Tag: workout plans

  • 35 FREE workout plans for different fitness goals and ability levels

    35 FREE workout plans for different fitness goals and ability levels

    The humanfitproject brand has been producing fitness content for a decade which includes hundreds of free workouts for our friends and followers. This is a collection of 35+ of our best FREE workout plans for different fitness goals and ability levels.

    Do you feel like you could lose a few extra pounds? We’ve got the workouts to get your heart pounding, sweat dripping, and metabolism raging to burn off fat even more quickly. Also read: 20 tips to lose fat faster

    Do you want to put on pounds and pounds of muscle and get as big as you can? We’ve got the mass-building plans for you. Also read: 25 of the best foods to build lean muscle

    Do you want to do a little bit of both: gain some muscle and lose some fat? Yeah, we got that, and the important dietary recommendations to go along with it. Also read: 6 steps to starting a new diet

    Do you want to get superhero strong? You know, there’s a different between strength and size—we’ll show you how to win the world’s strongest man (or woman) competition. No, not really. But we’ll help you get really, really freaking strong.

    Do you want to figure out how to gain the advantage in your rec-league or pick-up games? You’ve got to train like an athlete for that. Put us in, we’ve got this.

    Do you hate working out in the gym and want outdoor options? We hear you, we’ve got plenty of fresh-air workouts here, too.

    Train smarter. Recover better.
    The Simone OS helps you adjust your workouts, check in with your nervous system, and stay consistent — even on the off days.

    Eat cleaner. Get leaner.
    The Fat Loss Meal Planner helps you build high-protein, macro-aligned meals that actually support your body — and your goals.

    The Fat Loss Meal Planner

    The Introduction/Transition workout plan

    The Introduction/Transition from Mike Beringer is one of those plans that you can start with as a beginner, but still find strategically useful as you become more advanced. The exercises are the basics and the volume (or amount of work) is low. This is ideal for a beginner (Introduction) because it isn’t complicated or too much of a shock to the system. On the other hand, it works well for the much more advanced (Transition) because it can serve as a de-load or taper. After weeks or months of intense, exhaustive exercise, a de-load or taper gives the body more time to recover while still stimulating the muscles. Big Mike Beringer did a great job programming and demo’ing.

    Goal: weight management, muscle maintenance, “tapering/de-loading”
    Ability level: beginner through advanced
    Featured: @Mikey_Fitness

    100 Days Later: The challenge that builds (and rebuilds) everything

    100 Days Later is more than just a workout plan — it’s a full-system reset for your body, mindset, and habits. The training is strategically structured to balance strength, cardio, and recovery across a long stretch of time, which helps rebuild consistency and discipline without burning you out. Whether you’re getting back into shape or looking for a smarter, more sustainable challenge, this one keeps you focused — one workout, one mindset shift, and one better decision at a time.

    Goal: full-body reset, strength, confidence, consistency
    Ability level: intermediate, returning, or rebuilding
    Featured: @mike_simone

    The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan

    The 4-week Very Beginner workout plan is exactly as it sounds. The primary focus of the plan is to slowly build your body up to be able to take on more of our challenging HFP programs in the future. To do that you’ll want to do the following: Improve or increase joint range of motion, improve the stability of those joints, strengthen your core muscles, and develop a baseline level of cardio. Following a basic structure will set you up for success.

    Goal: general strength, stability, mobility and conditioning
    Ability level: very beginner-beginner

    Redemption/24: A Journey Beyond Physical Fitness

    Redemption/24 is the 2024 version of the original Redemption (2016) program. The goal with this updated version was to maintain the original, and most important message of the program, but redesign the workouts so they’re accessible for different age groups and fitness levels. It’s a combination of traditional strength training, circuit training, cardiovascular training + a series of mental fitness exercises. The strength workouts are broken into splits throughout the week, but the full body is covered by the end. The mental fitness exercises should be performed daily.

    Goal: muscle building, fat loss, and mental fitness
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Unlabeled workout plan

    The Unlabeled plan was created for a couple reasons. We wanted to do something raw. Something without a production crew and all that production stuff. No worrying about lighting, or clothing, or angles. Just the raw material. It’s a mix of training, primarily focused on size and strength, but with more mobility and conditioning elements to boost athletic performance and longevity.

    Goal: blend of strength, muscle building, fat loss, and athletic enhancement
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Model Body workout plan

    The Model Body plan is also know as the Compound plan. It’s structure and programming revolves around the big lifts like the squat, deadlift, overhead press, and bench press. Those are then supplemented with isolation exercises. We call it the Model Body plan because we worked with Jordan Morello. Jordan is one hell of a personality. He’s got loads of energy with a great big smile that lights up the room. This is one of his go-to plans for prepping for other shoots he gets involved with.

    Goal: blend of muscle building, fat loss, and strength
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @Jordan_Morello

    The 2-week Big Friggin’ Arms workout plan

    We’ll admit it, these days it might sound little silly creating a workout program around a single body part. Doesn’t everyone want a symmetrical look? Of course, but sometimes we have lagging or stubborn muscle groups. Most of the time this is genetic, but it could also be that your training has gone a little stale. This plan is specific to arms… as clearly stated in the title. Instead of hitting them once per week like a traditional split, with this plan they are hit several times with reduced volume. It’s also important to note that it’s a short-term deal, two weeks, then you change it up again. Click the link above for more on how it works.

    Goal: re-stimulate muscle growth
    Ability level: All levels, suggested for intermediates
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Trim-up workout plan

    Tim McComsey has been big and ripped for what seems like forever. There’s a little bit more to it then hard work and eating right. Training blocks are strategically, and seasonally planned. In the winter, we tend to put on mass. Then, in the spring and summer we look to cut up. This plan is broken into quick tri-sets or circuits to boost the metabolism while still stimulating muscle growth.

    Goal: accelerate fat loss, muscle-building
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The 4-week Bulk-up workout plan

    The Bulk-up plan is the counter to the Trim-up plan. In the winter we bulk and in the spring we cut. The Bulk-up has been one of Tim’s go-to plans when looking to quickly and effectively gaining muscle. While following this you can give yourself a little more slack in the diet department. It’s also one of our top-performing plans on HFP.

    Goal: increase muscle-mass, fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The Party Week Detox workout plan v1.0

    Beers, cocktails, pizza, and wings. It doesn’t matter what your party night (or party week) cheats look like, this is the plan to get you back on track. We’re typically in “Detox Mode” around seasonal holidays like Cinco de Mayo, Memorial Day Weekend, the Fourth of July, etc. Party hard, then make a comeback in the gym. The thing is: these are programmed in a way to where you’re going to work hard enough to get the blood flowing and metabolism back in gear, but not too hard to where you’ll need to bring a mop and bucket. John Gioffre nailed it.

    Goal: weight management during party times
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @the.life.of.pablo__

    The Party Week Detox workout plan v2.0

    More beers, more cocktails, more pizza, and more wings. Detox came back with another version, but with an even more elaborate plan. The first part of each workout is Regeneration (rebuild muscle), the second part is Reignition (get the metabolism firing again), and the third part is Relaxation (calm nerves and balance the mood). While this does involve two workouts per day, it can be condensed or consolidated into one session.

    Oh, and you might want to learn how to prepare our delicious ab-friendly low-carb tacos if that’s the kind of thing you party with too. Let us know what you think of our leaner version.

    Goal: weight management
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The Holiday Schedule workout plan

    The winter holiday season is stressful and time-consuming. John Gioffre has all of us covered with a plan that keeps things short in the gym and has options for at-home stuff too. You’ll throw around the weights a couple days per week for muscle-building, then do some bodyweight circuits to rack up the calorie burn. If you’re the type to go hard at the dinner table during the holidays, you’ll like having this as a go-to.

    Goal: weight management during busy holiday season
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @the.life.of.pablo__

    The 13.1 runner’s workout plan

    Cody Harter is one of those guys that can run really far, really fast, and enjoys doing it. (Something definitely wrong with them folks). Cody worked with us as he prepared for a half-marathon in his local area. He documented his strength+endurance training combination as he built up to the big day. There’s a lot of solid information for anyone looking to step up from those casual runs, 5Ks, and 10Ks. We’ve just had a new DM exchange with Cody in recent weeks. Be on a lookout for more performance running content. Let us know if there’s anything specific you’d like to see.

    Goal: improve distance running ability
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @HarterStrength

    The Contender’s athletic conditioning workout plan

    Keita Minakovichsky is a no-BS trainer originally from FOCUS Personal Training Institute. He takes his programming and exercise very seriously. This plan isn’t for the beach muscle, it’s for the performance muscles. Stuff that actually makes a difference when it comes to game time. If you’re looking for new challenging moves that will strength muscles you didn’t even know you had, then this is it.

    You might also like Keita’s contributions to our Saturday Sweat workout series. They are a series of five strength+cardio workouts for getting a quick burn.

    Goal: athletic performance, conditioning, and strength
    Ability level: beginner through advanced
    Featured: @minakovichsky

    The bodyweight collection (10)

    Sometimes we all need a break from the weight room. Maybe it’s a couple days, or even a couple weeks, especially when the weather is great. There’s so much you can do on the trails or even in the urban jungle. Go enjoy the smells of fresh air instead of the smells of sticky benches, yoga mats, and toxic cleaning products. (Although, the streets of New York can produce a rather complex and nauseating blend of smells including garbage, farts, BO, pee, poo, fishheads, and hints of marijuana mixing in there. But you get our point. And we won’t name names.)

    Goal: general conditioning, outdoor-only workout solution
    Ability level: beginner, beginner-intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 3-day Pull, Push & Squat Split workout plan

    These days it seems to be all about full body workouts, but that’s not necessarily the end-all-be-all. There are so many different ways to train, and so many different ways to “be balanced” without hitting every muscle group in every single workout. Split routines are very popular alternative. Burnt out from HIIT? Strength hit a plateau? Give this one a go.

    Goal: strength-building
    Ability level: intermediate

    The Just One workout plan

    The Just One workout plan was designed specifically to make you think less. It’s one full body workout that you can do 3-4 days per week with a day of rest or cardio in between. But what about variety? That’s important, yes, but this is a short-term plan, and the one workout is covering all of your bases. Exercises, sets, reps, rounds, etc., can all be changed in 2 or 3 weeks. Consider this one of your go-to plans for a week-long vacation.

    Goal: strength-building and conditioning
    Ability level: beginner – intermediate

    The 2-dumbbell workout plan(s)

    Ever get the feeling you live on airplanes or in hotels? Or maybe you’re just not into the whole gym scene. We get it. So all you need to do is get two dumbbells. We’ve got two plans you can follow. There’s a four day plan which is an upper/lower body alternating split routine, and a three day plan which is a series of full body workouts. Both are great for all abilities.

    Goal: weight management, general strength and conditioning, at-home solution
    Ability level: scaleable for beginners through advanced
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    Built for the Beach version 2.0

    Aesthetics. More muscle, less fat. Everywhere on your body. There isn’t much more to be said about it. The exercises are relatively basic and the splits are straight-forward, but the workouts can run a little long. Couple this with a finely-tuned diet and you’re good to go.

    Goal: muscle-building and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate (scaleable for beginner)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    Built for the Beach version 3.0

    This is a follow-up to the successful B4B franchise, but with another layer added in. The performance factor. If you still want that impression physique, but need some lungs and stamina to back it up, the finisher portion of each of these routines will deliver.

    Goal: muscle-building, fat loss, and athletic conditioning
    Ability level: intermediate (scaleable for beginner)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 6-week Care-Free Summer workout plan

    The purpose of the care-free summer workout plan is to get fit or stay fit without having to think (or stress) so hard about what to do.

    The rules of the care-free summer workout plan are simple, there’s only one: Commit to doing your best. Do whatever it is you can, where ever you can, any way you can.

    Try to get in the gym two to three days per week to lift weights. Get two cardio sessions in a week: one interval day and one longer day. Casually stretch throughout the day, and most definitely at night.

    Goal: general strength, conditioning, and/or maintenance
    Ability level: all levels

    The 4-week indoor/outdoor Intermix workout plan

    Bryan Olson is a young up-comer in the world of fitness and health. He’s not only putting in the work in the gym, but also behind the books. The Intermix plan is for finding balance. There’s more to life than the weight room. It’s part gym-workouts, part outdoors-workouts, and is another nice way to link up strength and endurance training while building a great well-rounded body at the same time.

    Goal: muscle-building, fat loss, general conditioning, less-time solution
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @thebryandavidolson

    The 3-week Super-3 strength workout plan

    Wratt Krueger identifies “holes” or weaknesses and eliminates them. While the Super-3 plan is built around the main strength-building exercises: the squat, press, and deadlift, there’s another critical piece. That piece involves the supplemental exercises, more specifically, the overhead stabilization work that we all tend to neglect. If this has caught your attention, click the title above to see how this all works.

    And we have even more with Wyatt. He pulled together a series of 10 CrossFit-inspired workout challenges to test your fitness. Challenge a friend: Loser has to buy a tub of pre-workout for the winner.

    Goal: increase strength
    Ability level: intermediate-advanced
    Featured: @WyattKrueger

    The 4-week Pre-cut workout plan

    If you’ve followed the Winter Bulk-up and the Spring Trim-up, you know why they were programmed the way they were. But sometimes there’s another move between the two. A “pre-cut”. The purpose of the Pre-Cut plan is to focus primarily on strength before blasting the body with high-intensity exercise for fat loss. That type of training can be extremely taxing and even detrimental if overdone. It might be a good idea to go into those cutting, trimming, and shredding plans with a bit more strength first.

    Goal: strength-building
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The 8-week Recession workout plan

    High performers, have a tendency to push harder and harder each and every week. You start cheating on your reps, throwing around more weight than you should, pushing through HIIT sessions well past your pain threshold. While that might work for a while, with time, things come crashing down. First, you’ll hit a peak, then a plateau, then your performance numbers will start to slide. Worst case scenario: you’ll go out of business all together. The 8-week Recession workout plan is designed to have a series of peak weeks followed by pull-back or recession weeks.

    Goal: strength-building / conditioning
    Ability level: intermediate

    The 3-day training partners strength workout plan

    Ryan and Eric Johnson aka the Sons of Strength are an industry dynamic duo. They’ve got the body transformation know-how, fight/tactical training, plus the experience in physical therapy and injury prevention. If you have a training partner, the both of you need to get on the same page with this one. There are a lot of fun ways to challenge one another in each workout.

    Goal: strength-building
    Ability level: beginner through advanced
    Featured: @SonsOfStrength (Ryan and Eric Johnson)

    The 3-day Monster power & strength workout plan

    Brandon Cruz is a Monster and that’s why this is the Monster plan. He played football, had reconstructive surgery on both of his knees, and he still came back even bigger, stronger, and more powerful. If more size, strength, and power sounds good to you, then this one’s worth it. What’s more: it’s only three days per week of training. Hey, some respond better to lower frequency. Why not try it for yourself?

    Goal: power and strength
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @BrandonDaCruz_

    The Timeless Bodybuilding workout plan

    Tim McComsey strikes again. This time it’s bodybuilding, bodybuilding, bodybuilding. Influenced by some of the industry’s early leaders and pioneers, Tim crafted something together from their toolbox of techniques. You’ll appreciate this is you’ve always admired Arnold & friends.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate and advanced
    Featured: @TimMcComsey

    The Push/Pump/Stretch Bodybuilder’s workout plan

    The name screams bodybuilding all day. Well, it is. Trainer Dale Parducci made quite an impressive body transformation himself and he did it the way the old school guys did. There really is something to be said about the basic lifts. If you liked the Timeless plan, you’ll like this one too. And vice versa.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: all levels
    Featured: @DParducci

    The high-intensity 10×10 workout plan

    The 10x10s are hot. Hands down one of our most popular workout franchises. They are very straight-forward. It’s a series of exercises done for 10 sets of 10 reps as quickly as possible. They are aggressive and get the metabolism firing.

    Goal: fat loss and muscular endurance
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced (scaleable for beginners)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The high-intensity split 10×10 workout plan

    The original 10x10s are one of our most popular pre-summer and summer workouts, hands down. The split 10x10s are very similar, but instead of 10 sets of 10 of 1 group of exercises, it’s 5 sets of 10 of 2 groups of exercises.

    Goal: fat loss and muscular endurance
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced (scaleable for beginners)
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 4-week Quick-Switch workout plan

    Joe Rodonis likes to maintain his lean muscular physique by switching back and forth between a mass building plan and a cutting plan. Hence, the Quick-Switch name. You follow one part for two weeks, then switch. What’s great about this is, you’re following a plan that provides change and variety, while it also remains relatively similar so you’re giving it enough time to work. You might also want to check out some of Joe’s solid HIIT routines as a part of our Hurricane workout series for fat loss.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @JoeRodonis

    The 6-week Redemption workout plan

    The Redemption plan is more of an emotionally charged plan than most. You’ll probably need to watch and listen to the trailer to get a better understanding. Following the Redemption plan is the commitment you make to yourself not to miss or blow opportunities. It’s your classic bodybuilding-influenced split and is suitable for beginners through advanced abilities. If you want a plan that means something more than just working out, this is it. Make your change. Make your comeback. We’re rooting for you.

    Goal: muscle building and fat loss
    Ability level: beginner and intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 4-week Reconstruction workout plan

    The Reconstruction plan is one of our New Year’s Resolution Reset plans. The plan is centered around eccentric exercises to strengthen the mind-muscle connection and stimulate fresh muscle growth. If you’ve been doing a lot of HIIT or circuit training, this is a smart options to get back into muscle-building. And if you’ve taken some time away from the gym, this is a good way to get back on the workout wagon.

    Goal: general strength, muscle building, and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The First-responders workout plan

    Mike Counihan is a New York City police officer. He’s big, and he’s intimidating. But don’t let his size or intense focus fool you, he’s a super-friendly guy that loves hardcore training. While he primary trains for size and strength, he’s created a plan with some additional elements of endurance and athleticism. If you want a plan to get you big and strong, but with some curve balls thrown in there, this is it.

    Goal: strength, muscle building, and general conditioning
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @nodonutshere

    The 5 Power Hour mini-workout plans

    Peter Miller is a type-1 diabetic, and he still has forged an incredible physique over the years. Peter is a graduate of FOCUS Personal Training Institute and was selected to contribute a series of “mini-programs”. Basically these are five short plans where you repeat 1 or 2 workout blueprints throughout the week. If you’re tired of doing a million different exercises and want to simplify things, then this is for you.

    Goal: strength, muscle building, and fat loss
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @type1body_44

    The Science Guy workout plan

    Ian Canrobert is big on science-backed research when it comes to following or prescribing a workout plan. This particular plan is long-term, goes through stages or phases, and has a variety of different techniques. If you’re looking for a simple, cookie-cutter plan, this is NOT the one for you. But if you’re looking to try a lot of different things in one plan, you’ve come to the right place.

    Goal: strength and muscle building
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @IanCanrobert

    The 6-Week Return to Intuition workout plan

    All of us can get to a place of being able to train intuitively, but it’s something that takes many years to achieve. If you’ve gotten your fitness to an intermediate to advanced level and are looking to simply maintain a well-rounded base of fitness, this is the program for you. The elements of this program include: running, lifting, rowing, swimming, stretching, and breathing.

    Goal: blend of strength training, endurance training, breathing, and mobility training
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 30-Days to Spartan Beast workout plan

    The Spartan Beast, a 21K race with 30+ obstacles is one of Spartan Races’ most challenging races, only second to the Ultra (50K and 60+ obstacles) and the Death Race (unspeakable difficulty). In order to train for the Beast, you need a combination of two things: a lot of running endurance and a lot upper body / grip strength. And if you’re planning to run a mountainous course, you need running endurance on hills. This is the workout plan that will get you through it like a boss.

    Goal: blend of strength training, endurance training, and obstacle course race training
    Ability level: intermediate to advanced
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The 7-Day Holistic Fitness Plan for Entrepreneurs and Executives

    Entrepreneurs and executives need a holistic fitness plan as much as anyone. A tight schedule is no excuse. The effects of long hours and stress are too great to not counteract with exercise and self-care strategies. This holistic fitness plan for entrepreneurs and executives will sharpen the mind and strengthen the body. It’s for all the high-performers out there that want the same success with their fitness and health as they want for their businesses. We have the vision and strategy. You bring the discipline and grit that it takes to handle your business and apply it to your fitness and health.

    Goal: build muscle and strength, manage your weight, improve mobility, reduce stress
    Ability level: intermediate
    Featured: @Mike_Simone

    The Over-40 Workout Plan to Build Lean Muscle

    Mike Simone Over-40 Muscle

    Reality is: As we get older our strength, power, and endurance declines, we ache a little more, and take a little longer to recover. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t things we can’t do to slow down the decline. In fact, there’s a lot we can do. And, there’s a lot of incredible body transformations that can happen. Sticking to a workout plan like this over-40 workout plan is a perfect place the start.

    Goal: blend of training to build muscle, strength, endurance, heart health, and injury resilience
    Ability level: beginner, intermediate, or advanced

    The 4-Week Pull-Up Workout Plan

    Mike Simone Blue Shirt Pull-Up

    Pull-ups are tough, but they’re one of the most important functional strength exercises there are. If you need to pull yourself up out of danger, being able to do pull-ups are going to make the task a whole lot easier. If you’re struggling to do your first pull-up, our 4-week pull-up workout plan will get you banging them out in no time.

    Goal: functional strength training with focus on increasing the ability to do pull-ups
    Ability level: beginner to intermediate

    The 6-Week ChatGPT Workout Plan to Get Strong and Lean

    With all the buzz around OpenAI, ChatGPT, and GPT-4, I thought it would be fun to create an AI-designed workout, just to see what happened, and it actually turned out to be a decent workout. Was it personalized? No, but it was pretty standard and it got the job done. (Check out the post I did here.)

    Since then, I decided to push things even further by creating an entire editorial series with ChatGPT as my subject, no different than when I would interview other coaches or athletes. This was the complete workout it generated for me.

    Goal: Build lean muscle
    Ability level: beginner to intermediate

  • Create Your Perfect Fitness Routine with Our Workout Plan Template

    Create Your Perfect Fitness Routine with Our Workout Plan Template

    Having a structured fitness program is what leads to the results you want. Below are a series of our workout plan templates, tailored to meet the needs of both fitness newcomers and seasoned athletes. These templates act as a guide to achieving your goals while giving you some flexibility to DIY it a bit.

    If you want to take all the guess work out, check out our collection of over 35+ free workout plans designed for various goals and fitness levels.

    Key Takeaways

    Beyond the physical benefits, adopting a workout plan or fitness program fosters a profound psychological impact, including enhanced motivation and a profound sense of accomplishment. Moreover, the adaptability of workout plans caters to special populations and personal needs, offering tailored approaches for anyone, at any level.

    • Workout plan templates are versatile, catering to beginners and advanced athlete with different goals.
    • Tracking and planning are essential for maintaining a consistent routine and monitoring progress toward fitness goals.
    • Specialized templates for objectives such as weight loss vs. endurance to enhance your strategy to make your path to fitness clear, efficient, and manageable.

    Why You Need a Workout Plan

    Having a workout plan is crucial for several compelling reasons. Firstly, it provides a structured approach to achieving fitness goals, ensuring that each exercise session is purposeful and aligned with specific objectives, whether it’s weight loss, muscle building, or enhancing overall fitness. A well-crafted plan eliminates guesswork, making workouts more efficient and effective. It also helps in maintaining consistency, a key factor in seeing tangible results. Consistency in following a structured plan leads to habit formation, making regular exercise a part of daily life rather than a sporadic effort. Furthermore, a workout plan allows for balanced training, ensuring that all muscle groups are adequately worked and rest periods are optimized to prevent overtraining and injuries. It also aids in tracking progress, providing motivation as improvements are seen over time. Ultimately, having a workout plan empowers individuals to take control of their physical health, leading to improved well-being, increased confidence, and a higher quality of life.

    A Beginner’s Big Mistake: Not Having a Plan

    One of the most significant mistakes people make with their workouts is starting on their fitness journey without a clear plan. This lack of planning often leads to a haphazard approach to exercise, where workouts are inconsistent, imbalanced, and not aligned with specific goals. Without a structured plan, individuals may focus too much on certain types of exercises while neglecting others, leading to uneven development and increased risk of injury. This approach can also result in either overtraining or undertraining, both of which hinder progress and can demotivate individuals when they don’t see the desired results. Without a plan, tracking progress becomes challenging, making it difficult to adjust workouts effectively over time. Essentially, the absence of a well-thought-out workout plan can turn what should be a rewarding journey towards better health into a frustrating and potentially fruitless endeavor.

    Discovering Your Ideal Template

    Choose a template that aligns with your fitness level and goals. From beginner-friendly options that introduce basic exercises to advanced templates that challenge your limits, and customizable plans that let you tailor every detail, finding the right template can transform your approach to fitness.

    Beginner-Friendly Templates: Start with foundational exercises and gradually increase intensity. These templates are designed to ease you into fitness, making workouts approachable and sustainable. Check out our Very Beginner workout plan for a good starting point.

    For example, a beginner’s fitness program week might start with simple bodyweight exercises like squats, push-ups, and lunges, gradually introducing light dumbbell workouts. Success stories often highlight individuals who, starting with minimal experience, have built a solid fitness foundation, showcasing the transformative power of starting small.

    Training 3 days per week is an excellent starting point for beginners.

    Advanced Workout Templates: Explore complex exercises and increase your workout volume. These templates are perfect for those looking to push their limits and achieve new heights in their fitness journey. You may want to try something like our Redemption, Reconstruction, or the 10x10s template for a serious challenge.

    Advanced workout routines that could incorporate high-intensity interval training (HIIT), Olympic lifting, and complex plyometrics. Testimonials from seasoned athletes often reflect on how these challenging templates propelled them to new personal bests and breakthroughs in their fitness journeys.

    Training 5 days is typical for advanced athletes.

    Customizable Workout Plans: Inject creativity into and customize your regimen with a plan that adapts to your unique preferences. You can always apply for the limited spots of HFP coaching for creating a bespoke workout plan.

    Custom plans may blend various elements like cardio, strength, and mobility work tailored to personal preferences.

    Goal-Based Workout Templates: Whether you’re aiming for strength, endurance, or general fitness, select a template that matches your ambition. Incorporate a mix of strength training, HIIT, and recovery exercises tailored to your specific objectives.

    These templates might offer a mix of endurance runs, strength circuits, and other flexibility training sessions weekly. Individuals aiming for specific goals share how these focused routines have helped them achieve remarkable results, from marathon completions to significant body composition changes.

    For strength-based or body composition-based goals we like 3 days of strength, 1 day of HIIT, and the remainder being recovery or low intensity exercise. Cardio can be worked in a little bit each day.

    For endurance-based goals we like 1 long run per week, 1 short and fast run per week, and 1 medium distance run per week with a day or two of light strength/core based training to build resilience and injury prevention.

    For general/well-rounded fitness-based goals we like 2-3 days of strength training, 1-2 days of HIIT, 1 day of long and slow cardio, and 1 -2 days of recovery or low intensity exercise.

    Progress Tracking

    For body composition goals, consider periodic photos, measurements, and body fat assessments to visually and quantitatively track your progress. We like to take photos in the same location, with the same lighting, and the same clothing about every 4 weeks or so.

    For endurance or high-intensity sports, monitoring distances, times, and performance improvements weekly is crucial for gauging progress and adjusting your training accordingly.

    Emphasizing the journey, setting short-term milestones alongside long-term goals can keep motivation high and make the process more rewarding.

    Nutrition Guidelines Based on Your Workout Plan Templates

    Align your eating habits with your workout objectives. Understanding the nutritional demands of your body based on your chosen template is key to fueling workouts and recovering effectively.

    For those following a strength training template, a sample meal plan might emphasize higher protein intake to support muscle repair and growth, while endurance-focused individuals may require more carbohydrates for sustained energy. Adjusting dietary habits to match workout intensity and personal health objectives is crucial, ensuring that nutrition complements physical efforts for optimal results.

    Calorie & Macro Tracking: Keeping tabs on your intake of calories and macronutrients (proteins, carbs, and fats) is vital. It supports your body composition or endurance goals by ensuring you’re fueled for performance and recovery.

    For a deeper dive and first step into nutrition, check out our piece on the 6 steps for starting a new diet plan that works for you.

    Tips for Maximizing Your Workout Plan Templates Potential

    Balancing Exercise Types: Incorporate a variety of exercises, including aerobic fitness, strength training, core workouts, balance training, and flexibility exercises, to create a well-rounded routine that covers all aspects of physical health.

    To overcome common obstacles such as time constraints or motivation dips, consider integrating short, high-intensity workouts for busy days.

    Prioritizing Rest Days: Rest is as crucial as your workout days. It allows your body to recover, preventing injuries and ensuring long-term fitness success. Adapt the number of rest days to your own workout plan, intensity and personal recovery needs.

    Understanding your body’s needs and adapting rest days accordingly is key to prevention and recovery. Engaging in light activities such as walking or yoga on rest days can keep the momentum going without overtaxing the body.

    For smarter, low-impact gym options, check out these low-intensity workouts your body will love.

    Setting Realistic Goals: Clear, achievable goals are the backbone of any successful fitness plan. Use your workout planner template to set and track these goals, keeping your ambitions in line with your current fitness level and long-term objectives.

    Establishing clear, achievable goals is fundamental. Break down ambitious objectives into smaller, manageable tasks, and celebrate each milestone to maintain motivation. Joining free online fitness forums or creating local exercise groups can also provide a sense of community and accountability.

    Integration of Mindfulness and Mental Health into Your Workout Routine

    In the pursuit of physical fitness, the significance of mental health cannot be overstated. Integrating mindfulness into your own workout schedule and plan can transform the exercise experience, making it not only a physical activity but also a practice in mental and emotional well-being. Mindfulness during workouts helps in focusing on the present moment, enhancing the connection between mind and body, and reducing stress levels. It encourages a non-judgmental awareness of your body’s movements, breath, and the sensations you experience during exercise, leading to a more engaged and fulfilling fitness routine.

    Practicing mindfulness can also improve your workout performance by increasing concentration, preventing overexertion, and recognizing the body’s limits. Additionally, incorporating mental health practices such as gratitude exercises or positive affirmations into your fitness regimen can boost motivation, improve self-esteem, and foster a positive mindset towards health and wellness. This holistic approach not only maximizes the benefits of physical exercise but also promotes overall well-being, making your fitness journey more balanced and sustainable.

    Get Started

    Workout plan templates offer a strategic pathway to achieving your fitness goals. With structure, accountability, and a clear direction, these templates can significantly enhance your exercise routine. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to refine your fitness regimen, a well-chosen template is a valuable tool in your journey toward optimal health and wellness.

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  • Phased Training: Why You Should Work Out in Phases

    Phased Training: Why You Should Work Out in Phases

    We all hit plateaus and we all lose the motivation to workout from time to time. Taking a phased training approach is the answer you’re looking for.

    This concept involves focusing on a specific fitness goal during a set phase, like building strength or increasing endurance, before shifting to a different focus in the next phase. My own experience with phased training has not only led to impressive results but also kept my fitness journey exciting and dynamic.

    Related: 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels

    The Benefits of Phased Training

    The main benefit of phased training is it allows you to develop a well-rounded fitness level. When you have dedicated blocks of time to various aspects of fitness—strength, size, leanness, endurance—you can ensure none of them get neglected. Phased training basically eliminates fitness plateaus and burnout. When you’ve maxed out gains in one area, switching to a new phase can challenge your body in fresh ways and jump-start progress.

    Phased Training in Action

    Consider my own journey. There was a point when I felt stuck—I wasn’t getting any bigger or stronger, no matter how hard I tried. The solution? I shifted from doing 3 to 5 sets of 10 – 12 reps to doing 5 sets of 5 reps, concentrating more on heavy, heavy weight. After a six-week strength phase, I had became significantly stronger. So, when I went back to training for size, my increased strength allowed me to grow bigger than before.

    And then there was my experience with endurance training. Preparing for endurance events made me lose a significant amount of weight—almost 20 pounds. Post-event, I reduced my cardio and got back on the strength plan. This phase shift enabled me to rebuild my strength and size.

    Phased Training Will Keep You Motivated

    Beyond the physical benefits, phased training is a powerful tool for maintaining motivation and engagement. The idea of just working out every day until the day you die, especially if you’re doing the same routine repeatedly, sounds pretty miserable. But what if I told you that we were going to break your journey into 4 – 6 phases, each with its own unique challenges and focus areas? Suddenly, the monotonous grind transforms into an adventure with constantly changing landscapes.

    Phased training offers a strategic approach to achieving a well-rounded fitness level. It keeps your body challenged, your workouts varied, and your motivation levels high. Get on one of our free workout plans for several weeks, then move onto a new phase with a different program.

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    Got a question or feedback? Hit up Mike on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

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  • 4 simple steps for your first day in the gym

    4 simple steps for your first day in the gym

    It’s your first day, you’ve got no idea what to do or where to start. That’s OK. No reason to be overwhelmed or nervous. Separately from this post, you might find my piece about how I got over my fear of the gym to be helpful.

    Take these steps as your guideline to navigating the weight room. Let’s go—you can do this!

    For a program to try, check out our 35+ free workout plans for different goals and ability levels.

    We have a new private community and you’re invited! Join now to meet others, ask questions, share progress updates, and find out about upcoming live events. 

    1. Get a little warm up in

    If this truly is your first time in the gym and working out, you can’t just start banging out bench presses and squats. Find a spot away from people and do a set or two of push ups, pull ups, body weight squats, planks, shoulder circles and walking lunges just to get the blood pumping. While you’re at it, observe the gym floor, get a good feel what machines and free weights are where. Use this time to get comfortable and acclimated with the space—as you progress, you’ll get into a flow with your workouts.

    While a warm up is very important for obvious reasons (primarily injury prevention), there’s a lot folks out there that go overboard and use up valuable energy with their warm up instead of actually working out. Check out this piece on the two ways you can warm up, plus what you don’t need to do.

    2. Do a little bit of everything

    Similarly to the above, when starting out for the first time, your body will go through a shock when you hit it with any kind of training. Muscle soreness actually can feel pretty good, but walking around like you got hit by a truck means you probably went a bit overboard. We recommend starting out with three workout days per week (on-off-on-off, etc.) and performing 2-3 sets of an exercise for each muscle group of the body at about 60% of your maximum ability. For example: Legs, squat. Chest, dumbbell bench press. Shoulders, dumbbell lateral raises. Biceps, dumbbell curl. Triceps, cable pushdowns. Abs/core, planks. (Speaking of core, check out these 20 ways to give your core a great workout). We also suggest starting with dumbbells vs. barbells when first starting out as it will help with developing muscular balance. With barbells, the body tends to favor the dominant side.

    Don’t know how to lift weights? Check out our guide of the 20 best exercises for men and women. Rather just do bodyweight workouts instead? Check out our 10 best bodyweight workouts for building muscle and losing weight.

    3. Always clean up your stuff

    Whether your gym is immaculately clean, or a bit rough around the edges. Always put away your weights and wipe off your equipment. No one wants to smell and feel your sweaty stinky ass—it’s disgusting. And no one wants to re-rack dumbbells and plates either. It really is a basic, understanding among gym-goers to clean up.

    4. Refuel the right way

    Once your workout is over there’s still one more thing you need to nail down—a solid meal. Make this a serious habit because it’s legitimate. You’ve worked up a sweat, pounded your muscles and they need to recover and rebuild. But you can’t refuel with just anything. Cortisol, a stress-hormone in the body begins to build up during workouts and can strip away gains if not suppressed. Give your body a shot of protein and carbohydrates. Whey protein, and a banana (or two) should cover you. However, try to avoid fats such as peanut butter and oils as these slow down the digestion process. Your goal at this point is the ship nutrients in the muscles via the blood stream as quickly as possible.

    If you’re still a bit unclear on nutrition, check out our piece on intuitive eating for lean muscle. Also, update your grocery list with our collection of the 20 best foods for muscle-building. Happen to be a seafood lover? You need to try our 5 muscle-building seafood recipes that aren’t salmon.

    The next step… Get on a serious program

    After you’ve put a few weeks in the gym and you’re getting more and more comfortable with performing different exercises, it might be a good time to get onboard with a more regimented plan. We have a massive collection of 35+ FREE complete workout plans for every type of goal including building muscle, losing weight or increasing athletic performance. Another great option would be our premium program.

    For 1-on-1 coaching inquires, apply here for one of the limited spots in our 30-day immersive coaching program.

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