4 min read:

 

The philosophy behind Garage Champions, and the kind of programming I build—both for myself and my clients—is grounded in 3 pillars. 

​

This can apply to anyone, but especially those in the age group I’m focused on. 

​

 

Pillar 1. We build from the bottom up—not the top down.

​

​

Powerlifting programs I find in the main are built around peaking.  And invariably to test your maximum strength (in a single lift) in that lift or discipline.  That’s “top-down” in how I describe it, focusing on the peak looking down.  Yes, those programs are excellent, I have used them before, they build great foundation and strength — but they’re doing it to hit that one big moment.

 

That kind of stress can take a toll—especially if you haven’t trained with enough structure in your assistance work to support it. (Those supportive muscles and connective tissues to support the bigger muscles and the impact on the body.)    It can lead to injury, burnout, or long recovery spells, with some personal experience in this.  It's a risk, that arguably you don’t need to take.

​

Garage Champions flips that. We build from the bottom up. That means:

​

• Core strength first

​

• Structured lifts and building in the 3,5 & 6 rep range (occasionally 8 on squat or bench), and when we test, we test well within your single rep range, usually in there 3-5 rep range.   We grow from that point of proven strength, and build again from there.

​

• Prioritising resilience and longevity of momentum over intensity

​

This approach, I believe, for the clients I’m working with - builds strength and motivation that lasts—without smashing your central nervous system, joints, or connective tissue. It’s a longevity mindset. I’m less interested in one big gym session that leaves you wrecked, sore and a mindset of not wanting to repeat.  I want results that compound over time.  Thats where the changes happen, in the consistency and momentum of our work.

​

​

Pillar 2. Recovery is programmed, not left to chance.

​

​

Especially in and around my age group—and for the people I train—recovery is critical.

​

Strength isn’t just built in the gym. It’s built in how patient you are with the time between sessions. I program with sleep-based spacing, not a rigid weekly structure. That usually means a minimum of two sleeps between sessions, sometimes three. e.g. Muscle soreness is a key signal, and a hugely valuable data point—we pay attention to it. If recovery needs to be extended, we adjust.

​

It’s about creating a rhythm: Stress, Rest, Adapt—Repeat.

And that rhythm is what drives consistency. Over months and years. That’s where building strength comes from.

 

Lift, Die, Repeat….

​

​

Pillar 3. Compounding Through Consistency

​

​

Think about the concept of compounding—something we often hear in financial services. I want to reframe that concept in the context of strength training.

​

What if we applied compounding to the longevity and consistency of simply turning up?

​

There can be guilt or pressure when you’ve committed to a program—especially if you’ve paid for it or are working with a coach. You feel like you have to commit perfectly to that 12-week or 16-week plan. And when you miss a session, you feel you have to catch up. The whole thing can start to feel like a burden rather than something you enjoy.  The motivation of the initial surge entropies into the demands of life, and the habit stops.  We have to rage against the natural decay of motivation, this is the real work. 

​

But when you shift perspective and zoom out—look at your strength journey over three, five, even ten years—that pressure starts to dissolve.

​

If you widen your range of data, of inputs, if you expand the timeframe in which you're measuring progress, then the odd missed session due to muscle soreness, illness, or just life getting in the way—it doesn’t matter. What does matter is the act of showing up again, and compounding that.   That’s the compound effect I care about:

​

• Compounding the benefit of movement

​

• Compounding the benefit of intent

​

• Compounding the act of returning

​

Bring in principles from physics and biology—adaptation over time, recovery, increasing load management—and what you get is durable strength built over a wide arc, not just a short program.

​

You don’t need the guilt of missing one session.
You need the rhythm of returning.
You need the mindset that this is a long game.
That’s how strength compounds.

​

​

If this training style appeals, lets connect.. 

​