Strength Foundation - Outdoor Women Strong

Outdoor Women Strong

Strength training for women who hike, mountain bike, trail run and paddle

Build Strength for the Trail—Even If You Don't Know Where to Start

You love mountain biking, hiking, or trail running—and you want to feel stronger doing it.

Learn how to strength train, choose your weights, and progressively build strength with a four-week program you can follow at home or in a gym.

One-time payment · Lifetime access

Created and taught by Dr. Liz Koch
Physical therapist · strength coach · outdoor athlete

You love being on the trail. You just wish you felt stronger out there.

Maybe you want to feel stronger on long climbs, more capable when the trail gets demanding, or better prepared for your next adventure.

You don’t need another collection of random workouts.

You need to learn how to build strength—and how to keep getting stronger.

That’s what Strength Foundation teaches you.

You need to learn how to build strength—and how to keep getting stronger.

Anyone can give you exercises. I want you to understand what you're doing

A WORKOUT TELLS YOU

3 sets x 8 reps

STRENGTH FOUNDATION TEACHES YOU

The workouts are the vehicle. The part you keep is knowing how to make those calls on your own—this month and in two years when you’re running a program I never wrote.

You don’t need to get in shape before you start. You don’t need to already know how to lift. That’s what Foundation is for.

What you'll actually know at the end of four weeks

Learn the purpose of hinges, squats, pulls, presses, and core exercises—and what to pay attention to as you practice them.

Useful cues and a sense of where effort should show up, without chasing one “perfect” position.

A simple, portable way to answer “was that hard enough?” that works with any weights you have

A repeatable decision — increase, maintain, or decrease — instead of using the same dumbbells forever.

Alternatives are part of training, not a step backward.

What “progression” means in practice, so week five doesn’t look like week one.

Here’s one thing you’ll learn, right now

How do you know whether you’re lifting enough weight?

One tool I teach is RPE—rating of perceived exertion. It helps you judge how challenging a set feels.

4+ reps left

3 reps left

2 reps left

1 rep left

nothing left

For example, if your program says 8 reps at RPE 7, you should finish feeling like you could have completed about three more good repetitions.

If you could have done five or six more, the weight may be too light.

Learning how to make those adjustments is part of getting stronger—and it’s a skill you can use long after these four weeks.

Four weeks, built to stack

Each week has a movement focus and a learning focus. They’re designed to build on each other, not to be four unrelated workout themes.

WEEK ONE

Control & Stability

Core + glutes

Slow down and notice. The goal this week isn’t finishing the reps — it’s starting to feel what your body is actually doing while you do them.

WEEK TWO

Connection & Pulling

Core + upper body pull

Build real pulling strength while learning where you feel the effort and how the movement gets created — without chasing one correct posture.

WEEK THREE

Hinge & Load

Hip hinge + RPE and loading

Learn the hinge, then connect movement quality to the weight in your hands. You’ll learn to use RPE to decide whether your weight is too light, about right, or needs to change.

WEEK FOUR

Integration & Strength

Squat + overhead press

Bring squat, press, hinge, pull and core together — and see that the point was never memorizing twelve workouts.

This is what training inside Foundation looks like

The program lives in the OWS app.

Your week, laid out

Three workouts, in order, with sets, reps and your RPE target for each movement.

Every movement demonstrated

A short video and written cues for what to pay attention to, right where you need them.

Liz teaching, week by week

Short lessons placed where the information becomes useful – not a course to get through first.

What's Included

4 weeks of progressive programming—3 workouts a week , roughly 30-40 minutes each
A short teaching video each week, tied to that week's learning focus
Exercise demonstration videos and cues for every movement
"When something doesn't feel right" — a short lesson on adjusting without abandoning the session
An optional Week 3 hinge check-in: send Liz one video, get two things to focus on
No start date — begin when you're ready, pause when life gets in the way, pick up where you left off
Lifetime access—run it again whenever you want

What you'll need

Dumbbells or kettlebells, resistance bands, a foam roller, and enough space to move. Having heavier options available helps as your strength progresses — that’s the point.

Ready to learn how to train?

Being active outside doesn't automatically mean feeling confident with strength training.

You can feel like you understand trail running, biking, or hiking pretty good, but still feel completely unsure holding a dumbbell.

And your body may have history

Maybe you’ve dealt with a cranky knee, an old back issue, a shoulder that’s been through PT, hypermobility — or you’ve simply been active long enough to know you don’t want to throw weights around and hope for the best.

You don’t have to treat yourself like you’re fragile. And you don’t have to pretend that history isn’t there. Strength Foundation gives you a structured place to learn how to train — with modifications built in, and permission to use them.

Strength Foundation is a general strength training program. It isn’t physical therapy, a diagnosis, or treatment for a specific injury or condition. If something in your body needs individual medical attention, that’s a conversation for your own provider — and it’s the right call.

WHO'S TEACHING THIS

Dr. Liz Koch, DPT

I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy and a strength coach. I’m also a mountain bike instructor, and I’m out on the same trails and rivers you are — riding, hiking, paddling, running.

And I’ve had to figure out how to train a body with its own history, more than once. So I’m not interested in handing you a list of exercises and wishing you luck. I want you to understand what you’re doing, because that’s the part that keeps working long after our four weeks are over.

Doctor of Physical Therapy

Strength Coach

PMBIA Level I mountain bike instructor

Former D1 soccer athlete

2-time international finalist, whitewater freestyle kayaking

The gym isn't the goal.
Your life outside is.

From women who've trained with Liz

I’m really appreciating the videos, the cues and explanations and your expertise most of all.

-Beth, MTB

The hip hinge week changed how I used my back for the movement to actually feeling my abs and glutes with it

-Katie, Trail Runner

Is this the right fit?

Yes, if

You’re active outside and want to feel more confident with structured strength training.

You’ve done workouts before but still feel like you’re guessing

You want to understand challenge, loading and progression

You need training that fits around your outdoor life, not instead of it

Probably not, if

You’re looking for an advanced, sport-specific performance program.

You already understand progressive strength training and confidently adjust your workouts.

You want a high-intensity challenge rather than learning foundational strength skills.

Start where you are.

$97

One time · Lifetime access

4 weeks · 3 workouts a week · 30-40 minutes

Learn as you train. Keep what you learn long after the four weeks are over

AFTER THE FOUR WEEKS

Four weeks is the foundation—not the end of strength training.

By the end, the goal isn’t for you to know everything. It’s for you to understand more about how training works, feel less like you’re guessing, and be ready to keep building.

OWS Membership

When you’re ready for ongoing progressive programming built around your sport, your season, and your schedule, the membership is the natural next step. You don’t need to decide that now. We’ll show you your options when you finish Foundation.

Questions

Is this only for complete beginners?

No. You may have done strength workouts before — even for years. What matters isn’t whether you’ve lifted before. It’s whether you feel confident making the decisions behind your training. If you’ve ever finished a set and wondered “Was that supposed to be harder?” or “Should I be using more weight?”, Foundation is for you.

What if I already workout sometimes?

That’s completely fine. You’ll move faster through the movements that already feel familiar and spend more attention on the teaching. Foundation isn’t about proving you’ve never lifted before. It’s about understanding how to choose an appropriate challenge, recognize what you’re doing, and progress instead of simply repeating workouts.

What equipment do I need?

Dumbbells or kettlebells, resistance bands, a foam roller, and space to move. A range of weights is helpful, since the point is to progress. Every workout has home and gym options.

Can I do this at home?

Yes. It was built to work in a garage, a spare room, or a gym — whichever you’ve actually got.

How long are the workouts?

Roughly 30–40 minutes, three times a week. Realistic enough to coexist with a long ride on Saturday.

When does it start, and what if I need to pause?

There’s no start date and no cohort to wait for. Foundation sits in the on-demand section of the Outdoor Women Strong app from the moment you buy it, so you begin the day you’re ready.

Work through it in order — each week builds on the one before it. If a trip, a busy stretch, or a great week of weather interrupts you, pick up where you left off. You own it for life, so pausing costs you nothing.

What if a movement doesn't feel right?

There’s a short lesson in the program on exactly this. You’ll learn options like reducing the load, changing the range of motion, slowing the movement down, or using an alternative. You’ll also learn when something is outside the scope of a general strength program and is better discussed with your own healthcare provider.

Is this physical therapy?

No. Liz is a Doctor of Physical Therapy, and that shapes how she teaches — but Strength Foundation is a general strength training program, not treatment, rehab, or individualized medical care.

Will this make me sore?

You may experience some soreness, especially when you’re doing movements or using resistance your body isn’t accustomed to. But soreness isn’t the goal. The program progresses over four weeks so your strength training can coexist with the riding, hiking, paddling, running, and other things you want your body to do.

What happens after four weeks?

You’ll finish with a final check-in that helps you see what you’ve learned and decide where you want to take your strength next. If you’re ready for ongoing progressive programming built around your sport, season, schedule and experience, OWS Membership is the natural next step. If Foundation is giving you everything you need for now, you can also repeat it with heavier resistance, or simply take what you’ve learned into your next phase of training.

How long do I have access?

Lifetime. One payment, and the program stays in your account.

What's the refund policy?

Try Strength Foundation for 5 days. If you get inside the program and realize it isn’t the right fit for you, email info@outdoorwomenstrong.com within 5 days of purchase and we’ll refund your payment.

Not ready yet? Start with something free.

Feel Stronger on the Climb – three small adjustments to movements you already know, and how to carry them onto your next ride, hike, run, or paddle. It’s a real preview of how Liz teaches.

One guide, then a weekly note from Liz. Unsubscribe anytime.

Strength Foundation is a general fitness and strength education program. It is not physical therapy, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not replace individualized care from your own healthcare provider. Talk to your provider before beginning a new exercise program, particularly if you have a condition that needs individual attention.