Muscle Basics: Building Strength That Fits Real Life
Hello friends,
Today’s blog topic is one I love, love, love: building muscle. I hope you enjoy!
Muscle Basics: Where to Start
Today we’re breaking muscle building down into the basics:
How to configure a program
What a program needs
How to progress
The Beginner (or the Restart)
To begin, let’s talk about scenario one. The beginner.
Suppose you’re someone who hasn’t done resistance training in a long time—or maybe ever.
When I work with clients who are new to resistance training, the first thing I do isn’t randomly assign exercises. Instead, I must first assess:
Experience level
Comfort with strength training
Time available to exercise
If someone is a novice, we start with the basics. The internet is full of flashy, complex movements—high velocity lifts, advanced patterns, and heavy weights flying everywhere. If you’re new to strength training, that can feel intimidating and honestly, it’s inappropriate as a starting point.
So instead, the focus is on five fundamental movement patterns that create a well-rounded resistance training program:
Upper body push – push-ups, chest press, bench press
Upper body pull – rows, lat pulldowns, pull-ups
Lower body push – squats, lunges, step-ups
Lower body pull – deadlifts, bridges, thrusters
Core – planks, abdominal bracing, rotational work
If you cover those five movement patterns, you have everything you need.
And here’s the key: it does NOT need to be complicated to be effective.
A simple, effective workout might look like:
Squat
Push-up
Row
Bridge
Plank
Those movements will:
Build muscle
Improve function and balance
Support bone health
Consistency matters far more than complexity. A 20–30 minute program done consistently will always beat an hour-long plan that never happens.
What Do You Actually Need to Do Build Muscle?
This is where science helps us out.
Your brain is ancient. Prehistoric, really. Think about life before supermarkets! It doesn’t like wasting energy. It only invests resources when it believes something is necessary.
If your workouts feel too easy, your brain won’t be bothered with building muscle or bone. You aren’t telling it you NEED IT.
Research suggests that for most, to trigger significant muscle growth, we need to complete about 6–9 sets per muscle group per week.
Here’s what that can look like in a program:
Five movement patterns
3 sets of 10–15 reps
Done 2-3 days per week
The Two Non-Negotiables
You must do it regularly, and it must feel challenging.
Remember, if your brain doesn’t perceive the work you put in is hard, it has no reason to invest the resources needed to build muscle.
What About Someone Who Wants More?
Now let’s talk about scenario two.
This is perhaps someone who:
Was an avid lifter earlier in life
Understands basic movement patterns well
Has about 45-60 minutes, three days a week to engage in training
Great. Now we build.
We still use the same five movement patterns—but we expand them to support specific goals. Want more strength or power? No problem, add movement variations and volume.
The foundation stays the same. The program simply grows with the person to reach their specific goals.
And yes—consistency and load still matter most.
The Big Takeaway
You can build muscle, support bone health, improve function, and feel strong and energized with a small, effective program.
It doesn’t need to be complicated.
It needs to be:
Sustainable
Enjoyable
Realistic
So many people set massive fitness goals that don’t fit their actual lives. That’s where frustration and burnout happen.
Remember, though this blog lays out a program aimed at building muscle, something is always better than nothing. Any activity you engage in is a win for your health.
Your Well•ish Experiment
This week, take a look at:
What is your knowledge and skill level regarding resistance training
What are your goals for building muscle
How much time do you have to invest in a plan
Then ask yourself how you might build the right program that fits YOUR life.
And as always, talk with your physician before starting a new fitness program to make sure it aligns with your personal health.
You’ve got this.
Have a great week—and stay well•ish.
— Dani
