My 3-Day Workout Routine Has Kept Me at 12% Body Fat for Over a Year, but I See Very Few People Doing It.
Heading into the new year: Steal this simple strategy for life changing results
Merry Christmas Eve to all my wonderful readers!
Whether you're here for my crypto insights or my fitness journey, I'm grateful for your support throughout 2023.
I'm excited for 2024— my goal is to reinvest all writing revenue into hiring a researcher for our team. This means more of the content you love and even deeper insights.
70% of what lands in your inbox will cover modern finance and evolving crypto markets, while the remaining 30% will be dedicated to sharing my fitness and personal journey.
I’ll always adjust as we go—and if you ever have any questions, feel free to reply to my emails or leave a comment.
Your support engaging with my content, sharing blogs you found valuable or upgrading to a paid subscription really does make all the difference.
Merry Christmas and chat soon.
I lost 56 pounds in fat over 12 months.
One reason is I found a workout formula that helped me become brutally consistent, removing the intimidation factor even as a busy work professional with a soul-crushing desk job.
That mind-numbing wage slave wasteland was where any hope of getting healthy went to die.
Every day was the same.
Treats in the break room consisted of doughnuts, chocolates and cakes. All because it was Friday, Humpday, or in aid of someone's leaving celebration or a birthday — Ffs.
Temptation was my worst enemy.
I knew deep down tucking into a Krispy Kreme would lead to talking myself out of the gym later that night.
Somewhere between leaving the office, getting in my car, and being stuck in traffic, I'd say, "Not tonight — I'll go tomorrow".
What made bailing out easy was that I never had a plan, so there were never any strings attached.
When I set up my routine, I felt like swinging between extremes — I ended up with a rigid, tone-deaf gym plan like a boulder in the sea — Chest on Monday, Back on Tuesday, Legs on Wednesday, and Cardio on Thursday.
It was amateurish.
When I inevitably missed a day, it always felt like I was behind. I'd then beat myself up like one of Mike Tyson's sparring partners.
And worse, I would wipe the slate clear in my mind and tell myself to start afresh with a new week.
I repeated this cycle for five years, and it was like being stuck on an out-of-control Ferris wheel with an intoxicated operator.
My one moment of serendipity was when a famous businessperson explained how he hacked his fitness.
Gary Vaynerchuk said he found a fitness pro who devised a plan for him, and all he had to do was knock down the dominos. I was like, "That's me. Why didn't I think of that before."
So, I teamed up with a fitness pro who is a buddy of mine who reviewed my lifestyle and created a gym routine to match.
The framework created a gym habit that removed friction and had the knock-on effect of eating more nutritious foods to fuel my routine.
It was all a self-perpetuating cycle that went to town on my body fat.
Buckle up, and let's get into it.
You must know WHY this method produces outsized results.
Refrain from skim-reading this part. Get into the weeds. It'll be worth it.
I could copy and paste my gym routine and be done with writing this blog, but understanding why it works and how you can apply it to your lifestyle is crucial.
Here's a high-level overview.
We'll drill down into the details in a second. This framework helped me lose half a human in body weight.
8,000 daily steps (two 20 min walks)
Three weight sessions weekly
Three cardio sessions weekly
After some lengthy Zoom calls with my online fitness pro, Chris, we (he) devised a plan that was a borderline jiu-jitsu move for tackling my inconsistency head-on.
We decided that my core training days are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday because it breaks the back out of my training for the week before the weekend when I'll inevitably get distracted by social events.
So those days are locked in, but I also have the option of repeating the same sessions from Thursday or Friday onwards, i.e. Monday's session on Thursday.
Or I can mess around in the gym after Wednesday, which maintains my enjoyment of going.
Here's my exact routine.
Each training day is an all-body workout where I do one exercise on each of my main muscle groups.
I thought it was excessive when Chris suggested this, but the opposite effect happened.
By doing an all-over body workout with one exercise on each body part, I removed the intimidation of leg day, which I had previously avoided like the plague.
It made consistency more manageable.
It also meant that missing a day wasn't a big deal since I'd already worked all the major muscle groups, significantly reducing the pressure to play catch-up.
Here's Monday's routine:
When lifting weights, I always warm up with a light set about 60% beforehand, then do 8 to 10 reps of maximum weight in each set with a drop set of 15 reps on the last.
A "drop set" is where I drop the weight slightly and do more reps. It burns, and I love it.
Following my weight training, I always lock it in with cardio at the end for optimal fat burning. A cascade of research literature proves that cardio after weight sessions is the best sequence for weight loss.
It's not the right strategy if you're looking to build massive muscle mass.
I either do between 300 and 500 calories on the stair climber, cross trainer or treadmill, whichever I feel like doing at the time. I give myself a 5–10 min breather after my weight training.
Here's what I start with:
Dumbell Incline Bench Press:
3 sets
First 2 sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
3 sets
First 2 sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Angled Leg Press
3 sets
First 2 sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Lat Machine Wide Grip Pulldown
3 sets
First 2 sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Chest-supported Machine Row
3 sets
First 2 sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Dumbell Box Step-Up
3 sets
First 2 sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Cable Rope Hammer Curl — Cable Rope Tricep Extension
(Superset of 3 sets- 60 seconds rest between sets)
3 sets
First two sets 8 to 10 reps
The third set is a drop set 12–15 reps
Final Thoughts.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Monday's session is repeated by hitting the same muscle groups but with different movements, e.g. Flat bench press instead of incline.
This simple all-over-body approach took away the Leg intimidation day and covered all angles in case I missed a session.
Because this friction was removed, it had the inverse effect and made me more consistent.
It took a fitness pro to highlight it and precisely tailor a plan to my social habits, work life, and insecurities.
Doing squats more often has slowly made them more bearable.
Breaking the back out of my fitness from Monday to Wednesday and then heading to the gym to enjoy any other days worked like a wizard's position.
You may be different.
You might be a busy work professional, parent or someone who works nights, so what is tailored for you will differ.
If fitness isn't your forte, as it wasn't for me initially, consult a fitness expert.
They'll line up the dominos for you to knock down.
Special Offer for My Readers
Chris, the online fitness pro who revolutionised my fitness journey, is offering a free discovery call exclusively to my readers.
If you're ready to transform your fitness and tailor a plan that suits your unique lifestyle, this is your chance.
Click here to book your FREE call with Chris and start your journey towards a healthier, fitter you. (affiliate link).
Programme Results:
