Choose a day
Strength · Lower

Lower Power

Heavy compound legs. Rotate squat variation each cycle. Rest 2–3 min on main lift, 90 sec on accessories.

~45–50 min Optional Z2 spin · 20–30 min
Squat (rotation)5 × 5
Heavy. Warm up thoroughly. Brace hard, full depth, control the descent, drive up with intent.
3-week cycle
ABack Squat — bar on traps, shoulder-width.
BFront Squat — bar in front rack, elbows high.
CTempo Back Squat — 3-sec descent + 1-sec pause. -15% load.
How to
Romanian Deadlift4 × 6
Push hips back, soft knee bend. Lower until you feel a deep hamstring stretch. Drive hips forward. Bar stays close to legs.
How to
Bulgarian Split Squat (DB)3 × 8/leg
Rear foot laces-down on bench. Drop back knee straight down, front shin vertical. 2-sec down, 1-sec up.
How to
Leg Extension3 × 12
Quad isolation on the machine. Pause 1 sec at full lockout and squeeze, then a 3-sec negative. Back flat against the pad — no swinging the weight up with momentum.
How to
Standing Calf Raise3 × 12
Full ROM. 1-sec pause at top, 1-sec pause at full stretch. No bouncing. Load it with dumbbells off a step, or push through the balls of your feet on the leg-press plate.
How to
Lying Leg Raise3 × 12
Lie flat, lower back pressed into the floor. Legs straight, raise to vertical, lower with control. Stop just before heels touch — keep tension. No momentum.
How to
Strength · Push

Upper Push & Press

Heavy upper body. Press variation rotates. Rest 2 min on main lifts, 90 sec on accessories.

~40–45 min Optional Z2 spin · 20–30 min
Bench Press (rotation)5 × 5
Heavy. Scapulae retracted, slight arch, feet planted. 2-sec descent, brief pause on chest, drive up fast.
3-week cycle
ABarbell Bench Press — standard grip, full ROM.
BClose-Grip Bench Press — hands inside shoulder width.
CFloor Press — lockout strength, no leg drive.
How to
Standing Overhead Press4 × 6
Strict press, no leg drive. Brace core, tuck chin to let bar pass, press straight up. Full lockout overhead.
How to
Incline DB Press3 × 8
Bench at 30–45°. Press straight up from upper chest. Elbows at ~45°, not flared.
How to
Lateral Raise (DB)3 × 12–15
Slight bend in elbows. Raise to shoulder height max. 3-sec negative on every rep.
How to
Cable Reverse Fly3 × 12–15
Dual pulley set to shoulder height, cables crossed. Slight elbow bend, arms sweep out and back to parallel leading with the elbows. Constant tension beats dumbbells here — squeeze the rear delts hard, 1-sec hold.
How to
Hollow Body Hold3 × 30–45 sec
Lie flat, lower back pressed into the floor. Lift shoulders and legs slightly off the ground, arms extended overhead. Tight, cohesive shape. Scale by bending knees or shortening arm reach.
How to
Ride Day

Mid-Week Ride

Outdoor preferred — get fresh air. No lifting. Engine work for the legs while everything else recovers.

Outdoor · Default

60–90 min on the Tarmac SL8 or Marlin

Mostly Zone 2 with natural terrain variation. Build the aerobic base. If you feel good, throw in a few harder efforts up climbs — but the point is volume, not punishment.

Indoor · Backup

45–60 min Zwift structured

Sweet spot intervals (4 × 8 min @ 88–94% FTP) or tempo (3 × 12 min @ 76–87% FTP). FTP: 180W. Quality over duration when indoors.

Fallback

30 min recovery spin

If you're toast from Mon/Tue or short on time: easy spin, ~60–65% FTP, conversational. Still better than skipping.

Power · Athletic

Power & Athletic

Fast, explosive, intentful. Light loads, max speed. Full recovery between sets. Quality over quantity.

~35–40 min Optional Z2 spin · 20–30 min
Hang Cleans5 × 3
Start at mid-thigh. Snap hips forward, shrug, catch in front rack. Reset fully between reps. ~60–70% of your clean max — speed is the goal.
How to
Barbell Push Press4 × 3
Dip knees slightly, drive through heels, punch the bar overhead. Lock out with ears in front of arms. Aggressive intent.
How to
Barbell Jump Squat4 × 5
Light bar (30–40% of squat max). Quarter squat, jump as high as you can. Land soft with bent knees, reset, go again.
How to
Heavy DB Swing3 × 15
Hold one heavy DB with both hands. Hike between legs, snap hips forward, let it float to chest height. Arms are passive — hips do the work.
How to
Farmer Carry2 × 50 yd
Heaviest DBs you can grip for the distance. Brisk pace, tall posture, don't grind. Grip + structural carryover.
How to
Cable Pallof Press3 × 10/side
Anti-rotation core off the dual pulley at chest height. Slow press out, hold 2 sec, return. Resist the cable trying to twist you. Brace hard — the stack lets you load it heavier and progress cleanly.
How to
Strength · Pull

Posterior & Pull

Heavy posterior chain + back width. Deadlift variation rotates. Rest 2–3 min on main, 90 sec on accessories.

~45–50 min Optional Z2 spin · 20–30 min
Deadlift (rotation)5 × 3
Push the floor away. Bar against shins. Full reset on the floor between reps — no touch-and-go.
3-week cycle
AConventional Deadlift — feet hip-width, grip outside knees.
BDeficit Deadlift — stand on a 1–1.5" plate. -10% load.
CSnatch-Grip Deadlift — wide grip, trap stimulus. -15% load.
How to
Bent Over Barbell Row4 × 6
Torso at ~45°. Pull bar to lower chest, squeeze at the top for 1 sec. No momentum, no hitching.
How to
Single-Leg RDL (DB)3 × 8/leg
Hinge forward on one leg, free leg extends behind you. Keep hips square. Touch a wall for balance if needed.
How to
Lat Pulldown3 × 10
Real vertical pull at last. Wide-ish grip, drive elbows down and back, pull the bar to your upper chest. Lead with the elbows, not the hands. 1-sec squeeze at the bottom, controlled 3-sec stretch up — no leaning way back to heave it.
How to
Cable Face Pull3 × 15
Dual pulley at forehead height with a rope. Pull to your face, and at the end rotate your hands outward so thumbs point behind you. Squeeze for 1 sec. Shoulder health and rear-delt work in one.
How to
Seated Leg Curl3 × 12
Direct hamstring work to round out the posterior-chain day. Curl the pad down hard, 1-sec squeeze at the bottom, slow 3-sec return. Keep your hips pinned to the seat — don't let them lift to cheat the weight.
How to
Side Plank3 × 30–40 sec/side
Forearm down, body in a straight line from head to heels. Hips up — don't let them sag. Anti-lateral flexion finisher. Stack feet, or stagger for stability.
How to
Long Ride

Long Ride

Signature ride of the week. Outdoor by default — this is what summer's for.

Outdoor · Default

1.5–3 hours on the Tarmac SL8 or Marlin

Primarily Zone 2 with natural terrain variation. Build slowly — if last week was 90 min, this week aim for 100. Keep it fun. Stop for coffee. This is where the bulk of aerobic adaptation and calorie burn happens.

Indoor · Backup

90–120 min Zwift event or structured ride

Group ride or long sweet-spot session if weather forces you inside. Duration matters more than intensity on this day.

Recovery

Recovery

Active rest — not a skip day. This protects everything else in the program.

🧘

Yoga, Mobility, Stretching

20–30 minutes. Focus on hip flexors, hamstrings, thoracic spine, shoulders, and neck. Optional easy 20–30 min spin if you want movement, recovery pace only. Sleep matters more than any extra session.

Nutrition

Fuel & Macros

Cut to 188 lbs by 2026-12-31. Preserve lean mass. Pace ~0.35 lb/week. Set 2026-05-23.

Daily Calories~250 kcal below estimated TDEE
~2,700
Protein1.1 g per lb — non-negotiable
220 g
FatFloor of ~0.4 g/lb for hormones
75–80 g
Carbs (baseline)Varies by training load — see below
285 g
Carbs by Day
Mon~340 g — squat heavy day
Tue~285 g — upper push
Wed~285–340 g — scale with ride duration
Thu~285 g — power day
Fri~340 g — deadlift heavy day
Sat~340–400 g — long ride, scale with duration
Sun~220 g — recovery day
Around Training
Pre-Lift Meal60–90 min
~30–40 g carbs + ~25 g protein. Oatmeal + whey, rice + chicken, or similar. Light enough to lift on.
Post-Lift Mealwithin 60 min
~40–50 g protein + ~60–80 g carbs. Eat the bulk of the day's carbs here. Recovery window is real for heavy lifting.
Long Ride Fueling50–80 g/hr
Saturday rides over 90 min: take carbs on the bike. Bars, gels, or a sports drink. Bonking on a 2-hr Z2 ride sets recovery back days.
Check Yourself
Weekly
7-day average weight should trend down ~0.3–0.4 lb. Stalled for 2+ weeks → drop calories 100–150. Losing >0.6 lb/week → eat more (that pace will cost lean mass).
DEXAJul/Aug 2026
Primary check: lean mass holds at ~138 lb. If lean drops more than ~1 lb between scans, the deficit is too aggressive — bump calories up by 150–200 and re-check.
End-of-Year Goal188 lbs
Target: 188 lbs by 2026-12-31 at ~138 lb lean / ~42 lb fat / 8 lb bone ≈ 22% body fat. ~11 lb of fat over ~32 weeks.
Reference

About

Goal, philosophy, rotation schedule, and progression rules.

Goal

Build an elite-rugby-player body: strong, powerful, athletic, durable. Heavy compound lifts, Olympic lift derivatives, posterior chain bias, grip work, loaded carries, jumps. Not bodybuilding-isolation, not pure powerlifting. Athletic strength.

Cycling provides the aerobic engine and burns the calories — weather-driven now that summer's here, with 4+ outdoor rides as the weekly target.

How This Differs from the Old Program

4 strength days, not 5. Frees up Wednesday for a dedicated ride and gives the body real recovery slack.

Lower reps, heavier loads. Main lifts run 3–6 reps (was 6–12). Strength bias for the rugby physique.

3-week movement rotation. Each main lift cycles through three variations — same structure, different stimulus.

Olympic lift derivatives in, isolation out. Hang cleans + push press anchor Thursday. No standalone skull crushers or curls — arms get hit through compounds.

Cycling weather-driven. Wed and Sat are dedicated rides. Lift-day spins are optional.

Building Gym — Equipment Update

Moved from the home gym to the building's gym. It has a full rack and benches, so every barbell main lift — squat, bench, overhead press, deadlift — and the Thursday Olympic work stay exactly as they were. What changed is the accessories, now that a machine circuit and a cable station are on hand.

Lat pulldown in. Friday's DB pullover → lat pulldown. Finally a true vertical pull instead of an improvised lat stretch.

Cable station replaces bands. Pallof press (Thu) and face pull (Fri) move to the dual adjustable pulley, and the reverse fly (Tue) goes cable too — constant tension and a real stack to progress on.

Direct leg machines added. Leg extension caps Monday; seated leg curl adds hamstring volume to Friday's posterior-chain work.

Neck harness retired with the home gym. No harness in the building gym — revisit if cervical work becomes a priority again.

Machine backups on tap. Leg press (squat-day volume or a busy-rack fallback), chest press & shoulder press (pressing when the bench/rack is taken), row machine (swap for barbell rows), and the dip machine all map cleanly onto the program. The biceps curl machine is there if you want it, but the plan still earns arms through compounds.

Week at a Glance
MonLower Power (Squat) + optional Z2 spin
TueUpper Push & Press (Bench) + optional Z2 spin
WedRide day (60–90 min, outdoor goal)
ThuPower & Athletic (Cleans) + optional Z2 spin
FriPosterior & Pull (Deadlift) + optional Z2 spin
SatLong ride (1.5–3 hr, outdoor goal)
SunRecovery: yoga, mobility, stretching

Mon — Squat

Week A: Back Squat · Week B: Front Squat · Week C: Tempo Back Squat (3-sec descent + pause).

Tue — Bench Press

Week A: Standard Barbell Bench · Week B: Close-Grip Bench · Week C: Floor Press.

Fri — Deadlift

Week A: Conventional · Week B: Deficit (1–1.5" plate) · Week C: Snatch-Grip.

Cycle Start

Week A begins the week of 2026-05-25. Track the current week in your training log. After Week C, restart at Week A. Accessory lifts stay the same each week — only the main lift rotates.

Wednesday — Dedicated Ride

Outdoor preferred, 60–90 min, mostly Z2. Indoor backup: Zwift sweet spot or tempo intervals, 45–60 min. FTP: 180W.

Saturday — Long Signature Ride

1.5–3 hr, outdoor. Build slowly. This is where most of the cycling fitness lives.

Optional Post-Lift Spins (Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri)

20–30 min easy. Skip without guilt if short on time or recovery is low. Counts toward the 4+ outdoor weekly target when done outside.

Weekly Outdoor Target

4+. Wed + Sat = 2 baseline. Hit 2 more on lift days when weather allows. Track in Strava.

Main Lifts

Add 5 lbs to a main lift once you've completed its sets/reps cleanly on two consecutive A-rotations of that movement (i.e., across two full 3-week cycles for the same variation). Don't chase weight inside a cycle.

Accessories

When the top set hits the upper end of its rep range cleanly, add weight next session. Barbell: +5 lbs. Dumbbell: +2.5 lbs per hand.

Machines & Cables

Run the pin stack one plate at a time: when the top set hits the upper end of its rep range cleanly across all sets, move up one. On cable moves (face pull, Pallof, reverse fly) prioritize control over load — if form breaks, drop a plate.

Cycling

Re-test FTP every 6–8 weeks via Zwift ramp test. Adjust zones.

Recovery Management

Monitor Whoop weekly. If recovery trends down 5+ days, drop the Wednesday ride to recovery pace first, then de-load the Friday deadlift. Saturday's long ride and Monday's squat are the last things to cut.

Next Check-In

DEXA scan in July or August 2026.