Nutrition & Life with Lisa Franz ep #291- Training programming for general population with George Pagan III

May 29, 2026

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George says rep ranges (e.g., hypertrophy vs endurance) aren’t rigid categories but live on an invisible spectrum.
There is no single “perfect” hypertrophy range; the old 6–12 rule is an oversimplification from university teaching.
Training is more forgiving: muscle growth can occur across a much wider range of reps than the strict textbook window.
Viewing rep ranges as flexible opens up many training approaches and makes programming less dogmatic.
This perspective matters especially when applying theory to real people with varied experience and goals.

Begin programming by assessing where the client is (schedule, experience, limitations) rather than forcing an ‘optimal’ protocol.
George warns that strict rules exclude many people who lack time, equipment, or movement experience.

George Pagan advises slowing down movements to catch small compensations that block strength and muscle gains.
He uses tempo and attention to technique (e.g., fixing lateral shift in squats) to restore strength drivers.

George programs tempo for almost every exercise to keep clients present and prevent rushing, especially online or when distracted.
He tailors rest based on schedule and goals, using supersets to save time or added rest to teach exercise purpose.

Coaches must change how they explain things when a client isn’t responding instead of repeating the same instructions.
George recommends learning from many coaches and getting out of your language bubble so you can offer varied cues and strategies.

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