, model, TV / movie jobs, and hosting training camps all over the world.

At that moment my path was crossed by a person with the biggest heart and a personality I could not let go of. And now I'm here... more than half way through my first pregnancy, which of course feels amazing!

I'd like to share some of my experiences so far and som previous knowledge that I have when it comes to training during pregnancy.

Even though this is my first own pregnancy I have as apersonal trainer trained and helped many women both during and after pregnancy.

A pregnancy consist of nine months and they are usually divided in three 3-month periods, called trimesters. During the first trimester (week 1-12) big changes are happening even if they aren't physically visible. Being tired and nauseous is common during this period, which may lead to difficulties finding energy to work out. But, as most people probably are aware of, and research confirms - physical activity is a cure for many things and that is even the case here. It is always better to for example try go for a little walk than to do nothing at all.

If you feel OK there's no reason to not train as usual but listening to your own body signals is crucial. From now on your body decides the pace and wins over dedication and determination, not the other way around. Besides that there are three things I think are important to think about from the start:

1. Don't attempt to beat world records during your pregnancy. The goal should be to maintain your physical status and prepare for the upcoming birth and the time and recovery thereafter.

2. The most important training during pregnancy is Kegel exercises. No matter what kind of birth you'll have your pelvic floor muscles will be exposed to a lot of pressure the last few months of pregnancy. If you can not activate these muscles while pregnant, you will definitely not be able to do so after the baby has arrived either.

3. Focus on strengthening your core muscles through specific core training and do a lot of posture training (the back side of the body) to create some relief when your belly is growing and the weight shifts forward.

During the second trimester (week 13-27) the physical changes will start showing well. During this period most women start feeling strong and well as the energy returns. A lot is happening physically in this trimester. The joints are getting softer due to an increased level of the hormone relaxin, which among other things is responsible for loosening up connective tissue and cartilage in the pelvic area. The belly is growing and the load from it is pushing on the pelvic floor and the abdominal muscles are separating more and more. When the separation is as wide as or wider than two fingers, it is recommended to stop training the abdominal muscles.

If you're used to training and have been able to train as usual during the first trimester then you can probably continue with most exercises even during the second trimester. There are however some exercises you may need to consider excluding from your workouts going forward:

My advice to those who wants to and can train is to do it smart with exercises for the whole body where the core muscles indirectly are activated and thereby trained.

Here are a list of exercises that I'd recommend for the second trimester. Please note that these are for those who already train and have been able to do so without issues.

Try adding some Kegel exercises during the workout and in between sets, that way you get that important training done as well. Also, always remember to keep a good upright posture.

Feel free to follow me on Instagram to see how I train during and after my own pregnancy.