Muscle Training Course

Lesson 1 • Energy Systems for Muscle Work

Describes ATP-PCr, glycolytic, and oxidative pathways and their time domains. Informs exercise intensity and duration programming.

Lesson 2 • Anatomy of Skeletal Muscle

Covers muscle architecture from macro to micro levels. Provides the anatomical baseline needed for all subsequent training decisions.

Lesson 3 • Muscle Fatigue and Recovery Mechanisms

Identifies peripheral and central fatigue contributors. Establishes recovery principles that underpin rest interval programming.

Lesson 4 • Mechanics of Muscle Contraction

Explains the sliding filament theory and cross-bridge cycling. Connects contraction mechanics to force production in training.

Lesson 1 • Acute vs. Chronic Adaptations

Distinguishes immediate physiological responses from long-term structural changes. Helps students set realistic timelines for client or personal goals.

Lesson 2 • Specificity and Transfer of Training

Examines how closely training must match the target activity for maximal transfer. Guides exercise selection for sport and functional goals.

Lesson 3 • Core Training Principles Overview

Presents overload, specificity, reversibility, and individuality as the governing framework. Connects each principle to practical programming decisions.

Lesson 4 • Training Variables and Their Roles

Defines volume, intensity, frequency, and rest as the primary levers of programme design. Shows how manipulating each variable shifts training outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Upper Body Exercise Technique

Teaches pressing and pulling exercises for chest, back, and shoulders. Builds on push-pull classification to ensure balanced upper body development.

Lesson 2 • Warm-Up and Mobility Preparation

Structures a systematic pre-training routine to optimise performance and reduce injury risk. Connects mobility work to improved exercise technique.

Lesson 3 • Lower Body Exercise Technique

Covers squat, deadlift, and lunge variations with cuing strategies. Directly applies movement pattern knowledge to the largest muscle groups.

Lesson 4 • Core and Trunk Stability Training

Distinguishes anti-extension, anti-rotation, and anti-lateral-flexion demands. Integrates trunk stability as a foundation for all loaded movements.

Lesson 1 • Exercise Selection for Muscle Growth

Guides compound vs. isolation exercise balance and stretch-position loading. Connects exercise choice to maximising tension across the full range of motion.

Lesson 2 • Hypertrophy Programme Structure

Assembles frequency, split design, and exercise order into a complete hypertrophy programme. Applies all chapter concepts into a coherent weekly training plan.

Lesson 3 • Mechanisms of Muscle Hypertrophy

Explains mechanical tension, metabolic stress, and muscle damage as primary hypertrophy drivers. Grounds all subsequent method choices in physiological rationale.

Lesson 4 • Volume and Intensity for Hypertrophy

Defines optimal set and rep ranges and load zones for muscle growth. Enables precise manipulation of training variables for hypertrophy outcomes.

Lesson 1 • Periodisation for Strength and Power

Applies linear, undulating, and block periodisation models to strength and power goals. Structures long-term training cycles to peak performance at target dates.

Lesson 2 • Neural Adaptations for Strength

Explains motor unit synchronisation, rate coding, and inhibition reduction as strength drivers. Distinguishes neural gains from hypertrophic gains established earlier.

Lesson 3 • Power Training and Plyometrics

Defines power as force times velocity and introduces ballistic and plyometric methods. Extends strength foundations into explosive movement capacity.

Lesson 4 • Accessory and Weak-Point Training

Identifies limiting factors in primary lifts and prescribes targeted accessory work. Ensures balanced development that supports maximal strength expression.

Lesson 1 • Macronutrient Roles in Muscle Training

Defines protein, carbohydrate, and fat functions in muscle repair and energy provision. Establishes the nutritional foundation for all subsequent dietary strategies.

Lesson 2 • Bulking and Cutting Nutrition Phases

Structures caloric surplus and deficit phases to maximise muscle gain while managing fat. Connects periodisation concepts to dietary phase planning.

Lesson 3 • Protein Intake Strategies

Quantifies daily protein targets, meal distribution, and source quality for muscle growth. Directly applies protein physiology to practical dietary planning.

Lesson 4 • Evidence-Based Supplementation

Evaluates creatine, caffeine, beta-alanine, and protein supplements by research strength. Enables informed, cost-effective supplement decisions within a nutrition plan.

Lesson 1 • Programme Templates for Common Goals

Provides ready-to-adapt templates for hypertrophy, strength, and general fitness goals. Bridges theoretical design principles to practical, usable programme formats.

Lesson 2 • Autoregulation and Programme Adjustment

Introduces RPE-based and velocity-based autoregulation to adapt programmes in real time. Extends monitoring skills from earlier chapters into dynamic programme management.

Lesson 3 • Designing Training Blocks and Phases

Structures accumulation, intensification, and realisation phases within a macrocycle. Applies periodisation models from earlier chapters to full programme architecture.

Lesson 4 • Needs Analysis and Goal Setting

Conducts a systematic assessment of client goals, history, and constraints. Provides the decision-making foundation for all subsequent programme design choices.

Lesson 1 • Long-Term Athletic Development

Frames a multi-year training career with progressive phases from novice to advanced. Synthesises all course content into a sustainable, evolving training philosophy.

Lesson 2 • Sleep and Systemic Recovery

Quantifies sleep's role in hormonal recovery, protein synthesis, and CNS restoration. Establishes sleep as the highest-priority recovery tool in any training plan.

Lesson 3 • Overtraining and Overreaching Management

Distinguishes functional overreaching from non-functional overreaching and overtraining syndrome. Provides early detection and corrective strategies to protect long-term progress.

Lesson 4 • Active Recovery and Modalities

Evaluates foam rolling, massage, cold water immersion, and low-intensity activity. Guides evidence-based selection of recovery modalities by context and goal.