Celebrity trainer Kirsty Godso has built a career training some of Hollywood’s biggest names, and her secret weapon isn’t endless hours of cardio or punishing boot camps.
It’s a strength-focused method called Pyro that prioritizes consistency, progression, and doing hard things for reasons beyond aesthetics.
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With clients like Hailey Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, and Kaia Gerber, Godso has spent 15 years refining an approach that blends strength training with Pilates and strategic bursts of high-intensity work.
Here’s what makes her training philosophy different—and why she believes personalization matters more than following trends.
The Foundation of Pyro: Strength Through Repetition
Godso developed Pyro as a hybrid training system that combines resistance work, Pilates principles, and what she calls “micro-doses” of HIIT.
The core philosophy is simple: master movements through repetition, then progressively challenge yourself by lifting heavier.
The body wants to learn something and get better at it, then you can be more confident, increase your weight load and improve your skill.
Pyro sessions incorporate dumbbells, resistance bands, and bodyweight exercises, but the emphasis is always on building functional strength that translates to everyday life.
Rather than chasing calorie counts or fixating on appearance, Godso focuses on mental resilience and capability.
I get a little evil in workouts. But instead of talking about burning calories, I talk about why it’s important to do hard things. I find their goal beyond aesthetics and champion that.
Signature Exercises That Challenge Your Entire Body
Godso’s workouts feature dynamic, compound movements designed to test strength, coordination, and cardiovascular endurance simultaneously.
Three exercises have become Pyro staples:
Hot-sauce burpees: A traditional burpee combined with an explosive tuck jump at the top
Switch climbers: A high-intensity variation where you jump between lunge positions rather than simply alternating feet
Typewriter planks: Holding a high plank while shuffling horizontally from side to side
These movements demand coordination, stability, and power—all qualities that improve functional fitness beyond isolated muscle work.
Why Personalization Trumps Cookie-Cutter Programs
Despite having a signature method, Godso doesn’t believe in one-size-fits-all programming.
She adapts every session to the individual in front of her, whether that means modifying exercises for injury, adjusting intensity based on energy levels, or tailoring goals to what motivates each client.
To me, a quieter, more intuitive approach is really at the heart of how I train my clients and myself. In an industry that always has a new training trend and a lot of outside noise, I always focus on putting the personal in personal training.
This philosophy extends beyond exercise selection.
Godso emphasizes ignoring the constant churn of fitness trends that flood social media and instead focusing on specific needs and sustainable progress.
It’s about focusing on the specific needs of each client and not getting distracted by the latest and greatest things that the algorithm is serving you.
Preparation Is Non-Negotiable
Before any Pyro session begins, Godso dedicates five to ten minutes to foam rolling and activation work.
This isn’t just warm-up filler—it’s a deliberate strategy to prepare muscles and joints for the demands of strength training and reduce injury risk.
Activation exercises prime the nervous system and help clients connect mentally with the movements they’re about to perform.
Foam rolling, meanwhile, addresses tissue quality and mobility restrictions that might otherwise limit performance or cause compensation patterns during lifts.
Strength Over Cardio for Long-Term Results
While Pyro includes bursts of high-intensity cardio, Godso’s approach leans heavily toward strength training as the foundation of fitness.
Building muscle improves metabolic health, supports bone density, enhances functional capacity, and creates a physique that many of her clients are seeking—without relying on hours of steady-state cardio.
Her philosophy aligns with growing research showing that resistance training offers benefits far beyond aesthetics, including improved insulin sensitivity, reduced risk of chronic disease, and better mental health outcomes.
Access to Pyro Beyond the Celebrity Client List
Godso intentionally keeps her in-person client roster small to maintain the level of personalization she values.
However, she shares workouts and training principles through the Pyro app and regularly posts exercise demos and session snippets on her Instagram.
This allows a wider audience to experience her training style, even without access to one-on-one sessions.
For anyone interested in functional strength, progressive overload, and training that emphasizes capability over appearance, Godso’s content offers a refreshing alternative to algorithm-driven fitness trends.
