Autumn intake is open — three weekday morning places from 5 October. Hold a place

Spruce Verge Strength & conditioning coaching
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A person mid-set on a barbell lift in a plain, well-lit training studio

Small practice · four lanes · fixed weekly slots

Coaching built around the days you can actually train

I run one training room and one hill path. Every block is written for two or three sessions a week — the ones you will keep — and reviewed out loud every six weeks.

  • 50-minute coached sessions
  • Six-week written blocks
  • Four people maximum per slot
Enquire about a lane See the four lanes

Training lanes

Pick the lane that matches where you are now

Lanes are not levels. They describe what a block is trying to do, and each one has an honest entry point — read the “suits you if” line before you enquire.

Lane 01

Foundation Strength

Suits you if
You have been away from structured training for a year or more, or you have never been shown the lifts properly.
Session shape
Two coached sessions a week. Hinge, squat, push, pull and carry, loaded slowly with a fixed warm-up you learn by heart.
You take home
A one-page block sheet, cues written in your own words, and a short mobility routine for non-training days.
Lane 02

Hill & Trail Conditioning

Suits you if
You already walk or run comfortably for forty minutes and want to get stronger on climbs and rough ground.
Session shape
One session on the verge path — tempo efforts, hill repeats, descent control — plus one strength session indoors.
You take home
Effort ranges described in plain language, a route ladder to progress through, and a wet-weather alternative.
Lane 03

Rebuild After Injury

Suits you if
You have finished or are finishing physiotherapy and have been cleared to load. I coach alongside that plan, never instead of it.
Session shape
Two shorter sessions a week. Slow tempo work, single-leg and single-arm loading, and a weekly check on what still feels sharp.
You take home
A written progression with clear stop signs, and notes I can share with your physiotherapist if you ask me to.
Lane 04

Race Block: 10K to Half

Suits you if
You have a date in the diary at least twelve weeks out and can commit to three running days plus one strength day.
Session shape
One coached interval or hill session, two runs you do alone to a written brief, and one short strength session.
You take home
A twelve-week calendar, a taper plan, and a race-morning routine we rehearse in the last coached session.

Your first six weeks

What committing actually looks like

Nothing here is a surprise. This is the same sequence for every lane, and you can stop after step two if it is not the right fit.

0135 minutes

Movement conversation

We talk through your history, what hurts, what you enjoy, and which days are realistic. No training, no charge, and no pressure to book on the spot.

0250 minutes

Baseline session

A full session at easy loads so I can see how you move under a little fatigue. You leave knowing your starting weights and your warm-up.

03Six weeks

The block

Your fixed slot each week, written progressions between sessions, and small adjustments when a week goes sideways. Weeks are meant to be moved, not missed.

0425 minutes

Review and re-plan

We compare the block against what you wanted from it, keep what worked, and decide together whether you stay in the same lane or change.

Weekly timetable

Fixed slots, held for the whole block

When you join a lane you take the same slot each week for six weeks. Outdoor slots meet at the verge path gate; studio slots are indoors.

  • Monday Foundation Strength — studio 06:15 · 07:20 · 18:30
  • Tuesday Hill repeats — verge path 06:30 · 17:45
  • Wednesday Rebuild After Injury — studio 09:00 · 10:00 · 13:30
  • Thursday Foundation Strength — studio 06:15 · 07:20
  • Friday Race Block intervals — verge path 06:30 · 17:45
  • Saturday Long climb, all lanes welcome — verge path 08:00

Sunday is deliberately empty. If a slot is full I will tell you which week it next opens rather than squeezing a fifth person in.

How I coach

Fewer exercises, better repetitions, written down

I coach one thing at a time and I say why. If you cannot explain your own session back to me, I have not done my part of it.

A coach watching a client carry a kettlebell across the training floor
Studio work — loaded carries and one cue at a time
A runner working uphill on a gravel path beside trees at first light
The verge path — hill repeats and descent control
  • Five movements, not fiftyBlocks are built from a short list you get genuinely good at. Variety comes from load and tempo, not from new exercises every week.
  • Every session written before you arriveYou see the plan at the door and keep the sheet afterwards, so a missed week never means starting from nothing.
  • Pain is information, not a testWe change the movement rather than push through it, and I note what we changed so the next session starts from the right place.
  • You learn the warm-up by heartBy week three you should be able to start without me. That is the point.
  • Six weeks, then an honest conversationIf a lane is not working I will say so and suggest something else, including training without me for a while.

Before you start

Questions people ask first

Do I need gym experience?

No. Lane 01 assumes you have never touched a barbell, and the first two sessions are mostly teaching. If you already train, tell me what you have been doing and I will start from there instead.

What should I bring to a first session?

Flat, firm-soled shoes, water, and clothing you can squat and reach in. For outdoor slots bring a light waterproof layer. There is no need for gloves, belts or straps at the start.

Can you work around an injury or an existing physio plan?

Yes, once you have been cleared to load. Lane 03 exists for exactly this. Bring your physiotherapist's guidance and I will keep my written progressions inside it, and share session notes with them if you want me to.

What happens if I miss a session?

Tell me before the day if you can. We move the session inside the same week where the timetable allows, and if that is impossible I rewrite the following week so the block still lands properly.

Do you write plans for the days we do not train together?

Every lane includes written work for your own days — a short strength session, a run brief, or mobility, depending on the lane. It is deliberately brief so it actually gets done.

What happens to outdoor slots in bad weather?

Hill and interval sessions run in rain and wind. They move indoors for ice, lightning or unsafe footing on the descent, and I confirm the change the evening before rather than at the gate.

How long before I notice a change?

Most people feel steadier in the lifts or on climbs inside three weeks, because technique moves first. Load and endurance follow over a full block, which is why the review sits at week six rather than week two.

Enquire

Start with the movement conversation

Send the lane you are interested in and the days that usually work. I reply with the slots currently open and a time for the 35-minute conversation — no cost, no obligation to book a block.

Enquiries are answered between sessions, usually within a day. Your details are used only to arrange the conversation.