There’s little room for light weights and machines in this Colorado fitness celebrity’s old-school, back-to-basics training approach.
Cassandra (Cass) Martin is seriously into building things. Out of curiosity, she joined her husband, Hunter, one day on a construction job tiling a bathroom shower. It was a day that literally changed her life and might well have spun off an HGTV series that rivalled Chip’s and Joanna’s. Cass loved the hard work and got settled into the construction business, teaming with Hunter on various jobs. But she still wasn’t done building.
Because about eight years ago, Cass saw a fitness magazine with Jamie Eason gracing the cover, which set off her own ideas about lifting, which just happened to be one of Hunter’s hobbies. And construct she did, a physique that balanced muscle with femininity that’s caught the attention of some two million global Instagram followers. Cass then went on to build a fitness app, website, and supplement line with Hunter, which she still balances with her construction work. She shares with Muscle Insider readers her various building projects, some of which have already made her a fitness icon and this issue’s MI cover model.
MI: I read that an image of Jamie Eason inspired you to start lifting. What exactly did you see that you liked?
Cass: Yes, my husband was into weight training before I was, so he had tons of fitness magazines lying around his house. There was a magazine that she was featured in, and when I opened it up I not only saw a picture of her, but I saw a handful of other female lifters, and I was so inspired by the fact that they used weights to form their physique and they still were able to look sexy!
MI: How does one go from a casual interest in lifting to having a seriously fit body?
Cass: Once we started lifting together, we made going to the gym a priority, and as soon as we developed a routine, we began to realize how much fun it was to spend time in the gym together and push each other past our limits!
MI: What female physique athletes do you find the most inspirational? Do you arrange your training to create a physique based on the body type you see among these women?
Cass: I follow so many amazing women online! There are just too many beautiful women out there putting in so much hard work and dedication that it would be hard to choose just one or two. I find inspiration from not just the women who weight train but so many other strong, hard-working women in a variety of industries. I have never really based my training off any one person; I’ve always tried to keep it pretty old-school with movements and go off of what I feel is working best for my personal goals.
MI: Fill us in about your interest in the old-school movements.
Cass: I love to train heavy and push my body to see what it’s capable of! I love the simplicity of the “old-school” exercises such as one-arm rows, T-bar rows, and your basic big three! There isn’t a week that goes by that I don’t squat, bench, or deadlift! I love to start the workouts with heavy movements and then finish with a lighter, higher-rep scheme.
MI: Do you ever make room for high-rep, single-joint stuff or cardio training?
Cass: Yeah, I usually add those type of exercises in after heavy lifts, but here I like to incorporate supersets, drop sets, and pyramid sets, as well techniques to shock the muscle. I always do cardio after my weight training because I want to make sure I’ve put my energy for my lifting weights first, and then whatever energy I have left I put toward high-intensity interval cardio training, which I do three or four days a week. I personally prefer the StairMaster, and I’m on there for around 15 to 20 minutes, but I’ll occasionally use the treadmill at an incline if I feel the need to switch it up.
MI: What would you tell other women are the single-most important training factors to build muscle?
Cass: The single best advice—and I literally tell everyone and feel strongly about—is to have or develop patience! But if I had to add to that, I’d tell them to turn training into a lifestyle and then you’ll see the rewards. It took me about a year and a half before I started noticing anything significant.
Another value I believe in is to do everything with a purpose. If you want to see results, you have to push yourself and not just go through the motions. Too many people see a rep scheme and just stop at that number, but you should be pushing yourself with a weight that challenges you to hit that number. That’s when you start to see the results take place.
MI: Do you compete?
Cass: I don’t. Fitness is more of a lifestyle for me that I love and hope to be involved in for the rest of my life. I’ve thought about competing in powerlifting because it sounds fun and would be a great challenge, but we’ll see!
MI: You’ve built quite a social-media following, which has certainly helped put your name out there. How important has that been for you, and what kind of time commitment does it take?
Cass: Social media is a huge part of everything I do, including running my businesses and connecting with people. At first, social media was just a hobby, but it slowly transformed into something I love to do that I can now call my job. It’s been such an amazing experience so far and I’m so grateful for literally everything. It’s enabled me to meet and connect with so many incredible people around the world and I’ve been able to experience things that I never would’ve dreamed.
Honestly, the only thing that’s challenging for me would be the consistency of creating content because I also have to work my construction job and it gets overwhelming at times. But I wouldn’t change my situation for anything else and I love that it keeps me accountable in the gym!
MI: Is there anything special about being on the cover of Muscle Insider?
Cass: Yes! This is my first-ever cover and first article in any magazine! I can’t express how grateful I am for you to consider me for the issue, let alone the cover! I come from the era of people who used to have so many fitness magazines lying around for motivation, and now to be on a cover of a publication I used to have at my house is just amazing!
Cass Martin's
Training Split
Monday: Legs/Quad focus
Tuesday: Chest, HIIT cardio
Wednesday: Back, HIIT cardio
Thursday: Legs/Hamstring focus
Friday: Shoulders, HIIT cardio
Saturday: Biceps/Triceps, HIIT cardio
Sunday: Rest Day
Follow Cass on Instagram
@Casssmartin-my personal page
@Liftwithcass-my Training App page
@Wrkethicsupps-my supplement company page
