Discover YOUR Strong

The Strength Code Palm Desert Studio

Personalized Strength Training

Once-a-Week for Half an Hour

Slow Motion, High-Intensity Method

One-On-One in Our Private Studio

Let us unlock the code to your personal strength and fitness. At The Strength Code Palm Desert, our mission is simple; to help you attain your ideal health and fitness. We recognize that every person is unique, and that’s why we customize a program specifically for your body and your goals. Our method of training is one of the safest ways to build muscle and is also highly effective. And perhaps most exciting of all – our workout is so efficient you only need 30 minutes, once a week! Click Here to Get Our Intro Offer!

Our Method Works!

Slow Motion, High-Intensity
Strength Training

The Strength Code Palm Desert is a boutique strength training studio that uses slow-motion, high intensity training under the direction of a Certified Strength Training Specialist. You will work one-on-one, by appointment only, in a quiet, cool, focused environment. This 30-minute workout is quite challenging, but extremely safe, and so effective you only need to do it once a week.

Most of us are familiar with exercise systems that work from the concept of “more is better.” But how long can you keep doing more and more? We believe that high quality, MEANINGFUL EXERCISE should be the goal. Not only is it more productive, it’s easier on your joints and ligaments. View Our Covid-19 Safety Protocols.

The Benefits of Strength

Lower Abdominal Fat

The dangers of lower abdominal (or visceral) fat includes several serious conditions such as elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and insulin resistance levels. This subcutaneous abdominal fat can also promote inflammation, which is associated with some cancers, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

As women age it is common to experience more abdominal fat and/or an elevated ratio of body fat to body weight. Even in the absence of weight gain many women find extra inches of visceral fat in their lower abdominal section.

While medications can help improve cardiovascular health they won’t lower abdominal obesity. Strength training builds lean muscle tissue, which raises the amount of fat your body can release. Strength training also increases overall strength so, overtime you are able to release more and more visceral fat.

Indications in a recent study suggests you don’t have to lose a lot of fat to start experiencing results. Researchers observed that just five to 10% of body weight loss, particularly in the lower abdominal area, will start reducing health risks immediately.

Better Cardio Health

Exercising your muscles will automatically increase blood flow and expand the capillaries in your bloodstream. These functions allow larger amounts of oxygen into your bloodstream, enabling your heart to function more efficiently and remove toxins and waste from your body.

Strength training generally improves your cardiovascular system but only when you work your muscles to complete fatigue. This fatigue or “failure,” increases the size of your arteries.

Larger arteries cause less heart-attack-related blockages. Also, when blood flow increases and your arteries expand by pushing your muscles to fatigue (or “failure),” it reduces the amount of stress on your artery walls.

While slow-motion strength training has a clear, positive impact on your cardiovascular system, it achieves these benefits without damaging joints, which is a common downside of many popular exercises such as aerobics.

Controlling Blood Sugar Levels

For individuals with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, improving insulin sensitivity helps managing diabetes easier and can help reduce the intake of diabetes medication. Resistance (strength) training is one of the most powerful ways known to improve insulin sensitivity.

For up to 72 hours after exercising, the body tends to utilize insulin more effectively. This is because glucose derived from food is primarily absorbed in muscle tissue. The more muscle mass a person has the more carbohydrates will be stored in the body as muscle glycogen.

Resistance training helps builds muscle mass. Retaining as much muscle as possible is therefore beneficial to blood glucose management. That said, it is always best to consult a physician before starting any new exercise regimen.

Reduced Cancer Risk

More and more studies are showing definitive correlations between exercise and reductions in the risk of developing cancer. Among the range of exercises available, strength training seems to have the strongest positive correlations to cancer prevention.

The University of Sydney School of Public Health conducted a resent research study comparing cardio and strength/resistance training to mortality rates caused by various diseases. The results consistently revealed strength/resistance (weight bearing) exercises lowered the risk of developing cancer among participants.

While the study didn’t specify why, we’ve long known that strength training increases the insulin receptors found in muscles. Strength/resistance training can limit the growth of cancerous cells by diverting sugar away from cancer cells to the muscles.

Today, strength/resistance training is considered an important adjunct therapy for managing the progression of cancer. The American Journal of Epidemiology study recommends the inclusion of strength/resistance weight-bearing exercise in one’s weekly exercise routine.

Lowered Injury Risks

The origins of slow-motion, high intensity strength training arose, in large part, out of a 33-year-old study on osteoporosis, led by Ken Hutchins at the University of Florida Hospital. The slow speed was implemented out of concern that the 60+-year-old female study subjects, each with osteoporosis, might injure themselves.

Research findings showed the the slower training created more muscle mass safely even though the subjects engaged in less frequent workouts. 

Strength training becomes safe with each repetition that is performed correctly, ideally under the supervision of a certified personal trainer. This is because resistance exercises use more (and deeper) muscle fibers to stimulate muscle growth while avoiding injuries commonly associated with most other exercises.

Increased Bone Density

In an initial study on osteoporosis conducted by Ken Hutchins and a team at the University of Florida in the 1980’s, hoped to prove that strength training could reverse osteoporosis among patients with the most severe cases.

Findings revealed traditional strength training with lower weights and higher repetitions increased injury risk among patients with brittle bones. When Hutchins slowed velocity to reduce force and increased weight to stimulate the growth hormone it reduced the risk of injury AND helped increase bone density.

Hutchins made additional refinements, which included applying meaningful resistance, deep diaphragmatic breathing, proper alignment, and the use of retrofitted machines along with the supervision of a personal trainer to oversee exercises. The result was complete osteoporosis reversal!

Scientific research has shown that resistance training stimulates the osteoblasts to deposit new bone. In order to make continuous progress building bone density, it is important to progressively increase exertion to continue growth stimulation.

While people typically do this by extending the duration of exercise, which can lead to injuries, the best way, our way, is to apply incrementally heavier weight. As your body strengthens you will continue slow, steady, well-aligned progress.

Strengthened Mental Health

Strength training is becoming increasingly recognized for its health-related benefits. These include lower risks of cardiovascular events (i.e., heart attack and stroke), improved glucose metabolism, better body composition, and lower blood pressure for those with pre-hypertension and hypertension (Garber et al., 2011).

Resistance training is also recognized in the prevention/management of osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and metabolic syndrome. There is significantly less research regarding mental health benefits.

One study conducted by O’Connor, Herring, and Carvalho (2010), was an extensive literature review on the link between strength training and mental health. Highlights from their findings include that strength training was shown to:

  • Improve executive control
  • Improve cognition
  • Reduced anxiety
  • Improve memory
  • May lessen depression
  • Cause less chronic fatigue
  • Improve quality of sleep
  • Improve self-esteem

While more research is needed, preliminary findings suggest that strength training may help improve multiple areas of mental health.

Improved Flexibility and Mobility

Strength training can improve both flexibility and range of motion, particularly when executed using proper technique and form. Static stretching is often harmful to joints when overdone. Properly executed strength training will increase flexibility and stability of the joints.

This is because our muscles are similar to rubber bands. If overly stretched and subjected to a heavy load, they are less able to pull the load and more vulnerable to tear.

The strongest rubber bands, however, like strong muscles, retain a stiffness that allows them to pull more load, therefore building strength while also sustaining an appropriate range of flexibility and mobility.

Elevated Body Image

Several studies have examined the connection between body image and strength training, particularly among females. Findings show that women report feeling more positive about their bodies after completing a resistance training program than those women who don’t.

A 2015 study of middle-aged and older women showed that consistent strength training improves body image and perceived physical appearance – regardless of the actual aesthetic results.

These researchers concluded that improvements to mental health, energy levels, and overall feelings of accomplishment are the likely stimulus for improving overall body image.

Higher Metabolism and More

One way that strength training increases metabolism is by adding more lean muscle mass to your frame, which enables you to intensify your workouts. The more intense your workout, the more calories you will burn—even while resting. Over time this calorie burn will add up significantly.

Several studies also show that resistance training can boost a resting metabolism. One study of healthy but untrained adults over the age of 65, participated in a 26-week resistance training program. Each performed a total body workout using progressively heavier weights to gradually increase their workout challenge.

When the researchers compared these participant’s post-program resting metabolic rate to their resting metabolic rate before the program, they noted a significant, 7% improvement. While 7% might seem small, it would roughly equate to burning an additional 100 calories each day.

Another 2012 study arrived at a similar conclusion. After participating in a 10-week resistance training study, participants showed a 7% boost in their resting metabolic rate. They also showed gains in their walking speed, improvements to their functional performance, weight loss, and enhanced cognitive abilities.

Additional studies revealed that strength training was shown to be better at boosting metabolism than endurance exercises such as cycling, running, and brisk walking.

Intro Offer
First 2 for $50

Get your First 2 sessions for $50

Your First Session – Introduction to The Strength Code Method. Comprehensive Fitness Consultation.

Your Second Session – Go deeper and truly experience how effective this unique method is in just half an hour a week!

The Strong Response

“I love training with Lisa at The Strength Code! It’s not a typical gym, it’s a private fitness studio, which makes it a personalized workout experience that is very catered to my needs and goals. Gaining overall strength is important to me, and Lisa has tailored my sessions to help me do just that. Couldn’t ask for better!”

Kristi F.

“I am a big fan of this kind of workout. I don’t have a lot of time to spend at the gym so the effort put in needs to be effective and Lisa will make sure of that.

A questionnaire is required prior to the first visit that details health status and any potential areas of concern. Lisa also spends time getting to know what your past exercise experience has been and what your workout goals are.

During the workout she is hyper focused on teaching good form while also making sure that you’re reaching your potential. I feel great afterwards. A bonus to this kind of strength training is that it boosts metabolism and continues to burn calories throughout the day. Which I need!”

Justin P.

“I’m 62 now and it is very important to me to maintain my strength and balance as I age. I was a gym rat going 4-6 times per week but with COVID, I am no longer comfortable going to gyms with lots of people huffing and puffing. Plus all those gym trips were necessary to keep up my strength but they took so much time. The Strength Code method has turned out to be the answer to all of my issues! One 30 minute, very intense, strength focused workout once per week is all I need! The owner and trainer, Lisa May, is a great communicator and has designed a plan for me that is not only allowing me to maintain my strength without all of those gym trips but also to improve my definition. Plus, I am the only one there when I am training. It’s awesome!”

David A.

“We very much enjoyed working out at Strength Code with Lisa May. We spent the winter this year in Palm Springs and we were looking for a place where we could work out with a trainer in a quiet, private setting. Strength Code was the perfect answer for us, and Lisa was the consummate coach. She customized a program that allowed us to train together, and we found it extremely effective. Lisa Is very knowledgeable, and helped us train around and through various injuries that we have sustained over the years. She is also a veritable bundle of positive energy who brightened every training day.”

Jim B.

Ready to
Get Strong?

 

Request your appointment now.

Try Our

Palm Desert Studio

760-835-1145
lisa@thestrengthcode.com

72221 Hwy 111, #108
Palm Desert, CA 92260

Burbank Studio

818-736-5233
info@thestrengthcode.com

4405 W Riverside Dr #107
Burbank, CA 91505

By Appointment Only

Tuesday-Saturday