Your favorite class, Max Strength is coming to an end and we’re heading back to building lean mass. This is Strength Phase 3 of NASM’s OPT (Optimum Performance Training) model.

If you’re wondering why our workouts cycle between the phases, it’s because of the General Adaptation Syndrome in which our body gets accustomed to the same stimulus and progression slows down or plateaus. This is why periodization, which is the careful planning of specific training phases, is essential for you to see and feel yourself getting stronger.

Ideally, we’d like to train in each phase between 5 to 6 days a week, for 4 weeks but in a Group Training setting,we’re only able to do this thrice a week and as such, I’ve programmed each Strength phase to last up to 6 weeks at the maximum.

In TriStrong, you’ll perform 6 to 12 reps and progressively subject your muscles to overload. For eg. in your first set of a Military Press, the weight may allow you to perform up to 12 reps in good form but you’ll need to load the weights for subsequent sets so that you may be only able to do 6 to 10 reps. Ideal rest periods are up to 60 seconds between sets for the same muscle group but to optimize your time, we will proceed to the next exercise which will target a different area of the body ensuring adequate rest so that your muscles are given time to recover and perform the remaining sets as efficiently as possible.

In the initial stages of Hypertrophy training, you may notice an increase in strength more than the size of your muscles. This is your neuromuscular system adapting to the new, imposed demands but over time and consistent training (and this is key) you will see an increase in muscle tone and size. Now ladies, don’t get paranoid and think you’ll start looking like The Hulk. Instead, not only are your friends going to notice how posturally strong and fit you look, you’ll start loving the feeling of Strong yourself!