Strength

Maximal and near-maximal strength through the phosphocreatine system: short efforts, long rests, low total volume relative to how hard each set feels. The adaptation is neural first and structural second — for the first six to eight weeks you are largely getting better at recruiting the muscle you already have, and only after that does cross-sectional area start moving.

Primary work covers the posterior chain (glutes, hamstrings, spinal erectors) through the hinge, the quadriceps and adductors through the squat, and the shoulder girdle and triceps through the press. Grip, bracing and trunk stiffness are trained implicitly on every lift rather than bolted on at the end.

It suits anyone who wants a number to go up and is willing to be patient about it. Complete beginners are welcome and are common — a first block on an empty bar is normal and nobody in the room finds it remarkable. It suits people coming back from a long layoff, people who have trained on machines and want to learn free weights, and people who sit at a desk and want their back to stop complaining about it.

It suits you less if you are chasing a heavy sweat every session. This is not that class — you will spend a good deal of it resting, on purpose. If your main goal is conditioning, take Conditioning and use Strength twice a week to support it. If you have an acute injury, see a physiotherapist before you see us.

Ten minutes of specific warm-up: bike or rower to raise core temperature, then the ranges the session needs — ankles and hips before a squat day, thoracic spine and shoulders before a press day.

Fifteen minutes on the primary lift, building to the working weight the block calls for. Coaches are on the floor here rather than at the front, and this is where most of the correction happens.

Twenty minutes of working sets — typically three to five sets of three to six reps, with two to three minutes between. Long rests are part of the programme, not slack.

Ten minutes of accessory work in pairs: rows, split squats, carries, direct arm or hamstring work depending on the day. Five minutes to log your numbers and leave the platform as you found it.

A beginner runs the same session at a load they can control for every rep, often an empty bar for the first fortnight while the pattern settles. Depth, range and tempo are scaled before weight ever is. An experienced lifter runs the same movements with heavier percentages, additional back-off sets, and sometimes a variation — pause squats, deficit pulls, tempo work — written into their block. Nobody is given a different workout. They are given a different number, which is a distinction that matters more than it sounds.

Flat shoes or lifting shoes — running trainers with soft heels make squats harder than they need to be. Comfortable clothing you can move in, a water bottle, and a towel. Chalk, belts and straps are on the rack and you are welcome to them once a coach has shown you when they help and when they are a crutch. You do not need your own equipment for anything.

Twice a week is enough to progress steadily and is what most members settle on. Three times a week works if the sessions are spread out and you are sleeping properly. Four is rarely better than three unless you are competing at something.

It pairs well with Conditioning on alternate days and with Mobility on the same day, after rather than before. It pairs badly with a heavy Olympic Lifting session in the same twenty-four hours — both are demanding on the same tissue and the second one is usually the one that suffers.