There’s a difference between training hard and training right.
Most lifters chase intensity; some chase volume. But the best results come from those who understand how the body responds, both naturally and with enhancement. It’s not about gimmicks or trend-based routines. It’s about precision, recovery, and programming that respects the biology behind the effort.
And that’s where many get it wrong.
Natural vs. Enhanced: Why the Distinction Matters
Whether you're natural or enhanced, you need to train hard. However, the physiological environment in which you're training is quite different.
Enhanced lifters have pharmacological support that increases muscle protein synthesis, improves recovery, and boosts overall work capacity. This means they can often handle higher volume and frequency, and still recover well.
Natural athletes, on the other hand, must rely entirely on their endocrine systems. This doesn’t mean they can’t build incredible physiques. They can, but the programming strategy must account for limited recovery bandwidth, higher fatigue accumulation, and more precision with progression.
Ignoring this distinction is why many natural lifters plateau or burn out following routines designed for enhanced pros.
How I Train Natural Athletes
When coaching natural lifters, the goal is to maximize the stimulus-to-fatigue ratio. Meaning we push hard enough to trigger muscle growth, but smart enough to avoid digging into recovery too deeply.
Here’s what that often looks like:
-
Lower volume, higher intensity: Fewer junk sets. More productive sets near failure.
-
Strategic progression: Load, reps, or effort increase week to week. Not just random overload.
-
Prioritized recovery: Deloads are built in. Sleep, nutrition, and stress are monitored.
-
Exercise selection: Movements that fit the lifter’s structure and give the best return on effort.
This is where coaching goes beyond writing workouts. It’s about understanding the individual response to training and making weekly or monthly adjustments based on feedback and performance.
How I Train Enhanced Athletes
For enhanced athletes, the potential to train more frequently and with more volume opens up new doors, but that doesn’t mean more is always better.
A smart enhanced protocol includes:
-
Higher total weekly volume, but distributed intelligently to match muscle group recovery rates.
-
Increased frequency for lagging body parts. Sometimes hitting a muscle 2–3x per week.
-
Advanced overload strategies like intensification phases, back-off sets, or tempo work.
-
Recovery support: More doesn’t mean reckless; we still track markers of fatigue.
While some assume enhanced athletes don’t need to train “as hard” because of the assistance, that’s just not true. The best physiques in the world come from hard training and smart programming. The drugs don't do the work. They enhance the result of high-level work.
The Shared Foundation: Accountability, Precision, and Results
Regardless of your enhancement status, here’s what every one of my clients gets:
-
Evidence-based training, not cookie-cutter plans.
-
Weekly check-ins that focus on progress, form, recovery, and adherence.
-
Clear expectations and real talk. No fluff, no ego.
-
Structured phases of training that match your goals and experience level.
What makes a great coach isn’t just knowledge of physiology or biomechanics. It’s the ability to apply that knowledge to the lifter in front of them. And that’s what I do every single day.
Food For Thought
Serious physiques aren’t built on chance. They’re built on the understanding of one’s body, one’s recovery needs, and the difference between doing more and doing what’s effective.
The gap between where you are and where you could be is rarely just effort. It’s clarity. Structure. Direction.
Some lifters will continue guessing, hoping their hard work alone will be enough. Others will start asking better questions about stimulus, recovery, fatigue, and the path to real progress.
And a few will start training with the intention that matches their ambition.
