Field notes.

Set 02/03Full note

Oct 12, 2026 / By Ana, head coach

Why we cap classes at 10

People ask this on almost every free session. Why ten? Big gyms run classes of 25 and charge less. Wouldn't more people mean a better business?

Maybe. But we are a coaching business first, and coaching has a ceiling.

The math of one coach

In a strength class, most of the hour is working sets. A heavy squat set takes about 40 seconds. If I want to watch every person do at least one full set of the main lift, and give one cue, I need roughly a minute per lifter per round. Four rounds, ten lifters, and that is most of the 25 minute block.

At ten, I see every rep that matters. At fifteen, I start guessing.

The month we tried twelve

In early 2020 we had a waitlist on the 5:30pm class, so we bumped three classes to twelve. Within a month, two members tweaked their lower backs on deadlifts. Both said the same thing: they had felt their form slipping and nobody was there to catch it.

Two extra memberships were not worth two hurt backs.

We went back to ten the next week and added a 6:30pm class instead.

What ten gets you

• Your coach knows your working weights before you walk in.
• Somebody notices when your knee caves or your back rounds.
• You get a turn on the platform without waiting around.
• People learn your name, and they notice when you are gone.

It means our classes cost more than a big box membership. It also means people stay. Many of our first members from 2019 are still in the 5:30am class.

If you want to see what ten feels like, book a free first session and pick any class on the schedule.