Strength & Fitness

Lessons

1. 01

   The First Principle of Fitness

   See why you get stronger before you look any different, why practice is specific, and how to keep a routine working once it feels easy.

   10 steps
2. 02

   Red Flags & Boundaries

   Tell ordinary training soreness from a stop signal, and choose 999, NHS 111 or a GP by how urgent the symptoms are.

   11 steps
3. 03

   Choosing the Training Dose

   Describe a workout as a dose, see why effort counts and extra sets add less, and progress with double progression.

   10 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, The First Principle of Fitness
4. 04

   Recovery: Fitness Minus Fatigue

   See why fatigue hides fitness, why an easy week can leave you stronger, and when tiredness needs a GP rather than a lighter week.

   10 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, Choosing the Training Dose
5. 05

   The Three Energy Systems

   See why you can sprint for a bus but not for a mile, what keeps you breathing hard after a set, and why aerobic fitness helps repeated sprints.

   9 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries
6. 06

   Judging Effort & Heart Rate

   See why a fitter heart beats more slowly, why 220 minus your age is only an average, and how to judge effort with the talk test.

   11 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, The Three Energy Systems
7. 07

   Push, Pull, Squat & Hinge

   Read any exercise plan, and your own week, by the four movement patterns it trains, and spot the gaps.

   9 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, The First Principle of Fitness
8. 08

   Leverage: Why Distance Adds Weight

   Use torque to see why a load held out feels heavier, why leaning forward in a squat works your hips, and how to make any exercise easier or harder.

   10 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, Push, Pull, Squat & Hinge
9. 09

   Trunk Control & Breathing

   See what bracing really does, why reducing a load beats any lifting cue, and what to do when someone feels faint after a set.

   11 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, Leverage: Why Distance Adds Weight
10. 10

    Muscle, Strength & Power

    Use the size principle to see why heavy sets and hard light sets both build muscle, and match your training to the goal you actually have.

    9 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, The First Principle of Fitness, Choosing the Training Dose
11. 11

    Your First Weekly Plan

    Build a simple home or gym week, order a session, and keep the plan going after a missed day.

    11 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, Choosing the Training Dose, Push, Pull, Squat & Hinge, Trunk Control & Breathing, Judging Effort & Heart Rate
12. 12

    Training Through the Lifespan

    Return to exercise after a birth, or start in later life, from your current capacity, and know which signs need individual advice.

    12 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, The First Principle of Fitness, Trunk Control & Breathing
13. 13

    Energy Balance & Fat Loss

    See what exercise can and can't do for weight: the real cost of a session, why crunches don't pick where fat goes, and why the scale jumps about.

    12 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries
14. 14

    Twelve Weeks In: Reviewing Your Plan

    Work through a stalled, tired learner's plan: separate the knee from the training, test the likeliest cause and decide what to keep.

    11 steps·Builds on Red Flags & Boundaries, Choosing the Training Dose, Recovery: Fitness Minus Fatigue, Muscle, Strength & Power, Your First Weekly Plan, Energy Balance & Fat Loss