How long before I see a difference?

Strength tends to move first, inside a few weeks, because a good deal of early progress is your nervous system learning the lift rather than new tissue. Visible size takes months. Anyone giving you a shorter answer than that is selling something.

Do I need to eat a lot more?

More than you are eating now, and usually more protein than you expect. How much more depends on your size and what you do all day, so it is worked out at the assessment rather than guessed at.

Can I still build muscle in my forties or fifties?

Yes. It is slower than it was at twenty-five and recovery takes up more of the plan, which changes how the week is arranged rather than whether it works at all.

Should I lose fat first?

Often, if there is a fair amount to lose. It is easier to see what you are building underneath, and the two goals pull in opposite directions. You will get a straight answer at the assessment about which order suits you.

How many sessions a week do I need?

Fewer than most people assume, provided the ones you do are progressive and you train between them. We would rather programme two sessions you will not miss than four you will.

How much does it cost?

£180 an hour. Most people start with a six to eight week trial rather than committing to anything longer, and block bookings reduce the effective rate.

Personal training for muscle building in London

Building muscle is not complicated. It is slow, and it needs two things kept going at once for longer than most people manage.

Saul Katz is a World's Strongest Man finalist and our strength specialist. He works mainly with men who want to get genuinely strong, change their physique and stop feeling their age.

Sessions are one-to-one at our private studio on Orchard Street, a minute from Bond Street, at £180 an hour.

Call 07590 622020 Send an enquiry

Racked Eleiko dumbbells along the wall of the studio's training floor

The difference

What changes when muscle is the goal

Weight loss and muscle pull against each other on one point. One needs you eating less than you use; the other needs you eating more. Train for years without picking one and you get the middle of both, which is where a lot of people have been stuck for a decade.

So the first decision is which one you are actually doing, and for how long. Then the training is built to match it, and we stop moving the goalposts every three weeks.

That decision gets made with you at the assessment, on the numbers, rather than on whichever one sounds better in January.

Programming

Progressive, not just hard

A hard session is the easiest thing in the world to produce. Anyone can make you tired, and being made tired is what most people are paying for without realising it.

What actually adds muscle is the same movements getting measurably heavier, or getting more reps, across months. That needs someone writing it down and holding you to it.

So the programme is planned in blocks rather than invented each week, your lifts are logged, and progression is deliberate. When a lift stops moving, that is information, not a reason to change everything for a fortnight.

Meet Saul →How the method works →

A client pressing a pair of dumbbells overhead with a coach standing behind him

A coach cueing a client's position through a supported row in the rack

Nutrition

Eating enough is the part people skip

Training is the part everyone wants to talk about. Eating enough, consistently, across months, is the part that decides whether the training does anything at all.

If you have trained hard for years without much changing shape, this is the usual reason. Not a missing exercise, and not a supplement.

It is also the part that has to survive client dinners, travel and a job that does not keep regular hours, which is why it gets built around your week rather than handed to you on a sheet.

Results

Strength and size, on the record

These are individual results, not an average. Uzayr came to put weight on; the other two added strength and muscle while their overall weight came down. Each has their own page with the plan behind it.

Uzayr Sher

5kg gained, and confident in the gym

60kg → 65kg·5kg gained·16 months

Darren Bungay

20kg down, energy back

97kg → 77kg·20kg lost·14 months

Adam Rees

More progress in 16 weeks than 16 years

86kg → 75kg·11kg lost·16 weeks

See all client results

Questions people ask

How long before I see a difference?: Strength tends to move first, inside a few weeks, because a good deal of early progress is your nervous system learning the lift rather than new tissue. Visible size takes months. Anyone giving you a shorter answer than that is selling something.
Do I need to eat a lot more?: More than you are eating now, and usually more protein than you expect. How much more depends on your size and what you do all day, so it is worked out at the assessment rather than guessed at.
Can I still build muscle in my forties or fifties?: Yes. It is slower than it was at twenty-five and recovery takes up more of the plan, which changes how the week is arranged rather than whether it works at all.
Should I lose fat first?: Often, if there is a fair amount to lose. It is easier to see what you are building underneath, and the two goals pull in opposite directions. You will get a straight answer at the assessment about which order suits you.
How many sessions a week do I need?: Fewer than most people assume, provided the ones you do are progressive and you train between them. We would rather programme two sessions you will not miss than four you will.
How much does it cost?: £180 an hour. Most people start with a six to eight week trial rather than committing to anything longer, and block bookings reduce the effective rate.

If losing weight is the more pressing job first, that page is here. Or read the muscle and strength articles.

Start with a conversation

Tell us what you have been doing and what has not moved. We will give you an honest answer about whether we can help, and no session until we both think it is right.

07590 622020

Monday to Friday, 6am–9pm