Personal training and small-group strength classes in a Tai Seng factory unit. Every session goes in your logbook: your lifts in pencil, your coach's notes in red.
| Lift | Sets × reps | kg |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 5 | 50 |
| Bench press | 3 × 6 | 32.5 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 8 | 45 |
| Chin-up, band | 3 × 4 | – |
50 kg, all 3 sets. On 8 Jan you squatted the empty bar. — Joel
A coach asks what you want, watches you squat, hinge, push and pull, and writes your starting numbers on page one.
Two or three sessions a week, in a group of six or one to one. Every lift is written in before you arrive.
You pencil in what you lifted. Your coach adds a note in red: a cue, a warning, or more weight next time.
Fifteen minutes with your coach and your book. We keep what worked and write the next four weeks.
An example logbook. Hui Min, 41, from Hougang, had never lifted. Two classes a week, Monday and Thursday at 7pm.
Good first night. Sore tomorrow is normal.
| Lift | Sets × reps | kg |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 2 × 8 | 20 |
| Kettlebell deadlift | 3 × 8 | 16 |
| Incline push-up | 3 × 6 | – |
| Ring row | 3 × 8 | – |
Read-back: depth is good. Hips rise early on the deadlift, so slower off the floor.
| Lift | Sets × reps | kg |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 8 | 27.5 |
| Deadlift | 3 × 5 | 40 |
| Bench press | 3 × 8 | 20 |
| Ring row | 3 × 10 | – |
Missed Monday for CNY. No catching up. Carry on.
| Lift | Sets × reps | kg |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 5 | 37.5 |
| Deadlift | 3 × 5 | 60 |
| Bench press | 3 × 6 | 27.5 |
| Chin-up, band | 3 × 3 | – |
75 kg deadlift. More than you weigh. Next week is test week.
| Lift | Sets × reps | kg |
|---|---|---|
| Back squat | 3 × 5 | 47.5 |
| Deadlift | 1 × 5 | 75 |
| Bench press | 3 × 5 | 30 |
| Chin-up, band | 3 × 4 | – |
Back squat from the empty bar to 47.5 kg in twelve weeks, with one week lost to Chinese New Year. Nobody's book looks exactly like this one; yours will be written for you, from your first session.
Three answers and we'll pencil in a starting plan. Your coach checks it against you at the free session.
Get stronger · never lifted · 2 days a week
We add weight when every rep looks the same.
Week 1
Light on purpose. Learn the shapes.
| Goblet squat | 2 × 8 |
|---|---|
| Incline push-up | 2 × 8 |
| Split squat | 2 × 8 |
| Kettlebell deadlift | 2 × 8 |
|---|---|
| Ring row | 2 × 8 |
| Farmer carry | 3 lengths |
Week 2
Same lifts, a little more weight.
| Goblet squat | 3 × 8 |
|---|---|
| Incline push-up | 3 × 8 |
| Split squat | 2 × 8 |
| Kettlebell deadlift | 3 × 8 |
|---|---|
| Ring row | 3 × 8 |
| Farmer carry | 3 lengths |
Week 3
Stop two reps before it gets ugly.
| Goblet squat | 3 × 8 |
|---|---|
| Incline push-up | 3 × 8 |
| Split squat | 2 × 8 |
| Kettlebell deadlift | 3 × 8 |
|---|---|
| Ring row | 3 × 8 |
| Farmer carry | 3 lengths |
Week 4
Read-back week. Bring your book.
| Goblet squat | 3 × 6 |
|---|---|
| Incline push-up | 3 × 6 |
| Split squat | 2 × 8 |
| Kettlebell deadlift | 3 × 6 |
|---|---|
| Ring row | 3 × 6 |
| Farmer carry | 3 lengths |
We'll bring it, written in your logbook.
S$320 a month for 8 classes
S$95 a session on a 20-pack
S$220 a month for 8 classes
Prices include 9% GST. Your first session is free and comes with your logbook. Packs last six months and pause for travel, reservist duty or illness.
Classes
| Day | Class | Times |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Strength | 6.45am · 12.15pm · 7pm |
| Tue | Steady, 60+ | 9.30am |
| Tue | Strength | 7.30pm |
| Wed | Strength | 6.45am · 7pm |
| Wed | Strength, women only | 8.15pm |
| Thu | Steady, 60+ | 9.30am |
| Thu | Strength | 7pm · 8.15pm full |
| Fri | Strength | 6.45am · 12.15pm |
| Sat | Strength | 8am · 9.15am |
| Sat | Steady, 60+ | 10.30am |
One-to-one sessions run any time we're open. Every fourth Saturday is test week: same classes, and you find out what the last month added.
Ground floor, shutter up at 6.30am. Four racks, two lifting platforms, a sled track, a wall fan that never stops, and a shelf by the door where every member's logbook lives.
Four racks, two platforms, the sled track. The red line is the shutter; the dot is the logbook shelf.
Head coach. Started Tally in 2019.
Coached rowers and powerlifters for nine years before opening the shutter in Tai Seng. Writes most of the red notes you'll read, and runs the evening classes. The note he writes most:
Slower on the way down.
Steady, 60+, and training after surgery.
Worked in a hospital rehab gym for six years. Runs the Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday Steady classes, and reads your physiotherapist's notes before you lift. Her most-written note:
Stand up without your hands. Done!
Mornings, IPPT and returning lifters.
Opens the 6.45am classes. A reservist himself, he gets people to IPPT gold without wrecking their knees, and brings lapsed lifters back slowly. His usual note:
No belt yet. Brace first.
No. Most members start with the empty bar or a kettlebell. Your free first session sets your starting numbers, and the first four weeks are light on purpose while you learn to squat, hinge, push and pull. Classes are capped at six, so your coach sees every rep.
Small-group strength is S$320 a month for eight classes, or S$48 a class. One to one is S$95 an hour on a 20-session pack, or S$120 for a single session. Steady, for 60 and over, is S$220 a month. Prices include 9% GST, and your first session is free.
You spend an hour with a coach. We talk about what you want and any old injuries, then watch you squat, hinge, push and pull with light weights. We write your starting numbers on page one of your logbook and suggest a class. There is nothing to sign that day.
Paper is quicker between sets and never needs charging. Your coach reads it at a glance, writes a cue in the margin and plans the next session from it. Every fourth week you read it back together. We can photograph your pages if you want a copy on your phone.
Usually, yes. Tell us at the free session and bring any scans or your physiotherapist's notes. We start with movements that don't hurt and build from there. If something needs a doctor or physiotherapist first, we will say so, and we are happy to work alongside them.
We are on the ground floor of an industrial building on Tai Seng Avenue, a five-minute walk from Tai Seng MRT on the Circle Line. The building carpark has hourly parking. Showers, lockers and towels are free, and there is a bicycle rack beside the shutter.
Book a free hour with a coach. Bring trainers and water; we'll bring your logbook.
Tai Seng, Singapore. We reply within one working day.
Fill in page one and we'll reply with three times that suit you. Most people have their free session within a week.
See you at the shutter. — Joel