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Thursday 30 July

Today is a full-body session: legs, push, pull and core. Six movements, and every one of them is something you can set up and run on your own later in the week. That is why they are picked. Get through these and you have covered everything your body needs in one go.

Grab first

Wrist strapsif you use them

Your body

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1Feeling dizzy or shakyIf you go lightheaded, cold or shaky, stop and sit down straight away, then tell me. That is not you being unfit and it is not something to train through. It has a cause and we deal with it.2Your breathBreathe OUT as the weight goes up. Every rep, every exercise. Never hold it in and push against it. This is the one rule from your surgery and it is the most important thing on this page.3Your core and your scarsYour core is genuinely strong and you have asked for more of it, so the rule here is about HOW we load it, not whether. If anything pulls, aches or feels new around a scar, that exercise is finished for the day and you tell me.4Your kneesThey want to fall inwards as you stand up out of a squat. Push them out towards your little toes on the way up. That is the whole fix, and it is worth thinking about on every squat rep.

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5Your shouldersOn the overhead press the weight goes straight up, ribs staying down. If your back has to arch to finish the rep, the weight is too heavy for today. Take some off, there is no cost to that.6Your lower backOn the RDL it wants to round. Keep it flat, push your hips back towards the wall behind you, and let the weight stay against your legs the whole way down.7Your glutesThese are what stand you up at the top of the RDL and the step up. Squeeze them at the top. Standing up should be their job, not your lower back's.8The back of your thighsThat stretch on the RDL is the point of the exercise, not a side effect. Go as far as the stretch takes you, not as far as the floor.

WATCH THESE TODAY

Breathe OUT as the weight goes up. Never hold your breath and push against it. If you catch yourself holding it, stop the set, breathe, and start again. This is the rule that outranks everything else here.

Knees out on the squat. They will want to fall inwards as you drive up. Push them out towards your little toes. Say it to yourself on the way up if it helps.

Flat back on the RDL. Hips go back, not down, and the weight stays touching your legs. The moment your back rounds, that rep is finished, and going lower is never worth it.

Warm-up›

Incline Treadmill Walk or Bike

Ten minutes, easy. Just enough to feel warm before you lift.

Set up: treadmill on an incline, or the bike if you prefer it.

Movement: easy pace, one you could still talk through.

Why this one for youWarming up properly means the first working set is not the first thing your body does today.

Main training›

Squat to Overhead Press

Squat down with the weight at your shoulders, then press it overhead as you stand.

Set up: dumbbells or kettlebells at your shoulders, feet shoulder width, toes turned out a little.

Movement: squat down, drive up, and press the weight overhead as you finish standing.

Why this one for youYour biggest lift of the week. Two movements in one, and the one where you get to see a number go up.

RDL

Hinge your hips back with the weight close to your legs, then squeeze your glutes to stand.

Set up: bar or dumbbells in front of your thighs, feet hip width, a soft bend in the knees.

Movement: push your hips back towards the wall behind you, weight staying against your legs, then stand by squeezing your glutes.

Why this one for youPicking something up off the floor, trained properly. That is the movement most likely to catch you out at home.

Step Up with balance hold

Step up onto the box, pause at the top, then lower yourself down slowly.

Set up: a low step or box with a rail within reach.

Movement: step up through your whole foot, pause at the top, then lower slowly under control.

Why this one for youStairs and kerbs, trained one leg at a time because that is how you actually climb them.

Machine Chest Press

Push the handles away from your chest, then bring them back with control.

Set up: seat set so the handles line up with the middle of your chest.

Movement: push the handles to full extension, then return with control. Do not lock your elbows hard.

Why this one for youPushing strength: heavy doors, a loaded trolley, pushing up off a low seat. Seated and supported, so nothing is asked of your stomach.

Machine Row

Pull the handles towards you, squeeze your shoulder blades, return with control.

Set up: sit tall, grip the handles, arms extended in front of you.

Movement: pull your elbows back, squeeze your shoulder blades together, then return with control.

Why this one for youYour strongest lift. It also balances out all the pressing, which is what keeps your shoulders comfortable.

Plated Crunch

On your back, plate on your chest, curl your ribs towards your hips.

Set up: on your back, knees bent, plate held on your chest. This is the only floor exercise and it is last on purpose.

Movement: curl your ribs towards your pelvis, then lower back down with control.

Why this one for youYou asked for more core and you are good at it. It is last so you only get down on the floor once.

Cooldown›

Incline Treadmill Walk or Bike

Fifteen to twenty minutes, easy. This is the extra on top of the lifting.

Set up: treadmill on an incline, or the bike if your joints are complaining.

Movement: easy walk or ride, a pace you can still hold a conversation through.

Why this one for youYour diet is already sorted, so this and your walking between sessions is the part that keeps adding up.

You did it! 🎉

How did it go?

Have a think about these

Anything at your scar today, during it or afterwards? Even something small. This is the one I most want to hear about.
Did you catch yourself holding your breath anywhere? Tell me which exercise if you noticed. Breathing out on the effort is the habit we are building.
Dizzy, lightheaded or shaky at any point? If yes, when it happened and what you had eaten before. Sitting down is always the right answer.
Which one felt easiest, and which felt hardest? If you got 12 clean reps on something, say so. That is exactly how I know to put the weight up.
Anything that felt too light, or too heavy to keep clean? Too light is genuinely useful, it just means we go up next time.
Anything you liked, or did not like? What do you want more of, and what do you want less of?
Anything you noticed about where you are in your cycle, if that is something you feel like mentioning. Energy, heaviness, anything. Only if you want to.
Anything about this page itself. Too much on it, too little, something missing, something you never use. It is yours, so tell me and I will change it.

Your notes

This copies everything from today, every weight and every set. One tap, and it is on your clipboard.

Now go to our chat and send it to me <3

Does something on this page not work for you? Tell me what you would change, what is missing, or what you would rather have instead. This is your site and I would rather build it the way you actually use it. Tell me ›