Transformation
5 Years
I coach a specific kind of athlete. Fill in the short intake first — it unlocks the site and starts your application in one step.
Thanks for your honesty — right now my 1:1 coaching is built specifically for tall, skinny beginners on a bulk, so I can't take you on as a client yet.
Follow the journey instead — new training and nutrition content every week:
Follow @amosantaeusFive years ago I was the tall, skinny kid in the gym. I built my physique rep by rep — and documented all of it. Now I coach beginners through the same climb: evidence-based training, a calculated surplus, and weekly 1:1 guidance until the mirror changes.
In Greek myth, Antaeus — son of Gaia, the Earth — was an unbeatable wrestler. His secret: every time he touched the ground, the earth itself renewed his strength.
He could not be worn down, because his power came from what he stood on — not from tricks, not from luck.
Amos vs Antaeus is my story told the same way: the ground floor was being 198 cm and skinny. Every session since has been drawn from it.
No noise — just fundamentals executed for years: progressive overload, food on the plate, sleep, and patience. That's what my coaching is built on, and it's trainable.
My coaching gives you the structure I wish I'd had on day one, so your first year builds what took me two.
During my last cutting phase I was not natural: I used the SARM S23, with enclomiphene as PCT. I share this openly because honesty matters more than a label — you deserve to know exactly what built the physique you see.
My coaching is and stays drug-free only. I don't coach, recommend, or program around PEDs — everything on this site (training, volume, nutrition targets) is built for drug-free athletes.
Every principle below comes from current hypertrophy research. No secret techniques — the fundamentals, executed consistently for months.
The non-negotiable driver of growth: do slightly more over time — more weight, more reps, or cleaner technique at the same load. We log every session and beat the logbook, not the ego.
Foundational principle of all hypertrophy researchSets end 1–3 reps before failure (RIR 1–3). Hard enough to grow, controlled enough to recover and keep technique sharp — the sweet spot for beginners.
Proximity-to-failure meta-analyses (Robinson et al., 2023)Roughly 10–20 hard sets per muscle per week is where most growth happens. Beginners grow on the lower end — we start there and add sets only when progress stalls.
Dose-response volume research (Schoenfeld et al.)Squat, hinge, press, pull. Big lifts train the most muscle per set and build the base everything stacks on. Isolation work fills the gaps — arms, shoulders, calves.
Standard beginner programming best practiceGrowth is similar across a wide rep range when sets are close to failure. We use 5–10 for compounds (easier to load) and 8–15+ for isolation (easier on the joints).
Load & rep-range meta-analyses (Schoenfeld et al., 2017)Hitting each muscle at least twice weekly distributes volume into higher-quality sets and gives you more practice on the lifts. That's why the base program is full-body, 3 days a week.
Training frequency research, volume-matchedThe beginner bulking template: three full-body sessions per week, every muscle trained 2–3×, built around compound lifts. Alternate Workout A and B (A–B–A one week, B–A–B the next), with at least one rest day between sessions.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | RIR |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Back Squat | 3 × 5–8 | 2–3 |
| Flat Barbell Bench Press | 3 × 5–8 | 2–3 |
| Lat Pulldown or Pull-Up | 3 × 8–12 | 1–2 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 2 × 8–10 | 2–3 |
| DB Lateral Raise | 3 × 12–15 | 1–2 |
| Cable Triceps Pushdown | 2 × 10–15 | 1–2 |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | RIR |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional Deadlift | 3 × 4–6 | 2–3 |
| Overhead Barbell Press | 3 × 6–10 | 2–3 |
| Chest-Supported Row | 3 × 8–12 | 1–2 |
| Leg Press or Hack Squat | 2 × 10–12 | 1–2 |
| Incline DB Press | 2 × 8–12 | 1–2 |
| DB or Cable Biceps Curl | 2 × 10–15 | 1–2 |
Progress every session. Top of the rep range on all sets with good form → add 2.5 kg (upper body) or 5 kg (lower body) next time.
Rest 2–3 min on compounds, 1–2 min on isolation. Short rest costs reps — and reps are the currency of growth.
Film your top sets. Technique is reviewed in check-ins before load goes up. Bad reps don't count.
Deload every 6–8 weeks or when performance drops twice in a row: half the sets, lighter loads, one week.
You cannot out-train an empty plate. Bulking lean means a moderate, measured surplus — enough to build muscle, not enough to build a gut. The targets I set for every beginner:
Daily surplus above maintenance. Aim to gain ~0.25–0.5% of body weight per week — fast enough to grow, slow enough to stay lean.
Protein per kg body weight per day, spread over 3–5 meals. Beyond ~1.6 g/kg, extra protein adds little.
Morton et al., 2018 meta-analysisCreatine monohydrate daily — the best-researched supplement for strength and lean mass. Everything else is optional.
Sleep per night. Poor sleep blunts growth and shifts weight gain toward fat. Recovery is where the surplus becomes muscle.
Estimates only — real intake is adjusted from your weekly weigh-in trend, not a formula.
All sessions are live 1:1 video calls — training review, technique feedback, nutrition adjustments, and your plan for the week. In English or German.
Beginners and early intermediates, ages 20–30, who train drug-free and want to gain size the right way. If that's you, apply below — spots are limited so every client gets real attention.
Fill in the intake questionnaire below — it's how every 1:1 coaching starts. I'll reply within 48 hours with the option that fits where you're starting from.
Prefer Instagram? “Copy” puts your answers on the clipboard — paste them into a DM to @amosantaeus.
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