Resistance training is the closest thing we have to a cheat code for transforming your body and your life. Muscle is metabolic armor. It lets you eat more carbs without storing them as fat, it stabilizes your joints and posture, it protects your long-term health, and it changes how you carry yourself in every room you walk in.
Our goal is to make lifting feel less intimidating and far more empowering so you can build strength, burn fat, and actually enjoy the process.
Why Muscle Matters (More Than You Think)
- Higher metabolism at rest: Muscle is expensive tissue. Your body burns more calories 24/7 to keep it.
- Better carb handling: Glycogen is the body’s stored form of carbohydrates in the muscles and liver, acting as a readily available fuel source for exercise. Your liver stores around 100–120g of glycogen, your muscles can store 3–6x that depending on how much you’ve built. More muscle = more room for carbs and less chance they’re stored as fat.
- Takes up less space than fat: Five pounds is five pounds, but five pounds of muscle is far more compact. You may not see a change on the scale but you will with how your clothes fit.
- Confidence & quality of life: Stronger posture, fewer aches, and easier daily activities. Confidence rises when you feel capable.
The Five Pillars You Should Nail
1) Train the Major Patterns
Your body loves balance. Hit these movement families every week:
- Push: horizontal (bench/push-up) and vertical (overhead press)
- Pull: rows (horizontal) and pull-downs/pull-ups (vertical)
- Squat: goblet, barbell, hack or machine variations
- Hinge: RDL, hip hinge machines, back extensions
- Lunge/Locomotion: split squats, walking lunges, Bulgarian split squats
These patterns recruit a lot of muscle, give you the most return on time, and support better posture and joint health. Isolation work has its place, but start with building your program here first.
2) Master Technique Before Load
Strength training is a skill. Skills require reps.
- Own the full range of motion you have today and expand it over time.
- Control the eccentric (lowering) phase. Going slower in the movement teaches your brain the position is safe and unlocks more usable range.
- Video your lifts. Send them to your coach. Fixing one setup detail can save months of frustration (and reduce injury risk).
Write this down: Chase mastery, then chase weight without losing mastery.
3) Apply Progressive Overload (The Right Way)
Progress doesn’t mean adding 10–20 lbs every week forever. Realistic overload looks like:
- Load: +2.5–5 lbs per set or around 3–5% when you’ve earned it
- Volume: an extra rep or an extra set
- Frequency: from 3 to 4 days/week when recovery allows
- Density: the same work in less time (rest discipline)
Here’s a great example of how you would make small jumps on squats.
| Set | Last Week | Next Week |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 185 x 10 | 187.5 x 10 |
| 2 | 190 x 10 | 192.5 x 10 |
| 3 | 195 x 10 | 197.5 x 10 |
| 4 | 200 x 8 | 200 x 9 |
Important: Use effective loads. If your set of 10 could’ve been 20, that’s warm-up weight, not training. Most of your working sets should finish with about 1–2 reps in reserve (RIR) unless you program true failure.
For more details on progressive overload, check out Coach Taylor’s blog here.
4) Use Tempo & Intent
- Tempo: Slower eccentrics = more tension, better control, cleaner technique.
- Intent: Feel the target muscle do the work. If squats are all low back, something in the setup or range is off.
- Effort: You can’t put in 50% effort and expect 100% results. Meet the weight halfway.
For beginners (or anyone rebuilding trust with their body), I’ll often use stable machines to learn effort safely. Think of chest press, leg extension, and lat pull-down as examples.
5) Prioritize Recovery (Muscle Grows Between Workouts)
Training is the stimulus. Sleep, nutrition, hydration, and stress management create the adaptation.
- Sleep: Aim for quality 7–9 hours. Your body recovers while you sleep.
- Protein: Hit your target so your body has the raw materials to build.
- Stress: High, unmanaged stress blunts progress. Build intentional recovery into your week.
- Hydration: Performance and pumps love water.
- Frequency: 3–4 lifts/week is a sweet spot if you recover like a pro.
Real-World Coaching Notes
“Is this enough?”
If you’re training with proper intensity, 25–35 focused minutes of lifting (plus warm-up/cool-down) is plenty for most sessions. Two sets of a big movement done well can humble anyone. Don’t confuse short with easy.
“Do I have to train to failure?”
Not on every set. Early phases prioritize skill. Over time, push certain safe movements to failure or near-failure. You’ll learn what real effort feels like, without gambling your joints.
“I’m older, should I still push?”
Yes. Exercise selection matters. Use more stable setups, slower eccentrics, and controlled ranges. Age isn’t the limiter; ability and execution are.
“I think I’m overtraining.”
Red flags are persistent fatigue, soreness that lingers, motivation crashing, and declining sleep. If you’re always crushed on Monday and limping through the week, intensity needs to be distributed better, and recovery needs to improve. Sometimes the fix is adding an active recovery day, not another lift.
“My strength is dropping in a fat-loss phase.”
That’s normal when the deficit gets deeper. We’ll often pull loads back slightly and keep reps/technique sharp to maintain muscle. Save the PR push for maintenance or a muscle-building phase when food supports it.
How to Start This Week
- Hit the five patterns 3–4 days/week.
- Track your lifts. You won’t remember last week, but your log will. Progress hides in numbers.
- Progress one variable each session (load, a rep, or cleaner tempo).
- Film one set of a key lift and send it to your coach.
- Protect recovery like it’s part of the program because it is.
Three Takeaways
- Simple ≠ easy. Simplicity lets you focus on doing the right things well.
- Consistency beats intensity. Consistent moderate effort beats sporadic heroic effort.
- Effort dictates outcomes when mastery is in place, push.
At Supra Human, we teach you how to apply the science practically, to maximize your muscle growth and recovery.
Get on a call with your coach if you want to fine-tune your fitness and nutrition to take your progress to the next level.
