FAQs - You asked, we answered.

What should I expect on the first day?

During your initial consultation, you'll share your health history with your instructor, focusing on any medical or orthopedic issues. Your instructor will explain the Continuous Tension Training approach, and guide you through a series of key exercises. You'll be taught proper technique, and closely supervised to ensure that you have internalized the right behaviors to maximize safety and efficiency. By the end of the consultation, you and your instructor will have determined the proper machine settings and weights to use during your first scheduled workout, along with a baseline to measure your progress. This will all be recorded for you, so that everything will ready to go for your next workout.



How long does it take to see results?

Within the first 8-12 workouts, clients report feeling stronger and moving more easily. Small aches and pains often seem to melt away as our muscles receive the stimulation they crave, and the strength levels of our youth are restored.
Within the first 4-6 months at StrengthSpace, it is typical to see at least a 30% increase in the measurable strength of your major muscle groups. After a year, this jumps to 50%. With the adoption of a sensible diet regimen, our clients are often astounded at how little exercise is needed to lean out and reveal a more athletic physique.



Will this help me lose weight?

Absolutely. The relationship between exercise and fat loss is complicated. Too much can create severe hunger, the primary obstacle to any weight loss plan. The best approach is increased general activity (walking, hiking, etc) coupled with a brief exercise routine. Short, intense strength training sessions can improve your insulin sensitivity (blood sugar control). This allows your body to mobilize stored fat for energy more easily, without creating the gnawing hunger associated with long cardio sessions.
Unfortunately, a typical dieter will lose one pound of lean muscle for every three pounds of fat. This is disastrous for weight maintenance, but also preventable! By engaging in deeply stimulating resistance training, you will give your body a powerful signal to preserve its muscle mass during the calorie deficit needed for weight loss. This keeps your metabolism running faster and promotes your long term health. All that said, we’ll always be candid. No exercise program can outrun a high calorie, indulgent diet. Weight loss occurs in the kitchen, but the right exercise approach will support sustained results.



Will resistance training make me bulky?

Probably not. This concern is a result of the effect steroids have had on popular culture, from oversized bodybuilders to shockingly lean instagram influencers. But very few people are born with the muscle fiber composition needed to *naturally* grow very large muscles.
For most, “not enough” muscle is more of a concern than “too much.” We lose 1-4% muscle, strength, and bone density every year. When this adds up over decades, people become frail and lose their ability to work and enjoy recreation. Eventually, they lose their independence. Proper strength training maximizes our normal potential for a lean, athletic, and capable physique, and it will help us preserve that healthy amount of muscle for decades with very minimal investment.
Think of your potential for muscularity like the hand of cards you were dealt. You don’t have to worry that your two pair will accidentally become a royal flush, nor will all the (legal) supplements in the world make that a reality. Just play the hand you are dealt intelligently, by doing consistent resistance training that is safe and time efficient.



Is the studio hot?

Absolutely not. Our studio is kept at 61 degrees, year round, which research shows is ideal for promoting high effort, productive training. When you overheat, you lose your ability to work hard, and muscle fibers actually become harder to recruit! By training in a cool environment, you’ll not only be able to get more out of each set, you’ll be able to tolerate more exercises, making the most of your 30 minute appointment.

Getting sweaty is not a desirable part of exercise - it’s simply a sign your body is getting too hot. Our clients love our cool studio, and many love that they can save time by training cool, and going straight to work or other appointments.

Just remember to bring a sweatshirt to get started!



Is it crowded or noisy?

Not at all. Our studio is a private, one-on-one training facility. Clients come only by appointment, so you never have to wait for your next exercise. When you arrive, your instructor will have everything ready for your workout. A different instructor and client may be working together in the space, but you’ll never wait on equipment, and your workout will always be an organized, quiet, focused experience.



Is this physical therapy? Do I need a prescription for it?

No. Though our facility was founded by a Doctor of Physical Therapy, the service we provide is private resistance training, suitable for anyone. Though we are happy to coordinate with any health care providers necessary to ensure your safety, you do not need a prescription. This frees us up to build a lasting relationship around your health, with no pressure to "wrap up" or discharge you from your sustainable, long-term strength program.



Does insurance cover personal training?

Not typically. Unlike physical therapy, which seeks to address a specific impairment, our private resistance training services promote whole body strength, metabolic condition, bone density, and joint mobility. Though these are essential to health, insurance companies typically won’t pay for preventive or wellness services like personal training. If you would like to be evaluated as a patient by Dr Bryce Lee, DPT, for a possible physical therapy course of care, please head over to www.DrLeePT.com.



Do you provide coaching for strength-sports (powerlifting, crossfit) or endurance sports (marathons, triathlons)?

No. We love it when our clients apply the strength built at StrengthSpace to other physical activities. However, we exclusively deliver stimulus-focused exercise, in which the main goal is to promote an adaptation in the body for stronger bones, muscles, & connective tissues.

In sporting activities, such as soccer, crossfit, olympic weight-lifting, or marathons, the focus is purely external: the performance of athletic movements faster, harder, heavier, etc. At StrengthSpace we keep our focus away from skill-mastery and on strengthening the tissues of the body. We share your enthusiasm for sports outside the gym, and defer to sports-coaches for technical guidance about how to master these disciplines.



Thanks for your question!