Joanna Derry - Personal Trainer

21/08/2026

17/06/2026

15/03/2026

“Strength training raises your stress hormones” is the new “strength training makes you bulky”.

Both are dependent on context.

If you strength train 6x/week, under eat, are under recovered, don’t sleep etc… of course strength training will raise your stress hormones.

Training will raise your cortisol levels no matter what, because it is a stress that the body needs to adapt to.

When you provide the body with proper nourishment, adequate recovery, you regulate your nervous system, get restorative sleep etc…

Your body can recover from the exercise and maintain a state of homeostasis.

Strength training only “elevates your stress hormones” (chronically) when your body doesn’t have the energy to recover from the stressor.

I always tell my clients that their stress response is related to their capacity to recover from stressors, and thinking about how they can collectively build capacity and recovery into their life is how they can still show up as an athlete / executive / mum / person and not burn through their reserves daily.

As a side note, while I’m talking about clients, I’ve been a little aloof on here as, save for a couple of slots for online clients I am fully booked. So, if you’re missing regular content from me, head over to www.facebook.com/share/17qrp6dGjy/?mibextid=wwXIfr and give me a follow 🫡

15/02/2026

If you feel like giving up because you’re not seeing results, remember this: the last thing to grow on a tree is the fruit.

It takes hundreds of repetitions (and failures) for new neural connections to form.

You often can’t feel or see the benefits of your hard work right away.

Until one day… the fruit appears.

Stay the course.

07/12/2025

Remember my client Ben who completed his first doubles Hyrox in October in an impressive 1 hour 33 minutes?

Do you also remember how, having seen his stats, I said we were going to work on his weak areas to improve his time for London?

Well, Ben worked like a trooper in the lead up to his doubles Hyrox in London this week, and absolutely smashed his previous time with a very impressive 1 hour 20 minute finish time 💪

I programmed the workouts, Ben delivered the effort, and as a result he shaved 13 minutes off of his previous finish time 🙌