I have been injured a lot of times. Only once was it through lifting, the rest were all work-related. Whenever I can’t workout I start getting a gut because I thoroughly enjoy whiskey. I built this program to help me recover from both of those problems simultaneously.
If you are injured you should be very cautious when you get back into the gym. If you are fat you should focus on not being fat before you start trying to gain mass. Being fat is functionally the same as being inured; it greatly increases the likelihood of you receiving an injury and ensures you will plateau much earlier with lifting even if you don’t injure yourself. In addition, every weight-lifting program that trends online was designed by someone who was already in good shape. They aren’t built for you, and while you probably will lose some weight, it will be less significant than if you focused on fat-burning before trying to lift heavy.
This workout regime is a bit complicated, and certainly is intensive, but it only lasts three weeks and I’ve tried to make it as simple as I can by putting it in this format.
General Tips
I have tried to provide a hyperlink for each exercise, but if I missed one, make sure you know how to do it properly.
You should be walking no less than a mile every day. I didn’t include it every day, but make time to do this. If you have a physical job, it can substitute walking, not one of the exercises on the plan.
Lastly, if I say to eat a meat, I don’t mean a breaded meat. A breaded chicken sandwich is a bread sandwich. Stay away from ultra-processed foods altogether while you are trying to heal or lose weight, they will slow you down.
The Plan:
If you find that you are unable to complete the workouts for a week, simply continue the regime until you can. Then, start counting weeks. If a particular exercise aggravates an injury, skip it until that is not the case.
If you are under weight, add a traditional protein shake to each lunch and double all meat servings after week 1.
The Friday evening before you begin:
Diet:
Dinner: eat the following salad: Grated carrot, coconut oil, grey sea salt, apple cider vinigar with the mother (Bragg is a good brand), raw garlic. Do not consume alcohol tonight.
Purpose: to start flushing your system. This will be important for helping you fix your diet; it will reduce some of your desire to consume ultra-processed snacks because your gut-biome contributes to your cravings. This is proven. (Most of the diet is far from this strict).
Exercise:
Modified Curl Up, 10 reps of 8sec hold
Clamshells 2 sets 20 per side, 8sec holds
Glute Bridges 3 sets 10, 8sec holds
Side Planks 2 sets 30sec
Straight Leg Walks 10 meters, (there and back)
Push Ups 3 sets 10
Lumbar Extensions 10 reps 8 sec holds (If you have a recent lower back injury, keep your waistline on the ground, even if you can only go up a few inches.)
Single Leg Over 30sec per side
Purpose: The most detrimental injury you can receive is to your back. We want to go ahead and start stretching it before we start working out properly. If any of these exercises are too much, you should keep doing this routine until it is relatively easy before you lift anything.
That Weekend
Diet:
Exclusively the same salad listed above, all three meals. Yes it sucks. Do not consume alcohol this weekend. Try and minimize caffeine consumption. The diet immediately becomes more pleasant on Monday.
Exercise:
AM: Go for a walk of no less than one mile.
PM: 10 Jumping Jacks, 10 Push Ups, 10 Air Squats, (if it is hard to keep your heels on the ground go only as low as they stay on the ground), 10 Russian Twists. 10 min stretch of whatever variety you choose
Other:
On Sunday night, take a steaming hot bath of at least thirty minutes.
Purpose: This weekend is mostly about flushing your system and getting you ready for more intensive workout sessions, so we’re keeping it light in all respects.
Week 1:
Each lift this week should be at a weight that is not difficult at all, only provides resistance unless specified otherwise. DO NOT add any supplements this week.)
Monday:
Diet:
Breakfast: 4 raw eggs mixed into a glass with milk and 1tsp of heavy whipping cream. (stir heavily if you’re new to raw eggs). Drink this not long after your run. 100mg caffeine of whatever source. This will be the same breakfast daily during the week.
Lunch: A large grilled chicken sandwich and a banana. Do not use thick bread, try and maximize the amount of calories coming from the meat itself. A small amount of sauce can work wonders for flavor. Eat this around 2 hours before you go to the gym.
Dinner: A large hamburger and a salad, (normal salad not the carrot salad). The rarer the meat, the better. Again, maximize the calories coming from the meat itself not the bread.
Total calories should end up around 2,500. (I mean large, you’re gonna be hungry after a weekend of salad). If you can’t make a burger or sandwich large enough, have two, but one is better to reduce bread intake.
Exercise:
AM: The following warmup drill, followed by a one-mile run at a nine-minute pace. Afterwards stretch for 10min in whatever manner you choose.
Calf Raises 20 reps
Calf Stretch 2 reps 30sec per leg
Ankle Mobilizations 15 per ankle
Roll Back V Sit 15 reps
Dead Bugs 15 reps
Pigeon Pose 30sec each side
Quad Pull 30sec per leg
Back Slaps 20 reps
Arms Circles 20 reps
Walking Toe Touch 10 meters, (10m)
Walking Lunge 10m
Walking Cradle 10m
High Knees 10m
Butt Kicks 10m
PM: Stretch for 10min
Bar Squats, 3 sets of 8 at 1/2 of your max
Goblet Squats, 3 sets of 8 with 35lbs
Hib Abduction and Adduction at a weight that is not difficult but provides resistance
Stretch for 10min
Purpose: The warmup routine is a bit excessive for a one-mile run, but we want to increase your mobility and teach you exercises early on so that independent stretching is actually beneficial. There’s not much point in getting you more flexible after you pull something.
Other:
After your run, make your shower very cold for at least the first five minutes. After the first 5, do not make it warm, but you can make it a comfortable cool. If you take a warm shower after running on an empty stomach, you will be groggy the entire day.
Tuesday:
Diet:
Breakfast: The same as Monday, but only 2 eggs. This will be known as The Usual™. Always drink not long after your workout
Lunch: Pork Sandwich with raw honey and a spicy sauce of your preference. Have a citrus fruit on the side. Always about 2hrs before you go to the gym.
Dinner: A large hamburger and a salad.
Total Carlories should be about 2,000. It’s okay to go under, but do not exceed.
Exercise:
AM: Strength and Mobility Circuit. Each Exercise is 10 reps, each stretch is 30s per side.
Ankle Mobilization
Calf Stretch
Pigeon Stretch
Jumping Jacks
Seal Jacks
Cross Jacks
Messier Squat, (actually a decent fitness channel in the hyperlink)
Jumping Jacks
Seal Jacks
Cross Jacks
PM: 10min stretch
Bent Over Bar Row 3 sets 8 reps
Reverse Fly 3 sets 8 reps
Lat Pulldowns 3 sets 8 reps
Shoulder Shrugs 3 sets 8 reps
Leg Raises 3 sets 8 reps, (these can also be done on the ground if necessary)
Pull-Ups 1 set As Many Reps As Possible, (AMRAP).
10 min stretch.
Wednesday
Diet:
Breakfast: The Usual™
Lunch: Large chicken sandwich and a banana
Dinner: Large Burger with a salad
Total Calories: 2,500
Exercise
AM: Start with the warmup drill from Monday.
Jog 800m for a warmup
No less than 4 reps of 200m sprints, (at least 80% of your max speed). Don’t do more than 8 reps.
Jog 800m for a cooldown.
PM: 10 min stretch
Bench Press 3 sets 8 at 1/2 your max
Incline Bench 3 sets 8 reps
Dumbell Flys 3 sets 8 reps
Leg Raises 3 sets 8 reps
Pullups, 1 set AMRAP
Other:
If you feel groggy throughout today, then on all future run/ruck days you should take a cold shower again. Your body is adapting to using this much of its cardivascular system in such a short span, the cold shower will help jolt you awake in the morning.
Thursday:
Diet:
Breakfast: The Usual™
Lunch: Pork Sandwich with citrus fruit
Dinner: Large Burger with salad
Total Calories: 2,000
Exercise:
AM: Strength and Mobility Circuit, (the same as Tuesday)
PM: 10 min stretch
Deadlift 3 sets 8 at 1/2 your max, (if this feels difficult at all, go down)
Good Mornings, 3 sets 8 (No more than the bar, preferably just a thin piece of PVC pipe or something similar)
Plank 3 sets 30sec
Side Plank 2 sets 30sec per side
Leg Raises 3 sets 8
Dead Hangs 3 sets 10sec, (20 if you can).
Friday:
Diet:
Breakfast: The Usual™
Lunch: Either a chicken or a pork sandwich, (whichever you need to use up from this week). Use up whichever fruit you need to, typically this ends up being a banana.
Dinner: Make yourself an absolute feast. Good, quality ingredients, but eat to your heart’s content. Preferably base this in something like steak or lamb rather than a pasta or anything. Make sure you have a small desert. Drink all the alcohol you want.
Total Calories: Before counting alcohol, do not exceed 3,500. Preferably stay a decent bit lower than this, but as an absolute maximum 3,500 will do.
Exercise:
AM: Warmup circuit for cardio days
Ruck 2 miles at a 16min pace with 25lbs, (you will likely have to time yourself on the first mile to know your pace if you are unfamiliar).
Stretch 10min
PM: Get out and be active with anything of your choice, just stretch first. Don’t weight lift. Personally I do sparring here, so you’re looking for something similar.
Weekend Week 1:
Diet:
Breakfast: Either do The Usual™ or eat the same amount of eggs but cooked to your liking.
Lunch: You can be pretty lenient, but don’t eat any fast food.
Dinner: Same policy as lunch. Feel free to drink some, but keep it light on Sunday.
Try and add in turkey tail somewhere each day this weekend.
Exercise:
Do the same back routine that I had you do on the Friday before we began at least once. Walk no less than a mile daily.
Week 2:
This week is the same as Week 1 with three major differences.
With regards to Exercise, each lift where I specified to do 1/2 of your max, you can go up to 70% if you feel comfortable with that. If you do not, go up to where you are comfortable. With all lifts where I specified you should only feel resistance, some difficulty is okay this week, but make sure that your form is correct at all times.
With Diet, you’re going to maintain the same calorie count and foods, but if you, like me, typically drink on some weekdays, you can add in alcohol. However, the calorie count is the same for each day, including alcohol.
Lastly, if you intend to use anything like Creatine, you can start adding it in now.
Weekend 2:
This weekend is the same as weekend 1. Again, try and consume some turkey tail daily.
Week 3:
The only thing that is different this week is that you will probably increase your weight on some lifts. Otherwise you will maintain the same schedule.
Weekend 3:
If you are intending to start a new program next week, build your weekend around eating towards that. For example, if your Monday is going to be a very heavy lift, then increase your calorie intake some now because you have been eating somewhat light. If you are still overweight, keep going on this regime until you are not. You should never start a serious lifting program if you are seriously overweight, you will destroy your knees and spine.