Barbells are simple. Most people, with few exceptions, can become proficient enough to use them effectively very quickly, often within a single session, when working with a skilled coach. Barbells therefore provide an accessible, effective training tool that allows even rank novices to execute a wide range of movement options and to progress the load used in a simple manner.

Other modern implements, while also effective when used correctly, introduce movement complexity through increased degrees of freedom and stability requirements (e.g., dumbbells and kettlebells) and thereby reduce loading potential, or limit balance requirements (e.g., machines), thereby reducing transference to activities of daily living.

Conversely, ancient forms of training that utilized odd objects (such as Milo of Croton's calf, or heavy stones), which have again been popularized in modern training through the influence of the sport of Strongman/Strongwoman, have tremendous application to everyday life and do allow enormous loads to be lifted. But they inherently lack the straightforward, systematic progression capacity of barbells, making it more difficult to build the profound strength required to lift them.

Barbells therefore provide a widely available training tool that can be easily understood and used to build gargantuan strength in a manner that has high transference to the rest of life.

Moreover, barbell training is both meaningfully difficult and intrinsically rewarding. When a lifter sees the initial gains that come after even one training session, motivation skyrockets. When training becomes hard as the weights go up and progression requires more work, life lessons about persistence, courage, and long time horizons emerge and become engrained in the psyche. As the skill of strength is refined, character is built. And when persistence yields a personal record once thought impossible, a deeper self-confidence solidifies.

Given our focus on maximizing the utility of training for life, and on becoming more effective burden-bearers together, the barbell makes sense as a fundamental training tool for our program. Though it's not the only tool we use (see below), it is nevertheless our favourite.

While we prefer barbells for most purposes, we still recognize the excellent utility of other implements such as dumbbells, kettlebells, and even machines. Depending on your goals, training stage, and available equipment, we may incorporate such equipment to varying degrees, sometimes even exclusively. If you don't have access to barbells and don't intend to/can't obtain access to them, then this will certainly be the case. So, while barbells are our default choice for our program, we're intentionally flexible and don't require that our members use them.

Though we may be able to make some progress using just bodyweight workouts done at home for a time, this depends on your starting point and goals. Even the most un-fit person usually needs some form of external resistance beyond just their bodyweight before long.

While things like suspension trainers, pull-up bars, parallettes/push-up handles are popular, it’s difficult to sustain the practice of progressively overloading your training, which is a key component in building strength and muscle. At minimum, we recommend that you have access to dumbbells ranging from 10-50 lbs in sets of two, though for most people, this won’t be enough before long, and dumbbells reaching up to 80+ lbs are preferred.

We recommend even more strongly that you obtain access to a squat rack, barbell, Olympic plates totalling up to 300+ lbs (though you don’t have to get them all right away, you may need this much weight within 3 months or so of training), and a flat bench. Adjustable benches that allow you to incline and decline the angle are great, but they’re often too high off the ground to allow for effective leg drive in a bench press. It may be advisable to start with a flat bench and add an incline bench later unless your primary goal is muscle gain/bodybuilding and not absolute strength.

Some gyms will have an adequate setup for the above requirements but be aware that many budget-conscious gyms such as Planet Fitness actively avoid having free weight barbells and squat racks. This isn’t necessarily a problem, but it’s likely to be. Try to find a gym with free weights and a culture where heavy lifting is encouraged, if possible, or build a gym at home.

To an extent, yes. The equipment you need will depend on your goals and space, but the following are some helpful resources for strategizing and selecting specific equipment.

• AOM How to Build a Home Gym on the Cheap

• Interview with Coop of Garage Gym Reviews

• Garage Gym Reviews Adjustable Dumbbell Insights

For things like barbells, weight plates, and squat racks, it’s advisable to check Facebook Marketplace if budget is a concern.

If you live in the US, there are also lots of companies that create affordable, decent-quality equipment, and these should be relatively easy to find with a quick Google search. Garage Gym Reviews is a good resource to investigate this further.

Canadian companies are fewer and farther between, but if you’re in Canada, reach out and we can help you hunt down good deals wherever you are.

Even though we may work together on goals other than explicitly trying to become as strong as possible, you'll find that strength training modalities (i.e., lifting weights, other forms of resistance training) will still be part of your program. After all, that is what we do here.

Other goals our members commonly work on include gaining muscle, losing fat, improving their cardio/conditioning, shooting for better blood work results, and preparing for travel adventures such as backpacking trips.

However, if your goal is to accomplish a major endurance event (e.g., a half-marathon), you'll likely find someone more skilled at helping you elsewhere.

Our primary mode of communication will be through workout data, form videos, and workout comments you'll submit through an app called TurnKey Coach. We'll provide thorough video replies and written feedback within 24 hours for workouts submitted Monday through Thursday and will reply on Monday to workouts submitted Friday through Sunday.

We can also text in-app, though this will be a secondary mode of communication. We’ll still try to get back to you within a few days on these messages but will prioritize coaching you through your workouts.

Finally, for bigger challenges that require longer conversations, you'll have the option to purchase a 30-minute video conference. Just let us know you'd like to do this, and we'll set it up.

Shortly after you’ve signed up for coaching, you’ll see a familiarization workout in your TurnKey Coach app. This will help you get accustomed to following a programmed workout and submitted performance stats and form videos. It also establishes a starting point for your barbell lifts and gives your coach valuable information for setting up your custom program.

Once your familiarization workout and intake questionnaire are completed, your coach will have your program set up within 3 business days, unless further information is needed.

Strength and fitness improvements occur very quickly for novice trainees, and these gains are often apparent by your second training session. For post-novice trainees, adaptations take longer and will depend on several factors, so it's crucial to communicate your training history clearly to your coach.

Changes in body composition can also occur very rapidly depending on your level of training advancement, and especially on your desired approach to nutrition and your ability to follow through and stay consistent. However, you should expect challenges, and it's wise to plan for a long time horizon for really profound changes, especially if you want them to stick. Put simply, the longer you've been one way, the longer it will take to become another way.

If at any point you’re frustrated with your progress, or are afraid something isn't working, talk to us about it. Lean into coaching. Chances are that true change lies on the other side of a few uncomfortable conversations. Working together through the things that are tripping you up is likely to be the most impactful thing we do in your coaching process.

This is your program. You have unique needs, your own schedule, individual goals, and access to specific equipment. Your program will therefore be customized to your unique situation.

Nevertheless, hyper-customization often backfires. We tend to think we’re more unique than we are, and waste too much energy trying to do the perfect thing. But we have far more commonalities than differences. For this reason, though your program will reflect your unique needs, it will still follow battle-tested and scientifically backed principles.

As you move through program progressions, your coach will explain the changes for your understanding. If you have questions or concerns, voice them. Good training is a collaboration between the coach and the trainee, and a great coach values the trainee's feedback highly and prioritizes the trainee's goals, not their own!

Good training is hard. No matter how we set up your program and how much we customize it to your situation, there will be times when it’s a grind. Days at work will be stressful. Your body will be sore. People will get on your nerves. You just won’t want to train.

These are your most important training days. If we only show up when it’s easy, we’ll be on and off all the time. Showing up when it’s hard is what gets us the results and builds the character required to keep them.

But we're not tyrants. We know life is hard. If you need to miss a workout, let us know ahead of time, if you're able. We’ll adjust the program accordingly and help you work through challenges.

Coaching calls are included as standard in our top-tier program, Comprehensive Lifestyle Coaching. In our Strength Foundations and Performance Essentials programs, you can purchase a 30-minute coaching call up to once every two weeks to help troubleshoot during particularly challenging times. However, our systems are designed to ensure we can communicate efficiently and effectively about your program and habits, no matter which coaching tier you choose.

Strength training, done right, is safer than almost any other deliberate physical activity.

Among those who lift very heavy barbell weights, injury rates are around one injury in every 500-1000 training hours, and rates of catastrophic injury are vanishingly low.

Nevertheless, there is still always a possibility of injury, including serious injury. (And, as with any kind of challenging physical endeavour, we have to include the disclaimer that, of course, even death is a possibility.) For those reasons, and because we actually care, we're not flippant about your safety. Here are some of the measures we take to ensure you can train for the long term with minimal risk:

1. We ask for a thorough health and injury history prior to training. If we flag anything in your intake, we may require you to provide medical clearance or even deny your entry into the program.

2. For any existing injury or movement/exercise capacity limitation, we take care to work around or work within the limits of your capabilities. See the question on this subject below for more.

3. We provide high-quality exercise demonstration videos to ensure you're getting clear instruction on how to properly execute the programmed movements.

4. We use regular form checks on your main lifts to review your technique, screen for and correct movement errors, and ensure appropriate progression of training weights to keep your grains coming in a safe manner.

5. We adjust exercise selection and programming variables based on your feedback, so if something is hurting, tell us and we'll make a change.

It's also crucial to note that often, it's those who are most worried about injury who unwittingly predispose themselves to it. That's because, when we approach a heavy load with timidity, we fail to brace properly and to execute the movement with the intent and aggression required to recruite the appropriate musculature in the required sequence and to the right degree. Over-worrying about injury is therefore, quite literally, one of the worst things you can to to prevent it.

Finally, we'll leave you with this quote from strength coach and PhD researcher Bret Contreras:

"If you think lifting weights is dangerous, try being weak. Being weak is dangerous."

Sure. While there's more to it than this (and we work with our clients on more than these things), the foundations of our philosophy are as follows.

The Approach

Our goal for this program is to guide you along the most efficient path to the increased strength, vitality, and resilience you need to get the most out of life and give the most to the ones you love. While everyone's journey through this program will differ, you can be sure yours will be challenging and effective. Good training doesn’t need to be complicated, but it does need to be hard.

The Philosophy

Training isn’t the most important thing in life. But it can help make you better in the things that are. Becoming strong and fit through deliberate engagement in hard, uncomfortable work will make you able to do the important things better, longer, and more enjoyably.

Training should therefore be high priority without being the priority. Together, we’ll work to create a training plan that makes you strong and fit in the most efficient manner possible.

To get the most out of life, you need four things from your training:

Strength

Strength training, done properly, develops grit, endurance, and fortitude. With the right approach, it can also develop humility.

Strength is also a necessary pursuit if we wish to be maximally useful. This is especially true concerning protection of, and provision for, the needs of others, and to a lesser degree, our ability to contribute to society in general.

Finally, strength training promotes long-term well-being (termed “healthspan”) better than any other discipline.

Conditioning

Known more generically as “fitness,” conditioning represents the ability of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and energy systems to meet the demands of physical work. A well-conditioned person can handle more work for longer.

More than this, cardiovascular fitness, particularly something called VO2max, is the most powerful predictor of lifespan - more powerful than any other lifestyle factor. Develop a higher VO2max and, statistically, you’ll live longer. 

So, if you want to perform well now and be around for your grandkids in the future, you can’t skip conditioning.

Resilience

Showing up to train on days you don’t want to is hard. This makes those the most important training days of all. Doing hard things voluntarily for their own sake makes hard things just a bit easier when they’re imposed against our will.

It’s not just about mental and emotional resilience, though. To quote author of Starting Strength, Mark Rippetoe, “Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general.” This statement, widely accepted in the strength world, needs to be preached loudly to those outside it.

Injury reduction may be another benefit of strength training, but “injury prevention” is an unwitting lie promoted by unknowing strength coaches. There are too  many ways to get injured to truly prevent injury. But reducing the chance of injuries from every-day activity is a huge benefit of being strong and well-conditioned, and recovery from injuries or surgery is faster in stronger, more muscular people.

Community

Even if you prefer to go it alone in the gym, having a group of like-minded people to compete with and get help from is hugely helpful to staying motivated, learning, and actually getting somewhere.

At its most basic level, our program balances the "lone wolf" approach so many people enjoy with the guidance of a remote coach. You're still the one on the ground, doing the work. But getting expert technique feedback, intelligent programming updates, and sage training insights greatly enhances your ability to perform. Even for skeptics, the value of an outside perspective, particularly when it comes to having someone who pushes them to do what they need to do to get better, rather than what they enjoy doing, becomes quickly apparent.

At the next level, and built right into the app, is the motivation found in friendly competition with others. Whether it's simply something you internalize as you track others' PRs in the app and push yourself to catch up, overcome, or stay in the lead, competing with other members can be hugely motivational. Or, if you don't want to compete, you can still draw inspiration!

Finally, there's the optional Discord group included in all memberships, where the conversation can go deeper, touching on challenges and wins in lifting, nutrition, and life.

Wrapping it Up

Taken together, these concepts inform our strength-heavy focus, even as we work to ensure your goals, interests, and unique situation are priority, as well as our community bent that allows more "lone wolf" individuals to quietly benefit from the assistance of a coach and the intrinsic motivation and inspiration of friendly competition.

Yes, depending on the nature and extent of the issue, as well as your goals, medical clearance, and (potentially) access to specialized equipment. If you have questions before signing up, feel free to contact us. Or, if you sign up and we determine together that our services aren't right for you, we'll refund your money immediately so that you can move on and look someone more qualified to help with your needs.

Medical nutrition is outside our scope of practice. However, if you're working with a registered dietitian and need help simply implementing the habits and practices you've decided on together with them, we may be able to support those habits with in-app tasks and accountability. This will depend on your unique situation, and if we determine together that the nutrition component of our program isn't right for you, we'll refund the portion of your purchase that pertained to nutrition coaching.

At this time, if you self-report as have an eating disorder or a history of disordered eating, we are unable to provide coaching services for you.

You can cancel your membership at any time. If you cancel before the end of a training month you've already paid for, we'll use the remaining time on your membership to make sure you feel set up for success as you head out on your own, and you won't be billed again.

While we have a no-refunds policy for time already spent in coaching, if you cancel within the first week after you're billed for a new training month, you can request a refund and we'll issue it, no questions asked.