Erin Holland ditched cardio and got a ‘stronger’ body

Australian model Erin Holland has revealed the common exercise she ditched in order to transform into a “stronger, confident” woman.

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Erin Holland has opened up about how ditching cardio earned her a “stronger” body.

The former Miss World Australia and soon-to-be wife of Aussie cricketer Ben Cutting said she had always felt like she had a “shapeless” figure - but moving to weight-based training helped her feel stronger and more confident.

“My one gripe with my body is that I am quite shapeless and flat-chested,” she told news.com.au

“I’ve always wanted to feel a bit more womanly and strong, so weight training has been amazing for me.”

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Former Miss World Australia, Erin Holland, says she weight training forms the bulk of her exercise routine.

In her early days of modelling, Erin said she had a “misconception” that weight training would give her a “bulky” frame, but said she learnt “it’s really not like that”.

“It made me feel stronger and a lot more lean, rather than bulky,” she said.

“I think I had that idea in my head because I was never that person who went to the gym. I grew up as a dancer and so I was always dancing about four times a week as my form of exercise.”

The 31-year-old said she’s often asked what her “secret” is - but stressed everyone’s bodies are different.

“I think the secret is to understand your body and I soon figured out that my body responded best to weight training, a little bit of cardio, but mainly by doing weights.”

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Sydney trainer Ben Lucas and Erin.

Erin, who was crowned Miss World Australia in 2013, said she’s also taken the pressure off herself to go to the gym every day.

“If I can’t make the gym on a certain day now, that’s OK. There is no use in stressing yourself out or having three hours less sleep because you need to get that session in,” she explains.

“Burning myself out isn’t going to do me any favours and that’s the mindset that has kept me on track.”

The TV host said hiring Sydney personal trainer Ben Lucas of Flow Athletic has also been a huge help in sculpting her body.

“When I first started going to a gym I was so intimated and had a fear of looking like an idiot, but training with Ben has been amazing,” she said.

“Not only seeing what works best for my body but it’s also taught me how to train properly without injuring myself which is super important.

“It also means that if I am travelling for work, I can walk into a hotel gym feeling confident that I know what I am doing.”

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She said by doing more weight training such as dead lifts and squats, it has helped her feel stronger and give her ‘more shape’.

Erin attended the Sydney Dance Company before embarking on a modelling career.

Erin said she’s not “crazy” about attending the gym but tries to make it a priority as it makes her feel “so much better for it”.

“I discovered last year during Covid just how important exercise is for my mental health,” she said.

“Even just making sure I was staying as active as I could.”

Erin is set to marry her partner of six years, Ben, this weekend in NSW after a challenging 2020.

Days after they tie-the-knot Ben is expected to fly out of the country for a three-month tournament in Pakistan, just days after their wedding - meaning they are facing a period of long-distance.

“The positive is that we are both working and sports is still happening,” Erin said.

ERIN’S FITNESS APPROACH

The model’s trainer Ben Lucas said that while Erin has always been fit and active due to her dance background, because she is so lean, strength training is important to help tone and build a strong body.

“Erin will usually do around three to four resistance training workouts a week either with me, in a class or online,” Ben told news.com.au

“The key exercises for her are squats, lunges and leg press as she has naturally lean legs so these exercises help with definition.

“I also get her to do a lot of back work for posture — chin ups, dead lifts and rows — we use a moderate weight and concentrate on form and speed of the movement.”

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