Strength Train: Build Muscle, Boost Metabolism, Transform Your Health

Why Strength Training Is Foundational To Better Health

Strength training isn’t just another fitness trend—it’s the transformative journey to building a resilient, capable body. At Motive Training, we believe strength training is more than lifting weights; it’s about strategic, intentional movement that aligns with your goals. Strength training isn’t limited to improving muscle mass—it transforms how you move, feel, and function. It can elevate your overall health and quality of life by systematically addressing weak points, incorporating mobility, and training with purpose.

The benefits of strength training go far beyond aesthetics. It improves bone density, supports joint integrity, and helps prevent chronic conditions like heart disease. Resistance training boosts your metabolism by building muscle tissue, which means you burn more calories throughout the day—even at rest. Most importantly, it’s inclusive and scalable to anyone’s starting point, from complete beginners to seasoned athletes.

How Strength Training Works At Motive

At Motive, we don’t just use strength training, we craft it to create stronger, more resilient humans. Our approach goes beyond simply targeting major muscle groups with a standard set of exercises. We assess each client’s functional range of motion and address limitations before adding external loads, ensuring that you’re not just moving weights but moving well.

Strength training here integrates the Internal Strength Model, which prioritizes joint rotation, workspace expansion, and tissue-specific training before progressing to broader compound lifts. For instance, if you lack rotational capacity in your shoulder, you won’t benefit fully from overhead pressing until that capacity is restored. This is why our approach is rooted in assessments like Functional Range Assessments (FRA) to identify specific areas of opportunity.

When building a strength training program, we think beyond patterns like “push” or “pull.” Instead, we look at what inputs your body needs most to improve movement and strength in tandem. A squat isn’t just a squat—it’s a movement requiring sufficient hip rotation, spinal integrity, and ankle mobility. If one piece of that puzzle is missing, we address it with targeted interventions.

The Benefits Of Strength Training, The Motive Way

The advantages of strength training multiply when you pair it with scientific precision. By training with intent, you can expect:

• Improved Body Composition: Resistance training builds lean muscle while reducing body fat, reshaping your body’s performance and appearance.
• Better Joint Health: Unlike conventional programs, we don’t ignore joint limitations. Strength training becomes a tool to create healthier, more functional joints.
• Stronger Everyday Movement: Training isn’t about gym performance; it’s about making daily life easier and pain—free, like carrying groceries or playing with your kids.
• Metabolic Boost: Increased muscle mass translates to a higher resting metabolic rate, helping you burn calories more efficiently.

Strength training at Motive is structured to deliver these outcomes while reducing injury risks, thanks to our methodical approach to progression and movement quality.

Nuanced Strength Training Exercises

Every exercise in our programs has a reason. Here’s how a few might look in the Motive context:

1. Hip Rotation PAILs/RAILs: Before introducing weighted squats, we focus on increasing hip rotation through progressive and regressive isometrics to ensure proper joint function.
2. Scapular CARs: Preparing the shoulder for pressing exercises by improving scapular control, ensuring smooth and pain-free movement under load.
3. Deadlifts with Intent: Rather than loading heavy immediately, we evaluate and refine hinge mechanics, ensuring proper engagement of the glutes, hamstrings, and spinal stabilizers.
4. Split Squat Variations: A focus on unilateral lower-body strength with added isometric holds for improved balance and force absorption.

These exercises prioritize movement and quality of movement, addressing weak links in your kinetic chain. The goal isn’t to hit arbitrary numbers but to build a stronger foundation that can support more complex and heavier lifts over time.

Designing A Motive Training Program

A cookie-cutter workout split doesn’t cut it here. Instead, at Motive, programs are meticulously tailored based on assessments and goals. Here’s an example of how we might structure a session:

• Warm-Up: CARs (Controlled Articular Rotations) for shoulders, hips, and spine to assess and improve joint workspace.
• Primary Workspace Development: PAILs/RAILs or kinetic stretching targeting limited joints could mean addressing a hip with restricted internal rotation or a stiff thoracic spine.
• Strength Block: Compound movements like squats or deadlifts paired with isometrics or eccentrics to reinforce joint stability under load.
• Accessory Work: Isolation exercises that complement the main lift, such as lateral hip abductions to support hip stability for squatting or anti-rotation core drills for deadlifts.
• Cool-Down: Light mobility work to reinforce gains made during the session, focusing on areas worked in the strength block.

This program isn’t static—it evolves with your progress. Exercises are adjusted to challenge you as your mobility and strength improve.

Recovery And Nutrition: Keys To Success

Recovery is a critical piece of the strength training puzzle. At Motive, we educate clients on balancing training stress with adequate recovery strategies. Tools like dynamic stretching, light mobility work on rest days, and proper sleep hygiene are integral to your overall fitness plan.

Nutrition is equally essential. Building muscle requires a well-rounded diet rich in protein to support repair and growth. Depending on your goals, we may recommend adjustments to your intake to align with training demands, whether that’s increasing calories for muscle gain or balancing macronutrients to enhance fat loss.

Final Thoughts

Strength training, when done with intent and precision, is transformative. At Motive, it’s not just about lifting weights—it’s about rebuilding how you move, enhancing joint integrity, and giving you the tools to live pain-free and perform at your best. Whether you’re starting strength training or looking to refine your approach, our science-driven programs and personalized attention ensure that every step you take is purposeful and effective. Ready to begin your journey? Let’s redefine strength together.

Written by:

Brian Murray, FRA, FRSC

Founder of Motive Training

We’ll teach you both how to move with purpose so you can lead a healthy, strong, and pain-free life. Our headquarters are in Austin, TX, but you can work with us online by signing up for KINSTRETCH Online or digging deep into one of our Motive Mobility Blueprints.