Progressive resistance training for women who want real change without extreme rules, intimidating gym culture, or workouts that leave them wrecked.
At its core, this is strength training: progressive overload to get you stronger and hypertrophy training to build muscle. Pilates, cardio, food, and recovery all support the lifting. You deserve to know why you're doing what you're doing, so here's every decision behind your workouts. I lean on big research reviews that pool lots of studies together and on guidelines from trusted health organizations, not one-off studies or whatever's trending this week.
When something is my coaching decision rather than a research finding, I'll tell you. And when the research is mixed, I won't turn it into a rule.
What we do: Every workout gives you a rep range. When you hit the top of it with good form, you go up in weight next time. This is called double progression, and you track it in your log.
Why: Gradually increasing the demand on your muscles is the core principle of strength training in the American College of Sports Medicine's position on resistance training. Double progression is my way of making it simple to follow. [1]
What we do: Most sets end with 1–3 good reps left. That's called reps in reserve. Simpler moves, like lateral raises, can go a little closer to your limit.
Why: A 2023 meta-analysis of 15 studies found that going all the way to failure gave, at most, a trivial muscle-growth advantage over stopping a bit short, and none when failure was defined strictly. Hard effort matters. Grinding every set until your form breaks mostly adds fatigue. [2]
What we do: Monday trains lower body, Wednesday upper body, and Friday both again with different exercises.
Why: Research pooling many studies found that more weekly sets per muscle tended to produce more growth, up to a point. Spreading the work over two sessions keeps workouts reasonable. The exact Monday/Wednesday/Friday split is my coaching choice. [3]
What we do: No automatic light dumbbells. No endless high-rep circuits to "tone." You use weights that challenge you and progress like anyone else.
Why: A 2020 meta-analysis comparing men and women found that, relative to where each person started, women built muscle at similar rates to men, and in mostly untrained participants, gained upper-body strength even faster. Your body responds to the work. [4]
What we do: On top of strength days, aim for at least 150 minutes a week of moderate movement: walking, Pilates that gets you breathing harder, biking, whatever you'll actually do.
Why: That's the weekly amount the U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend, alongside strength training at least two days a week. And a 2022 meta-analysis found that adding aerobic training didn't reduce muscle growth or maximal strength. Explosive strength may take a small hit, mostly when both happen in the same session, which is why we lift first. [5, 6]
What we do: Build meals around protein, eat enough carbohydrates to train well, and set overall intake to your goal. No earning your food, no burning it off.
Why: In a 2018 meta-analysis of 49 studies, protein supplementation during strength training added small extra gains in strength and lean mass, leveling off around 1.6 g per kg of body weight per day (about 0.7 g per pound). That's an average across studies, not a strict target. [7]
What we do: Feeling good, follow the plan. Tired, do fewer sets. Sick or wiped out, walk or rest. Symptoms, sleep, stress, and caregiving all count.
Why: A 2023 umbrella review concluded that current evidence doesn't show menstrual cycle phase meaningfully changes strength or long-term results, and many studies had weak methods. So we respond to your actual symptoms instead of a calendar. [8]
What we do: Pilates principles shape the coaching: breathing, trunk control, setup, and moving with awareness. Pilates sessions are an optional layer on off days.
Why: This comes from my years teaching Pilates alongside strength training. Pilates builds control and endurance, but it isn't a replacement for loading you can keep increasing. Breath and pelvic-floor awareness are taught as skills, not "squeeze everything all the time."
What we do: Programs alternate A and B workouts, so each comes back every other week. Main lifts stay stable long enough to progress, and a planned reset closes the block.
Why: If the workout changes every day, you can't tell whether you're getting stronger. Repeating gives you a fair comparison. This structure is my design, not a research finding, and research on exactly when to take a lighter week is still limited.
I'll always tell you the truth, so here it is. Studies report averages. Your results depend on where you're starting, how consistent you are, your food, your sleep, your stress, and plenty of things no program controls. I won't promise you a specific body in eight weeks, and you should be skeptical of anyone who does.
What I can promise is a plan built on the best evidence I can find, honest about where that evidence ends, and designed so you can actually stick with it. You bring the consistency. I'll bring everything else.
If you're pregnant, postpartum, managing an injury, or dealing with pelvic-floor symptoms like leaking, heaviness, or pain, check in with your healthcare provider or a pelvic-health physical therapist first.