My/Exercise/Body/Plan
Exercise Plan
- Strength is the priority. Three gym sessions, daily walking, and a mix of easy, moderate, and brief hard cardio fit into four or five training days.
- Saturday is Day 1 every week. The lifting days follow the lower-body, torso, and shoulder emphasis in Person/Andrew Huberman/Book/26/Protocols, with additional exercises spread across the week.
Week
Warm up and choose the effort
- Begin gym sessions with five minutes of brisk walking or easy cycling to get warm.
- Before a demanding exercise, use one to three preparation sets. The book's ramp is about 40% of the planned work weight for 6–10 reps, 65% for 4–8 reps, and 75% for 2–4 reps; rest one to two minutes between them. Round to available weights and keep these sets easy. They are additional to the work sets on each day's page.
- Work through a comfortable full range and control both lifting and lowering. Choose loads that leave about one or two more good reps possible at the end of each work set.
- The book frequently prescribes failure. This plan leaves a small reserve, particularly on squats, hinges, and barbell presses. The 2026 ACSM position stand finds that momentary failure is not required for gains.
- Rest three to five minutes after demanding compound sets and about 90 seconds to three minutes after smaller exercises. Start the next set when breathing and control have recovered; avoid rushing heavy lifts to meet a timer. The chapter's broader work-set range is two to five minutes.
- Sharp or increasing pain is a reason to stop and change the exercise or get it assessed. A trainer can check an unfamiliar lift's setup before adding load.
Progress and recovery
- Record the exercise, load, reps in each work set, and estimated reps left in reserve. Note any pain or unusual fatigue. Compare with the previous session before choosing today's weight.
- Keep the load until every work set reaches the top of its rep range with controlled form and a small reserve. Then add the smallest practical increment next session; reps may return toward the bottom of the range.
- If the new load prevents reaching the lower end of the range cleanly, reduce it. Add reps or load before adding more sets.
- Keep exercise choices steady long enough to judge progress. A machine substitution is useful when it fits body mechanics or available equipment better; record the substitution and establish its own load history.
- Set counts are work sets per exercise. The chapter's four-to-nine-set range describes a muscle group's total work in its body-part split; it is not another allocation to add to every lift.
- If performance declines across sessions or fatigue persists, reduce workload and review sleep, food, and recovery before adding training. The chapter also recommends a week away from resistance training roughly every 10–16 weeks; use that interval as a point to review recovery.
- If an exercise is new or training has lapsed, use a one-to-three-week practice period with light loads and several reps in reserve.
Daily walking
- Walk for five to ten minutes after meals when practical. During long periods of sitting or standing, take a short walking break; the chapter suggests five minutes per half-hour.
- Build toward roughly 7,000 daily steps if that is a useful and comfortable target. The chapter proposes 10,000 as an optional higher target. Build from the current average rather than forcing a sudden jump.
Walk
- Practice walking at an easy to brisk pace to add daily movement and support recovery.
Setup
- Wear comfortable shoes and choose a route, hallway, or treadmill.
Practice
- Walk upright with a natural arm swing. An easy walk allows relaxed conversation; a brisk walk raises breathing while conversation remains possible.
Dose and Progression
- Walk for five to ten minutes after meals when practical, and take a short walk during long periods of sitting or standing. Build daily steps gradually from the current average.
Cues and Variations
- Walking should leave you fresher, not more tired. Shorter, more frequent walks work when time or energy is limited.
Sources
Four-day week and missed sessions
- Keep Saturday cardio and Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday lifting. Omit Thursday's hard intervals. Saturday remains Day 1.
- If Tuesday is too long, reduce or omit its cardio before rushing the strength work. Shorter walks can add moderate activity elsewhere in the week.
- Resume the next feasible session after a missed day. Avoid doubling heavy sessions to catch up; keep Saturday's calendar anchor.
Exercise references