Does Body Weight Conditioning Count as Strength Training?

Coaching Topic: This week someone asked me, “Do your classes count as strength training?”

It’s a great question — and the answer is nuanced. If your goal is the fastest possible strength gains, traditional progressive weight training will typically get you there more efficiently (check out my Personal Training options). Progressive overload is the primary driver when we’re talking about peak strength adaptation.

But if your goal is functional strength, joint stability, mobility with control, and meeting general health guidelines? Yes — when taken intentionally, my classes absolutely count.

According to current US health guidelines, adults should perform muscle-strengthening activities involving all major muscle groups at least two days per week, in addition to regular aerobic activity. That recommendation isn’t specific to barbells or machines — it’s about providing sufficient muscular resistance to challenge tissue and maintain function.

When you stack Magic (which includes targeted recovery), Midweek Mobility/Prehab Series, targeted lower body or flex work, and consider the extra boost from Liquid Strength every other week, you’re stimulating major muscle groups through controlled resistance, isometrics, tempo work, and bodyweight loading. That checks the box for general strength training — while also supporting joint health and recovery.

You’re not just attending classes. You’re following a system.

And for many adults balancing stress, posture demands, and life outside the studio, that balance of stimulus and restoration is what sustainable strength actually looks like.