PRIVATE – PERSONALISED – EFFECTIVE

Bespoke personal training designed to build muscle and increase strength

Strength Training: Personal Trainer Sessions

The best personal trainers will always tell you that building strength involves much more than just stacking extra weight on your squat or bench press. To get stronger, it’s essential that you balance personal training sessions with the right kind of nutrition and rest.

At Fitness Lab, we’ve been helping people get this balance exactly right for nearly 15 years. Won’t don’t just know the science either – every one of our personal training team knows first-hand what it takes to build muscle and push strength through the roof.

If building your strength is one of your fitness goals, book a free consultation and talk to us today about how we can help you achieve outstanding results.

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Personal training to build strength the right way

It might not look like it at a glance, but strength and conditioning is a very fine art.

You simply will not get the strength or look that you want by just adding calories and trying to push for a bigger one rep max. If you do, you’ll hit plateau after plateau, you’ll carry body fat where you don’t want it, and you may even end up injured.

At Fitness Lab, we’ll help you build strength on a rock-solid foundation. Every session with your dedicated strength and conditioning coach will be a meaningful step towards muscle building and an increase in functional strength – without compromising your health.

Starting with your consultation, we’ll look at every physical and mental health element that plays a part in making you stronger. What does a day look like for you? Do we need to work on any posture correction techniques? Do we need to look at any nutrition or sleep adjustments for a healthier lifestyle? Rest assured, if you want to get stronger, there’s no better team to have on your side.

Personal trainers backed by an expert team of specialists

Working with a personal trainer can sometimes be complicated. Sure, you’ll tick the weight training and strength training boxes in your PT sessions – but what happens if you need to book a sports massage or chiropractor session to work through an injury rehab niggle that’s holding you back? What if you need help with meal prep or planning what kind of food will help you hit your goals?

At Fitness Lab, we have these services – and more – right here in our Soho and Fitzrovia studios. This means we can offer a truly holistic approach – a full elite wraparound team that are on exactly the same page.

Don’t worry, just because we have the facilities doesn’t we don’t expect you to be a professional powerlifter! Our team of elite professionals just means we remove any potential hurdles that stand in the way of your goals.

Private workout pods to maximise weight training results

Personal training at Fitness Lab isn’t the same as working with a personal trainer in a public gym. Here, you have a private space that’s exclusively yours while you workout.

This means no queuing, no wiping down machinery, and no one watching what you’re doing. Instead, you’ve got dedicated private time and space with your trainer – so you can make every minute count.

Your private pod space has everything you need for incredible strength workouts too – from your own weights and conditioning equipment, right through to cutting-edge body composition scales that offer an incredible look at how your body is developing and how your muscle mass is growing.

Why not take a look at our facilities?

Testimonials

A Word From Our Clients

Based on 139 reviews

Fi Kim

2022-06-28

Great, clean facilities and tailored programs that have helped me with my fitness and health goals. Everyone is very kind & supportive, which makes for the perfect environment to train in. My PT Matt has helped me build strength as well as aid with the recovery of longterm muscle injuries. Highly recommend Fitness Lab.

tom graham

2022-05-03

Brett and Soho Fitness Lab are quite simply the best PT team I have trained with. Professional, knowledgeable and fantastic at tailoring a very tough work out with adaptions for my various historical injuries. The results speak for themselves. I can't recommend them highly enough!

Simon Purton

2022-04-13

Unbelievable professional in everything they do and it feels like the client is at the centre of everything with the strength and conditioned tailored specifically to goals and needs. Would recommend them to everyone

Darryl Samaraweera

2022-02-24

I've been training with Olivia at Soho Fitness Lab since the beginning of December and the experience has been brilliant. As a newbie to working with a P/T I was nervous going into it, but from the first session I saw I had nothing to worry about. The space is unlike your usual gyms - it’s private and just the right size, and has a smart feel to it. It's a perfect spot for pre-work workouts if you are in or around Soho, or live there like I do. Never thought I'd be happy getting up at 6am to go to the gym but always look forward to it as I see the progress I am making!

Michael Ash

2022-02-16

My experience with the FitnessLab team has been great. They listened to my ailments and put together an excellent program so that I can get on the road to recovery. Can’t recommend enough!

Sean S

2022-02-15

I’ve recently started training with James after a bit of a hiatus with my fitness. He really gets where I’m coming from, as I’m working around old injuries. The sessions are a lot of fun and I feel great afterwards. He really know what he’s doing and I’m excited to be back on the right path.

Matt Black

2022-02-08

Going to miss this place! Rhys was a top trainer 👏 highly recommend for those looking to progress in succeeding and living a healthy lifestyle 💪

Elio Elia

2021-11-01

I've found the team at Fitness Lab to be very professional, knowledgeable and flexible based on my capabilities and fitness goals. My PT, Rhys has been a great help in tailoring sessions and even adapting them whilst I had some sporting injuries. He has also taken the time outside of sessions to send tips on diet, demo videos of exercises to do at home and just generally communicate with me outside of the hourly sessions to keep me motivated, which is not something you normally get from past experiences elsewhere. I would highly recommend Fitness lab if you're serious about improving your fitness and/or have hit a brick wall with your 'run of the mill' PTs out there. It's well worth it in my opinion.

Max Lom-Bor

2021-10-15

Professional, knowledgeable and personal. I had a really brilliant trainer in Rhys who helped me achieve and even surpass my fitness goals while making the whole thing seem fun and manageable. No idea how. Class act, class gym 👍

Frequently Asked Questions

Will I be lifting lots of heavy weights to improve strength?

Everyone is different - with different strengths, weakness, limb lengths, and training history. As such, you'll never come to Fitness Lab and just be expected to lift big weights just because other people do. Instead, we'll carefully assess you and your abilities, then begin strength training in a safe and considered way.

If you're interested in how strength training can differ from person to person, we've talked to our personal trainers in London and explored this question in more detail on our blog: Should You Be Lifting Heavy Weights?

Do you offer high intensity interval training as part of your strength training?

Yes, we do. HIIT training is an outstanding way of conditioning your body and driving fat loss. We have all the gym facilities we need to create a massive range of HIIT workouts for our clients.

Can you help me work on grip strength?

Yes, we can. Grip strength is a factor that plays a huge role - both in personal training sessions and in everyday life. Our coaches will help identify if your grip strength could use some work, the programme the kinds of exercises that will help to boost that strength.

If you'd like to learn more about grip strength, we've created a dedicated blog on the subject: Why is Grip Strength Important?

Can you help me train for hypertrophy?

We can help you work towards any goal you have in mind - so yes, training to increase muscle size or 'tone up' is no problem and an area we have a lot of experience in.

We've created a blog that looks at hypertrophy and strength training - comparing and contrasting the two: What Does Hypertrophy of Muscles Mean?

Can I expect strength training to boost my mental health?

Almost certainly, yes. Most personal trainers will explain that as you exercise and get stronger, you’ll usually find that your levels of energy, focus, and general feeling of well-being increase too. Of course, exercise isn’t the answer to all mental health conditions, but even if you require medical support or medication, exercise is almost always going to be a helpful tool.

Will I be able to train my 'core' muscles?

Definitely! Having strong core muscles is effectively creating a solid foundation that other types of training will help you build upon. With a stronger core, you can expect better posture, improved balance, better exercising form, and better injury/pain resilience.

We've put together a detailed blog exploring the subject in more depth: The Best Core Exercises for Strength.

Do you have a City of London location?

Our private boutique studios are in Fitzrovia and Soho, roughly a 10 minute walk from the Square Mile – a perfect gentle warm-up for your workout!

Will having a personal trainer really help me get stronger?

Yes. We believe so - and we've got lots of past and present clients who are proof. More often than not, a person's potential strength far outweighs their level of strength training knowledge. As such, having an experienced coach on your side will help you reach levels that are virtually impossible without years of expert knowledge and the relevant qualifications.

If you're interested in learning more about what a personal trainer can offer, take a look at our blog post: How to Get Stronger with a Personal Trainer.

Will building strength help me to lose weight?

If weight loss is one of your goals, muscle and strength building workouts are an important part of how you’ll get there. Your body requires more energy to maintain muscle than it does fat – so as your strength grows, so will the amount of calories that you naturally burn as you go about your day. The most striking body transformations always begin with strength training.

Can you work with strength training beginners?

Absolutely! No matter what you goal or current level of fitness, improving your strength is always going to offer benefits. The personal trainers at Fitness Lab will be able to work with you and support you even if you've never stepped foot in gym before.

In fact, we've created a blog post that looks at this subject in more depth: Strength Training for Beginners.

What are some of the benefits of strength training?

Don't be fooled by thinking that strength training is just there to help you look better! You will almost certainly lose body fat and tone up - but a good strength training program will help improve heart health, prevent injuries, and even boost mental wellbeing.

We've explore these things in more detail in our dedicated blog: Strength Training Benefits.

Do you have the facilities for Olympic weightlifting training?

Yes, we do. Our range of weights and the space you’ll be working in allow for all kinds of complex compound lifts. What’s more, our expert personal trainers have an unmatched eye for form – so we’ll make sure your Olympic lifts have never been better.

How many sets should I do for strength?

Until we've got to know you and your training history, it's hard to say exactly what will be right for you when it comes to 'sets' and 'reps'. That said, anywhere in the range of 3-5 sets for 3-5 reps (with the proper rest time) will usually be sufficient.

The number of sets and reps you'll do as you progress in strength training will often change and become more specific. We've looked at this subject more in our blog: How Many Sets Should I do for Strength?

Can you offer nutritional advice to help my strength-building goals?

Absolutely. From a few helpful pointers and diet adjustments right through to bespoke daily meal prep and delivery, we can offer as much or as little support as you need. Our meal prep partner has specially designed menus for strength building too – catering for every appetite and dietary requirement.

Can strength training be helpful for runners?

Yes, it definitely can. Runners will often avoid strength training fearing that it will make them bulky and reduce their performance.

This is often a misconception though. A well-rounded program for runners should include some strength training - especially because it helps with injury prevention and coordination.

Take a more detailed look at how it could work for you in our blog: Adding Strength Training to a Runner's Workout Plan.

Can you help me work on knee strength and stability?

Yes, without doubt. When you first come to Fitness Lab, we'll carry out a detailed analysis that looks at stability and balance, then we'll put together a programme that will be suited to your needs.

Our knowledge of the knee is exceptional - and we even have specialist therapists who will be able to support you if you have any injuries or on-going issues.

You can learn more about the knee and training this area in our blog: Strength Exercises for Knee Stability.

Training for Strength