Before you book
Questions people ask before booking
These are the questions that arrive with a first e-mail. The answers are the same ones we give in the room. If your situation is medical, the standing rule applies: we coach exercise, we do not diagnose or treat, and you train with clearance from your doctor.
I have never lifted anything heavier than a suitcase. Is this for me?
Yes. The assessment starts with a movement screen and five strength tests scaled to what you can already do. We do not assume a training history. The first two weeks of a block are used to settle technique and to confirm that the planned loads are repeatable. Many of our desk-bound strength blocks are written for people who currently train once a week or less. You will not be asked to match someone else’s numbers on the floor.
How quickly will I see something change?
Skill and session quality usually shift first. Most people notice that a lift feels more organised within two to three weeks, because we film or cue the same patterns every session. Strength numbers on the baseline tests are reviewed at week six; that is the first point at which we treat a change as real rather than a good day. Body-composition figures move more slowly and are read as a band, not a weekly score. If nothing has moved by week six, we rebuild the plan rather than wait until week twelve.
Do I need to be able to commit to three sessions a week?
No. Two well-kept sessions a week is a valid frequency for several of our formats, including small-group strength and some one-to-one blocks. Three sessions give us more room to progress a lift and still include conditioning, but we would rather write a two-session plan you can keep than a three-session plan you miss. Remote programming can drop to two sessions when you travel. The assessment includes a schedule audit so the written block matches the week you actually have.
I have a bad knee. Can I still train here?
We coach exercise. We do not diagnose or treat. If you have a medical condition, a current injury, or a knee that has been painful for weeks, you train with clearance from your doctor. With that clearance we can often adjust stance, range, or exercise choice so that the block still loads the rest of the body. We are not a physiotherapy clinic and we will not claim to rehabilitate a joint. If pain changes during a block, we stop the offending pattern and ask you to speak to your clinician before we push load again.
Do you give meal plans?
No. Nutrition advice on our floor stays at the level of general habits: protein at meals, a regular eating window that fits shift work, and enough food to recover from the sessions we write. We do not sell supplements, we do not issue calorie targets as treatment, and we do not diagnose dietary issues. If you want clinical nutrition support, we will ask you to see a qualified practitioner. The written block can note what you told us about appetite and sleep so that load is not piled on during a deficit you did not plan.
What happens if I travel for work for three weeks?
Tell us before the block starts if travel is already in the calendar. We build a reduced in-room or hotel plan for those weeks and keep the original tests for the weeks you are on the floor. We do not restart the twelve weeks from zero when you return. Sessions you miss because of work travel can be shifted inside the block where the diary allows, subject to the 24-hour cancellation rule. If the gap is longer than three weeks we re-test a shorter set of numbers and adjust load, rather than pretending week nine is still week six.
Can I bring my own programme from another coach?
You can show us the sheet. We will not run someone else’s programme as if it were ours, because we cannot stand behind numbers we did not write or tests we did not take. If you join a block, the plan on the floor is the one we issued after your assessment. You are welcome to keep a previous lift as a reference test so we can see what you already tolerate. Remote clients who train in another gym still follow our session outline; they do not splice two programmes together in the same week.
Is the studio busy? Will I have to queue for a rack?
Sessions are booked, and the floor is capped. One-to-one and pair slots have a rack assigned. Small-group strength is limited to four people on a shared line of work, so the same lift is loaded at the same time. You should not be waiting for a bar while the clock on a 55-minute session runs. Walk-in training is not offered, which is how we keep the room predictable. If a piece of equipment is out of use we substitute on the written plan before you arrive where we can.
What do I wear and bring?
Wear shoes you can squat and hinge in, and clothing you can move through a full range. Bring a small towel for the bench and a water bottle. If you use a heart-rate strap or a watch that records resting pulse and steps, bring it so we can copy the same figures we logged at assessment. Chalk is provided in trays; please keep it there. You do not need a lifting belt on day one. Lockers are limited, so arrive ready to train and leave large bags at the side of the room.
What if I want to stop halfway through a block?
You can stop. Unused sessions are not refunded once a block has started, except where we have cancelled a slot on our side. We will still issue the numbers we have already recorded so you leave with a record rather than a gap. If you pause for medical reasons, we freeze the remaining sessions for up to four weeks and resume with a short re-test. Talk to us before you disappear for a fortnight; silence is harder to rebuild around than a dated note in the log.
Do you work with people over sixty?
Yes. The over-55 balance and bone-loading block is written for two sessions a week, with grip work, supported hinge patterns, and planned balance tasks. Medical clearance is required where your doctor has flagged blood pressure, joint replacements, or bone density. We use the same tests we use with younger adults, scaled to a starting picture that is honest. The studio is on the third floor with lift access. We do not run boot-camp circuits or unsupervised drop-in hours for this group, or for anyone else.
Still unsure
Write the constraint in the form
If your week, your joint, or your travel calendar does not match the neat version of a twelve-week block, say so in the message. We reply within one working day with two or three assessment slots, or with a clear note if we are the wrong studio for the brief.