Online coaching

Coaching to get stronger.

Online coaching for getting stronger: heavy sets on the lifts that matter, enough rest between them, small steady increases, and a coach who reads your logbook and adjusts the plan every week.

Apply for coaching How strength goes up

This is one part of how coaching with me works. Mostly after size rather than numbers? Coaching to build muscle is the page for that. New to all of it? Start with coaching for beginners.

Fit

Who this is for. And who it isn’t.

This is for you if…

You want your lifts to go up. Squat, bench, deadlift, pull-ups: the numbers in the logbook, not just how you look in the mirror.
You’re a beginner or somewhere in the middle. You know the lifts, or you’re learning them, and you want a plan that tells you what to load next.
You’ve stalled. The same weight for weeks. Usually the plan has no progression in it, or not enough rest, or too many exercises. (What to do when you stall.)
You’ll log your sets. Strength is a record of numbers. We keep yours in Trainerize, set by set.

Not a fit if…

You’re peaking for a competition. This page is about getting stronger on the main lifts, not meet-day planning.
Something hurts, or a doctor is managing a condition. Doctor or physical therapist first, then either of us, with their OK.
You want the weight to go up every single week. It won’t, for anyone. The plan, the feedback and the adjustments are what coaching gives you; a number by a date isn’t.

The idea

What moves a lift, in four parts.

Strength is a skill you practice and a load you build up to. The research is clearer than the gym floor: a few ordinary things, done every week, matter most.

Heavy sets.

A meta-analysis of 21 studies found that gains in one-rep-max strength were greater with high-load than with low-load training, while muscle size grew similarly either way.² The ACSM’s 2026 position stand agrees: strength was enhanced by lifting heavier loads, 80% of your one-rep max or more, for two to three sets.¹ So if the goal is the number on the bar, some of your sets have to be heavy. Muscle size is more forgiving; strength asks for the weight. (The build-muscle page covers the other goal.)

Rest between them.

A systematic review of 23 studies found that robust strength gains can be had with short rests, but that rests longer than two minutes seem to be needed to maximize strength gains in people who are already trained; for untrained people, one to two minutes appeared sufficient.³ The ACSM’s 2026 overview found rest length did not consistently change strength, so this matters most for trained lifters.¹ So heavy sets are not a race. If you’re resting two minutes or more between them, that’s fine. It’s part of the plan.

Small, steady increases.

Add a little weight when the sets feel under control. A 2022 trial in people with at least a year of lower-body training found that adding reps and adding load gave similar results over eight weeks, with load slightly ahead for strength by a margin the authors called of questionable practical significance.⁴ So on a day the bar won’t go up, a rep more still counts as progress. Your log shows which one is working for you. (Progressive overload, explained.)

Enough sessions, not endless sets.

A 2026 meta-regression found that strength gains rise with weekly volume, with diminishing returns much sharper than for muscle size, and, unlike muscle size, with training frequency.⁵ The ACSM stand points the same way: two or more sessions a week.¹ The answer is rarely “add another hour.” It’s heavy sets, rested, repeated, twice a week or more. (How often to train.)

A strength week

What a week of getting stronger looks like.

An outline, not a prescription. Your plan is written around your goal, your experience and the equipment you have.

The big lifts first

With three days a week, I usually start people on full body: a squat or leg press, a press, a pull, a hinge. The heavy work goes at the start of the session. In the ACSM stand, strength was enhanced when exercises were done at the beginning of a session.¹ If a pull-up isn’t there yet, we pick the lift that builds toward it.
Technique, taught as we go

Heavier weight is only useful if the rep is one you can repeat. I teach you the why and the technique as we go: what each lift is for, what it should feel like, what to change when it doesn’t.
The logbook

Every set goes in Trainerize: weight, reps, and how many reps you think you had left. That last guess is imperfect, whatever your training background, but in a review of the research it got more accurate with heavier loads.⁶ So heavy sets are the easiest ones to judge, and the numbers pile up into a trend. (How hard each set should be.)
The weekly call

We look at which lifts moved and which stalled, then change one thing: a load, a rep range, a rest, an exercise that isn’t helping. You also weigh in twice a week and send progress photos every two weeks. Between calls you can message me. On a busy week I cut exercises before I cut effort.

Where it starts

Bring your current numbers.

Apply and tell me where your lifts are now, or your best guess: which exercises, roughly what weight, how many days you can train, and how long they’ve been stuck. That tells me more than a goal statement does.

If something hurts or a doctor is involved, that comes first. I’m a fitness coach, not a doctor.

Apply, tell me where you are, and we’ll talk about what you need.

Heavy sets, real rest, and a weekly look at your log.

Apply for coaching

Questions

Questions about getting stronger.

Short answers. The rest is on the main questions page.

How many days a week should I train to get stronger?

The American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 overview ties strength gains to training at least twice a week,¹ and a 2026 meta-regression found strength gains kept rising with training frequency, with diminishing returns.⁵ Given three days, full-body sessions are my usual starting point. (How often to train.)

Do I need to test my one-rep max?

You don’t need to max out to see a lift move. Every set goes in Trainerize with its weight, reps and your estimate of reps left, so the trend shows in the log. Heavy sets are slightly easier to judge: the review I cite found those estimates got a little more accurate with heavier loads.⁶ Bring your current numbers, or your best guess, when you apply.

I’m new to squat, bench and deadlift. Can I start with coaching?

Yes. I teach the why and the technique as we go, so the lifts make sense while you learn them. If you want someone beside you for the first sessions, start with a few sessions with a trainer at your gym. (Coaching for beginners.)

What if my lifts stall?

A stall is a reason to look at the log, not to add more. On the weekly call we see what moved and what didn’t, then change one thing. In a 2022 trial of lifters with at least a year of lower-body training, adding reps and adding load gave similar results over eight weeks, with load slightly ahead for strength,⁴ so a bar that won’t go up isn’t always a stall: check the reps too. (Progressive overload, explained.)

The reading behind the numbers.

TrainingProgressive overloadThe one rule behind every good program, and what to do when you stall. TrainingThere’s always 3 reps in reserveHow hard each set should be, and how to judge it. TrainingHow often should you train?Less than you think, and why.

Sources

Currier BS, D’Souza AC, Singh MAF, et al. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Resistance training prescription for muscle function, hypertrophy, and physical performance in healthy adults: an overview of reviews. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2026. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12965823/ (accessed October 23, 2026).
Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 2017. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28834797/ (accessed October 23, 2026).
Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Skrepnik M, Davies TB, Mikulic P. Effects of rest interval duration in resistance training on measures of muscular strength: a systematic review. Sports Medicine, 2018. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28933024/ (accessed October 23, 2026).
Plotkin D, Coleman M, Van Every D, et al. Progressive overload without progressing load? The effects of load or repetition progression on muscular adaptations. PeerJ, 2022. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9528903/ (accessed October 23, 2026).
Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Robinson ZP, Hinson SR, Zourdos MC. The resistance training dose response: meta-regressions exploring the effects of weekly volume and frequency on muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. Sports Medicine, 2026. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41343037/ (accessed October 23, 2026).
Halperin I, Malleron T, Har-Nir I, et al. Accuracy in predicting repetitions to task failure in resistance exercise: a scoping review and exploratory meta-analysis. Sports Medicine, 2022. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34542869/ (accessed October 23, 2026).