Guides
Training guides
Short, practical answers to the questions that come up when you start taking training seriously. No programmes to buy and no miracle method, just what the evidence supports and what works in a real week.
Each one answers the question in the first paragraph, then explains why.
For lifters
Progressive overload
The one principle behind every training plan that works, and how to apply it without stalling.
Read moreRest between sets
How long to wait before the next set, what the research actually says, and why guessing costs you reps.
Read moreOne-rep max
What an estimated 1RM is, the two formulas worth knowing, and how far to trust the number.
Read moreYour first gym workout
What to do on day one, a full-body session to start with, and the etiquette nobody explains.
Read moreSets per week
How much weekly volume builds muscle, where the returns flatten, and how to count a set honestly.
Read moreHow many reps
Why muscle grows across a wide range of reps, why strength does not, and how to pick yours.
Read moreRPE and RIR
Two ways to measure how hard a set was, how to use them, and why beginners guess low.
Read moreChoosing a training split
Full body, upper/lower or push pull legs: what actually matters, and which fits the days you have.
Read moreWarming up to lift
A warm-up that takes ten minutes, prepares you for heavy sets, and does not tire you out first.
Read moreDeload weeks
What a deload is, the signs you need one, and how to run the week without losing progress.
Read moreMuscle soreness
Why you are sore after training, whether to train through it, and why it is not a measure of a good session.
Read moreProtein for muscle
How much protein supports muscle growth, where the benefit levels off, and how to spread it over the day.
Read moreTraining at home
Building muscle with bodyweight, bands or a pair of dumbbells, and how to keep progressing without heavier weights.
Read moreHow often to work out
The health minimum, what building muscle takes, and why the number you can sustain beats the ideal one.
Read moreSupersets and drop sets
Two ways to fit the same work into less time, and the exercises where they help rather than just tire you.
Read moreStrength training after 50
Why strength training matters more with age, how to start safely, and what to keep in mind.
Read more
For gym owners and staff
Spotting members about to quit
The behaviour changes that come before a cancellation, and how a small team can act on them in time.
Read moreWinning back lapsed members
Who to contact first, what to say, and when to stop, when a member has stopped coming in.
Read moreReducing class no-shows
Reminders, easy cancelling, waitlists and a fair policy: practical ways to fill the spots members book.
Read moreWelcoming new members
A simple plan for a new member’s first weeks, the early signs to watch, and how to measure it.
Read more
Put it into practice
PushBeyond logs every set, times your rest and tracks your records. Free on iPhone and Android.