Get the Most Out of Lifting Lab: Pro Tips for a Smarter Approach

You've signed up for Lifting Lab. Smart choice. But signing up is just the first step – getting results requires intention, strategy, and knowing how to maximize every aspect of the challenge.

Lifting Lab isn’t just another workout program.

It’s your opportunity to train with purpose, return to the fundamentals, and break through plateaus that have been holding you back. This is where structure meets intensity. And if you’re ready to level up, here’s exactly how to get the most out of your 8 weeks inside the Lifting Lab Challenge.

Before You Start: Set Yourself Up to Win

Take Your Baseline Measurements

Don't skip this step. Progress photos, measurements, and strength benchmarks aren't just nice-to-haves – they're your roadmap to success.

You'll thank yourself later when you see exactly how far you've come. Use these features in the app to make it super-easy:

• Check-In Experience for photos, measurements + your why
• Weight & Rep Tracking for knowing where you started on each exercise (makes progressive overload easier)
• Apple Health Kit integration so you can automatically sync things like steps, fiber, macros, and more

Audit Your Equipment

Lifting Lab is built around foundational movements, but you need the right tools. If you're doing the home version of the challenge, ensure you have:

• A set of adjustable dumbbells or multiple weight options so you can progressively overload
• Resistance band kit (ours, or similar)
• A sturdy surface like a chair, couch or entryway bench
• Space to move freely during your workout
• Optional, but always good to have: foam rollers, exercise mat and cross-training shoes

Missing something? Get it now, not three weeks in.

Schedule Like a Professional

Block out your training times like non-negotiable meetings. You didn’t sign up for fluff workouts or random circuits. Lifting Lab is rooted in hypertrophy science and built around progressive overload, designed to help you train smarter, not just harder.

So, follow the plan. Five sessions per week for 45-60 minutes isn't just a suggestion – it's your contract with results. Treat it accordingly.

During the Challenge: Execution Is Everything

Follow the Progressive Overload Protocol

This isn't about going heavier every single workout. Progressive overload in Lifting Lab means:

• Week 1-2: Focus on form and establishing your baseline (just follow the plan)
• Week 3-4: Increase volume strategically (we do this for you in the programming)
• Week 5-6: Push intensity while maintaining perfect technique (up your weights where appropriate!)
• Week 7-8: Peak performance and testing your limits (really challenge yourself for maximum results)

Show up like you’re studying for your degree in strength. Review your workouts, track your numbers, and use each session as data toward long-term progress.

Embrace the Educational Components

Each week focuses on a specific theme for a reason. Don't just do the workouts, engage with the content:

• Macros (Week 1): Actually calculate and track yours. Deep dive into meal prepping, nutritious recipes and the endless resources we give you.
• Goals (Week 2): Write them down and review them weekly. We help you step-by-step with how to develop goals you'll stick to.
• Non-Scale Victories (Week 3): Document wins beyond the scale. The scale is just a number - how are your clothes fitting, what's your energy like, is your skin clearer, how has your mood changed.
• Alcohol (Week 4): Honestly assess its impact on your results. Midterms are a good time to celebrate, and of course you can still drink during the challenge!, but let's just be honest about its impacts.
• Cardio (Week 5): Understand how it fits into your strength goals, and why cardio doesn't always equal fat loss.
• Results (Week 6): Measure and celebrate your progress - week six is when you'll start to see the 'domino effect' where all your hard work starts visually paying off.
• Hormones (Week 7): Learn how they affect your training and simply take note of how you may need to tweak your training after the intense challenge during certain phases of your cycle.
• Maintain (Week 8): We help you plan for post-challenge success, and keeping the results you got for the long term!

Use the Community

You're not in this alone. The Sesh community is full of women on the same journey. Share your wins, ask questions, and support others. Accountability accelerates results.

Rest With Purpose

Recovery isn't laziness – it's strategic. Your muscles grow during rest, not just during workouts. Take your rest days seriously, prioritize sleep, and listen to your body. Here’s how to do it right:

• Nutrition: Hit your custom macros, especially protein. Your lifts need fuel.
• Sleep: No amount of caffeine can replace solid rest. Aim for 7–9 hours a night. Caffeine might make you feel alive, but it won’t sculpt your body like good old-fashioned sleep will
• Active rest days: Walk, mobilize, foam roll… whatever keeps your body moving without overtraining.

The women who will see the biggest changes in Lifting Lab are the ones who treat recovery like a performance tool, not an afterthought.

Maximizing Your Nutrition

Fuel Your Training

Lifting Lab requires energy. Under-eating will sabotage your strength gains and recovery. Focus on:

• Following your macro calculator macros (even if you think they're "too high" just trust the process
• Adequate protein
• Carbs around your workouts for quick-release energy
• Healthy fats for hormone regulation & energy stores
• Proper hydration with at least a gallon per day

Track Smart, Not Obsessively

Use the macro guidance from Week 1, but don't let tracking consume your life. The goal is awareness and consistency, not perfection.

The Mental Game

Expect Adaptation Periods

Week 1 might feel easy. Week 3 might feel brutal. This is normal. Your body is adapting to new stimulus. Trust the process.

Focus on Form Over Ego

Progressive overload means progression, not just adding weight. Perfect your technique before increasing load. Injury sets you back further than conservative progression. The most sculpted physiques in the world are built through repeated exposure to the same movement patterns. 

This program isn’t designed to entertain you. It’s designed to work.

Celebrate Small Wins

Completing Week 4 when you wanted to quit. Adding 5 pounds to your shoulder press. Feeling stronger walking up stairs. These moments matter.

Beyond the 8 Weeks

Document Your Transformation

Take those final photos and measurements. Calculate your strength gains. Write down what you learned about yourself, your capabilities, and your relationship with training. Not only will this feel good, but this is how you get entered to win prizes!

Plan Your Next Phase

Lifting Lab doesn't end your fitness journey – it elevates it. Use what you've learned to structure your ongoing training. Maybe another Sesh challenge, maybe independent programming, but always with intention.

Getting the most out of Lifting Lab – or any challenge – isn't about perfection.

It's about showing up consistently, following the program as designed, and staying curious about your own potential.

You signed up because you're ready to level up. Now prove it to yourself. The syllabus is set. The science is sound. Your only job is to show up and do the work.

Are you ready to graduate from guesswork?

Still need to sign up for Lifting Lab? Don't wait – join the challenge before spots fill up.