- Protein target
- Creatine
- 8 PM cool-down walk
- Consistent lights-out
Weekly Schedule
Muscle first, athleticism kept, health built in. Two full upper days and two leg days, easy cardio most days, and soccer on Sundays. Weekday lifts are at your apartment gym; the long Saturday session is at LA Fitness, where the free weights and trap bar live.
| Day | Cardio | Lift / main |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Zone 2 · 20 min | Upper A |
| Tue | VO₂ 2×4 / 4×4 · 20-35 min | Core & back |
| Wed | warm-up | Legs · heavy |
| Thu | Zone 2 · 20 min | Core & back |
| Fri | Zone 2 · 20 min | Upper B |
| Sat | Zone 2 · 40 min | Legs · moderate |
| Sun | Soccer · 6 PM | — |
Mon and Fri are work-from-home: easy cardio on the lunch break, the lift after work. Tue, Wed, Thu are 20 minutes of cardio plus the spine routine. Saturday is long: easy cardio when you wake, the leg session after lunch. A short cool-down walk every night at 8. Soccer is your weekly high-intensity session, so no extra intervals are needed.
Two upper days (Mon, Fri) and two leg days (Wed, Sat) means every muscle — legs and lower back included — gets trained twice a week on iron you control, instead of leaning on soccer to cover the legs. Wednesday is the heavy leg day (squat, hinge, deadlift), placed midweek so it is recovered from Sunday and fresh before the next match. Saturday is the moderate leg day: higher reps and more single-leg work, which you autoregulate — go lighter if a hard match is coming, push if Sunday is a casual kickabout. Soccer then becomes a bonus on top, not the thing your legs depend on.
The Rules That Matter
Two gyms, one plan. Weekday lifts run at the apartment gym on machines, cables, and the Smith — no compromise. Current resistance-training evidence supports machines and free weights when effort, volume, and progression are matched. Saturday is at LA Fitness for free-weight variety and the trap bar.
Trap-bar before floor deadlift. You stand inside a trap bar with a taller torso, so it is often easier to load the hinge without chasing the floor with a rounded back. At the apartment gym the Smith and dumbbell RDL fill the same role. Never round to reach the bar.
Superset to save time. Pairing non-competing or opposing muscles (press with pulldown, leg extension with leg curl, biceps with triceps) keeps sessions efficient when performance stays crisp. Where a cue says "superset with...", run that pair back-to-back, then rest before the next round.
Leave 1 to 3 reps in reserve. You never need to grind to failure for size; it just adds fatigue. Compounds rest 2 to 3 minutes, isolations 60 to 90 seconds.
No loaded spinal flexion. No crunches, sit-ups, Roman-chair reps, or rounding under load. Brace and keep a neutral spine. If the pelvis tucks at the bottom, that is your depth. Save deep flexion stretches for times they are clearly tolerated.
Weekly Sets Per Muscle
| Chest | 6 to 9 |
| Back | 12 to 15 |
| Side delts | 6 to 9 |
| Biceps | 6 to 9 |
| Triceps | 6 to 9 |
| Quads | 12 to 15 |
| Hamstrings | 8 to 12 |
| Glutes | 8 to 12 |
| Calves | 6 to 9 |
These are direct working sets. Pressing and pulling pile extra indirect volume onto the arms and delts on top. With two upper and two leg days, every muscle is hit about twice a week; the legs come from Wednesday (heavy) and Saturday (moderate), with soccer on top. Chest sits on the lighter side now — bump it first if you want more there. Start at the low end, add about a set a week to a priority muscle, then deload.
Five Weeks On, One Off
| Week | Volume | Reps in reserve |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Base, learn the loads | 3 |
| 2 | Add a set to two muscles | 2 to 3 |
| 3 | Add a set to two muscles | 2 |
| 4 | Hold | 1 to 2 |
| 5 | Add a set to a priority muscle | 0 to 1 |
| 6 | Deload, cut sets by half | 3 to 4 |
Autoregulate. If two or more wellness markers slide for five days, or your resting heart rate sits 5 bpm high for three, deload early.
Lift Sessions
Back rules, every session
- Brace before every working rep
- No rounding under load: no Jefferson curls, good mornings, or deep leg-press tuck
- If the pelvis tucks, that is your bottom. Never deeper.
- Chest-supported or machine variations when you have the choice
Compounds: rest 2 to 3 minutes, leave 1 to 3 reps in reserve. Isolations: rest 60 to 90 seconds, leave 0 to 2. Where a cue says "superset with...", alternate the pair with no rest. Full range of motion unless noted.
Double Progression
Stay in the rep range. When you hit the top of the range on every working set at the target reps in reserve for two sessions running, add load next time:
Upper compound +5 lb (or the next machine pin) Lower compound +10 lb (or the next pin) Isolation +2.5 to 5 lb, or +1 to 2 reps
On machines, if the next pin is too big a jump, add a rep or two per set first, or slow the tempo. Stall longer than 2 weeks: swap the variation or drop a set for a week.
Before Every Lift
1. Easy incline walk or elliptical 5 min 2. Band pull-aparts + arm circles 2 min 3. Movement ramp on the first lift: light 8 reps moderate 5 reps near working 3 reps working sets
You sat all day before the evening lift, so warm up longer than feels necessary, especially the shoulders before pressing and the hips before squatting. No static stretches over 30 seconds before lifting; they drop power.
Cardio Protocol
Mostly easy, a little hard. Easy Zone 2 on most days keeps the engine and recovery ticking; Tuesday is the one dedicated VO₂ interval slot. Soccer is a second hard session built into your week, so do not add more. New to training? Run the first few weeks all Zone 2, then add the Tuesday intervals once the base is there.
Incline treadmill walk is your default: upright, low impact, strong glute work, easy to dial the heart rate. The elliptical is the zero-impact alternate. Go easy on the stairmaster, especially on flare days; its forward lean can be the lumbar flexion your back dislikes. Save running for soccer.
Heart-rate zones · age 23
| Zone | BPM | Talk test |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 2, build | 120 to 140 | Full sentences |
| Zone 3, tempo | 140 to 160 | Short sentences |
| Zone 4, threshold | 160 to 175 | A few words |
| Zone 5, max | 175 to 190 | Can't talk |
VO₂ Max Intervals
20-min starter 03 min Warm-up 04 min Hard · 170 to 185 bpm 03 min Easy 04 min Hard · 170 to 185 bpm 03 min Cool-down Full 4×4 option, when recovered 08-10 Warm-up 04 min Hard · 170 to 185 bpm 03 min Easy after rounds 1-3 Repeat 4 hard rounds total 05 min Cool-down
The 20-minute version is a compact 2×4 starter, not a full Norwegian 4×4. Elliptical or incline treadmill keeps it low-impact. Cardiorespiratory fitness is strongly linked with long-term health; if Sunday's soccer left you cooked, swap this for easy Zone 2.
Soccer
Your athletic day, your fun, and your hardest cardio all at once. Warm up properly first: easy jog, leg swings, walking lunges, then build-up runs and a few cuts at 80 percent before going full speed cold.
Hamstrings and groins are classic soccer problem areas. The Wednesday hamstring work, especially slow eccentrics or assisted Nordics when available, plus a real warm-up are your best low-friction protection. Hydrate well.
Core & Back
The spine routine, built on Stuart McGill's work. It lives on your cardio evenings (Tue, Wed, Thu) but earns its keep any day. Do it on the gym floor or on a mat at home, no equipment beyond the pull-up bar for the dead hang.
Cat-camel 6 to 8 slow cycles Bird-dog 6 / 4 / 2 per side · 10 sec McGill curl-up 6 / 4 / 2 · 10 sec Side plank 6 / 4 / 2 per side · 10 sec Glute bridge 2 × 12 · 2 sec squeeze Dead bug 2 × 8 per side Back-extension hold build 20, 60, 120 sec Dead hang 2 × 20 to 40 sec
The descending 6/4/2 holds are McGill's dosing: short, repeated holds build endurance without long static strain. Not in the first hour after waking, when the discs are most vulnerable.
Avoid
- Crunches, sit-ups, Roman-chair, weighted twists (loaded flexion)
- Child's pose, knees-to-chest, deep forward folds if flexion is your trigger
- Long static planks; use the 10-second pyramid instead
- The stairmaster's forward lean on flare days
- Chasing the relief of slouching; it feels good but is not protective
Pain Response
| Sensation | Action |
|---|---|
| Dull soreness, both sides | Normal · train as planned |
| Sharp pinch mid-set | Stop the set · reset form · drop 20% |
| Flare the next day | Cut 10 to 15% on the offender · hold 2 weeks |
| Radiating, numb, or weak | Stop · see a PT or doctor |
See a doctor immediately
Numbness in the groin or inner thighs, new bowel or bladder changes, weakness in both legs, progressive numbness or weakness down a leg, severe night pain, fever with back pain, or pain after a significant fall or hit.
Your pattern (sitting aggravates, active extension relieves) is atypical, so the plan stays conservative on flexion and builds extensor endurance. Worth a one-time in-person assessment with a McGill or MDT trained physical therapist when you can.
Recovery & Deload
Seven active days is a lot, so recovery is part of the program, not an afterthought. The cardio days are easy on purpose. When you are run down, trim a couple of sets per lift or swap a session for easy Zone 2 — rather than letting a leg day be the thing that always gets cut.
Deload every 5 to 6 weeks, or sooner if the markers say so: cut working sets roughly in half, keep the loads, leave 3 to 4 reps in reserve, cardio Zone 2 only, for one week.
Watch for
Two or more check-in markers sliding for five-plus days · resting heart rate 5 bpm above baseline for three days · a lift going backward more than a week · the back feeling beat up. Any of these: deload now.
The Biggest Lever
8 to 9 hours, consistent wake time Daylight within 60 min of waking No caffeine after about noon Cool, dark room · screens down before bed
Short sleep in a lean phase shifts weight loss toward muscle instead of fat and drops testosterone. No supplement comes close to this.
Nutrition · 75 kg
| Protein | 150 to 165 g/day · 4 to 5 meals |
| Carbs | fuel lifts & soccer · 300 to 450 g |
| Fats | 60 to 80 g · don't go lower |
| Calories | slight surplus to gain lean |
On Mon and Fri, lunch becomes your post-cardio, pre-lift meal: protein plus carbs. Eat again within a couple of hours of lifting; the one-hour window is a myth.
Only These Work
- Creatine monohydrate, 5 g every day
- Whey, only to hit your protein target
- Vitamin D3, if your bloodwork is low
- Caffeine, 100 to 200 mg pre-lift
Skip pre-workouts, BCAAs, glutamine, test boosters, fat burners. They do nothing the list above doesn't.
DOMS Guide
| Sensation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Mild, 24 to 48 hrs | Normal |
| Sharp, one spot | Possible strain · drop 20% there |
| Sore past 72 hrs | Too much volume · trim next time |
| Radiating, numb, weak | Stop · get it looked at |
Getting Started
- Set every machine's seat and pad to fit you, and note the settings
- Start each lift well short of failure, leaving 4 reps in reserve
- Add a little weight each set until the last set feels like a real 4-in-reserve. That is your week-one working weight.
- Log everything: weight, reps, how it felt
- Add a set to your priority muscles (back and shoulders read first)
- Start the morning check-in: sleep, energy, soreness, heart rate
- Wednesday and Saturday are your two leg days — train them as seriously as the upper days; the squat, hinge, and deadlift live on Wednesday
Shopping List
- Exercise mat for the home core & back routine
- Creatine monohydrate, unflavored
- A heart-rate strap or watch for the zones
- Soccer cleats and shin guards that fit
- A water bottle you'll actually carry
Habit Anchors
- Consistent sleep and wake time, weekends too
- Hit protein every day, training or not
- Core & back routine on your cardio days
- Track every lift and the morning check-in
- Don't add weight unless the rules say to
Log
Filled square: workout plus check-in logged. Outlined: some data. Empty: no data.