The Tailored Strength Philosophy

You probably don’t need me to list out all the reasons to be strong again, but I found myself thinking about Tailored Strength’s core values, philosophy, etc. (whatever the F you want to call it) when talking to Jen Lange – someone who truly embodies what I think about when I think about this community. The great Ryan Taylor created an awesome community and made sure that we as a staff represented and practiced those values daily. I do not want to take any of these values away but simply just add to them.

At Tailored Strength, we help individuals get stronger beyond their wildest dreams. I came to this conclusion just observing you, our strong as f**k clientele. I took some time to go through our clientele’s sheets from when they first came in, and for a lot of you, the goals included things like “strength and endurance,” “get stronger,” and “be in better shape.” I wish I recorded more of our interactions together because I can almost guarantee that if we asked everyone who has come through Tailored Strength if they thought they would be able to squat 300+ pounds, do a pullup, 20 pushups, bench 315, run pain free, etc., they would not even be able to fathom that idea. I chose all these examples because they’re actual conversations I had in the last few months.

Virai squatted 245 pounds, Chris squatted 315 pounds for 5 reps, and Angie, Kira and Anjali did their first pullups ever!! Grace did 20 pushups – a few months ago we made her goal 10!! Carson lost 11 pounds of fat and put on almost 19 pounds of muscle. Katie and Heather’s consistency has honestly been unmatched. Heather’s always booking her classes weeks out and I feel like I see her here without fail whenever she’s signed up. Masiel is now benching 25 pounds (per hand), and even though we do hear a complaint for every pound she lifts, she has turned into a full-on weightlifter who I think secretly loves pushing the sled.

And the PRs keep coming: Leah trap bar deadlifted 335 pounds, Emma is finally squatting below parallel, Monica hit 135 for 5 on back squat, Katie set a new trap bar deadlift PR, Stacy hit a 235-pound back squat PR, and Cory hit 275 for 3 on bench. Angie and Heather are working on their pullups too, so watch out!

These are just random shoutouts, but I am truly proud of everyone who has walked through our doors and trusted in us to become a healthier version of themselves. I am sorry if you did not get a shoutout, but I also know not everyone wants to read a 15-minute post, so thank you for making it this far.

I was watching a YouTube video the other night and the video creator ran his own study on a group of lifters. Here is the YouTube video, but in case you don’t want to use 16 minutes of your day watching Why Almost Everyone Is Wasting Their Time in the Gym, I don’t blame you. I’ll sum it up for you.

Jeremy Ethier took 200+ lifters and split them into three groups for 10 weeks. One group trained 6 days a week. One group did the exact same program 3 days a week with half the sets. The third group trained full body 3 days a week, using supersets to fit in the same amount of work as the 6-day group. The results? The 3-day group grew basically the same as the 6-day group (a statistical tie), and the 3-day full-body group actually came out slightly on top. Half the time in the gym, same gains.

The kicker: he also brought up another study where one group was coached through every session and the other did the exact same program on their own. After 8 weeks, the supervised group put on more than an extra pound of lean mass and grew more in almost every muscle they measured. Bottom line, it’s not about living in the gym. It’s about what you do while you’re there and having someone in your corner making sure you do it right.

In case this video is not enough for you, here are a few other studies that show how effective training with supervision and/or two to three times a week can be:

• Saric et al., 2019: Lifters who trained 3 days a week got the same muscle and strength gains as lifters who trained 6 days a week.

• Coleman et al., 2023: Over 8 weeks, experienced lifters who were coached every session grew more muscle in their quads and triceps and improved their squat more than lifters doing the exact same program on their own.

• Mazzetti et al., 2000: After 12 weeks, the group working with a trainer lifted heavier week to week and ended up stronger in the squat and bench press than the group training alone.

That is why I find our model works and why we have had so much success with individuals coming in (only) 2 or 3 times a week. The time you are here will almost always beat spending multiple other hours in the gym on your own. Not only are you being supervised, but you are being coached through every moment, ensuring that your form is pristine, while we stay conscious that if you feel any type of pain during a movement, we will have an alternative exercise for you immediately. To keep our classes small, coaching intimate and workouts tailored to you, we have added a couple of classes to our weekly schedule: a 6AM class on Fridays and a second Metabolic Conditioning class on Sundays at 9AM.

In case you missed my newsletter about daily activity, here’s a reason to try our Metabolic Conditioning class if you have never been! If you are a member at Tailored Strength, it is free. Stay tuned for some more cardio classes to help supplement your weightlifting.

One of my favorite podcasters, Ryen Russillo, once said “you can either be strong or weak,” and I love this quote because I don’t know why the hell anyone would choose to be weak!