Welcome to Strength: What to know so you can feel confident, capable, and strong.

If you’re anything like the rest of our community, you’re a really thoughtful, discerning person. You value quality over quantity and want a program that is evidence-based. 

You’re joining a studio for grown-ups. The people here have real lives, real responsibilities, and real bodies that have done a lot for them. Our community includes retirees, parents, graduate students, and professionals in their prime. You’ll meet people who value quality instruction, thoughtful movement, and a space that feels supportive rather than performative. You’ll also meet members who are here to heal, rebuild strength, manage stress, and feel like themselves again.

If you want a studio that respects where you are in life, you’ve found it.

Here are all of the answers to the questions we get from thoughtful folks like you!

Why should I focus on building muscle?

Building muscle is one of the most important things you can do to protect your quality of life as you age. As we get older, we naturally lose muscle mass. That loss is what makes movement harder, metabolism slower, and day-to-day life feel more draining.

Research shows that metabolism does not just “slow down” in midlife. Instead, most people lose muscle, and muscle is very metabolically active. More muscle supports:
• better energy
• stronger bones
• better balance
• healthier aging
• greater confidence in your body

Strength training helps you rebuild and protect what matters most.

How do I build muscle in class?

To build muscle, you want to challenge your muscles close to “failure” in each working set. That means you work until you only have one or two good reps left with solid form.

Here is how to approach it:
• Choose weights that feel meaningfully challenging
• If the first 3 to 5 reps feel too easy, go heavier
• Aim for anywhere between 6 and 30 reps without taking a break
• Stop when you truly cannot do another rep with good form

Sometimes your instructor will program heavier weights for fewer reps. Other times you will work with lighter weights for more reps. Both strategies are supported by research and help you grow stronger.

Why is it important not to take breaks mid-set?

Short breaks in the middle of a set can interrupt recruitment of your Type II muscle fibers. Those are the fibers we lose most quickly as we age, and they are responsible for power, reaction time, and quick stability.

Training these fibers helps you:
• react faster
• support balance
• reduce falls
• feel strong and capable in real life

So when a set feels challenging, try to stay with it for at least 6 reps before taking a break or switching to a lighter weight. If 6 reps isn’t possible, switch to a lighter weight and work to failure with that weight. That is where the magic happens.

What is the best weekly schedule to build muscle?

To build muscle, research shows you need four quality sets per muscle group each week. Our Strength classes give you 2 to 3 of those sets. Pilates adds helpful strength, endurance, and great movement quality; and if you are intentional about choosing truly challenging resistance, Pilates may also count as 1 working set. To build the most muscle, plan to attend 3 resistance-based classes per week (Strength or Pilates) on non-consecutive days. Add in a yoga class or a more restorative Pilates class to support your recovery, core strength, and good movement mechanics on the other days.

In simple terms:

• Take 2-3 Resistance-Based Classes Per Week

• A minimum of 2 Strength classes per week on non-consecutive days is ideal for building muscle

• 1 Strength class per week can help maintain muscle

If you no longer feel like you are reaching muscular failure in Pilates, that is a sign that adding dedicated Strength classes is the best way to continue building muscle. If building muscle is your top goal and you only come twice a week, choose Strength both days.

Will I get bulky? What if my goal is to be toned?

No. A helpful visual: the way your body looks at the end of class, when muscles are temporarily “pumped,” is often similar to how you look with more muscle mass.

Looking “toned” comes from building muscle and reducing body fat. Strength training helps your body build the muscle tissue that gives your body shape and structure and supports your metabolism. Nutrition plays the biggest role in fat loss. Stay tuned for more resources on mindful nutrition…

What is the difference between building muscle and “feeling the burn?”

A workout does not have to burn or leave you sore to be effective. That burning feeling from very light weights and lots of reps is usually fatigue, not muscle growth. To actually build muscle, what matters is working a muscle close to true fatigue, where you only have one or two good reps left with solid form. 

Yoga and Pilates are wonderful for endurance, mobility, posture, and control. Strength class is where you safely challenge your muscles enough to actually grow them. You do not need soreness to know it worked. You need smart challenge and consistency.

How do Yoga and Pilates support building muscle?

Strength training places healthy stress on your body so your muscles get the signal to grow. But the actual change does not happen while you are lifting. It happens in the recovery that follows. That is when your body repairs tissue, rebuilds strength, balances hormones, and turns effort into progress.

That is where Yoga and Pilates come in.

Yoga helps your nervous system settle so your body can actually receive the benefits of your hard work. It supports recovery, reduces stress, improves mobility, and gives your brain a calmer place to live. Pilates helps you move well, reinforces good mechanics, builds core strength, and teaches your body how to support heavier work safely.

When you pair Strength with Yoga and Pilates, you are not just working harder. You are working smarter. You are giving your body the challenge it needs, the recovery it deserves, and the support required to build a strong, capable body you can trust for years to come.