2024 FitManMode #2 Workout Plans
2023 FitManMode #1 Workout Plans
If you do not have Microsoft Excel – download the Excel document and drag it into your Google Drive, from there it will open in Google Sheets, of which you will be able to access it on your phone, so you can potentially input progress while at the gym.
Please see timestamps on this video for a full demonstration of every home workout exercise in the plans above.
DIET ADVICE
Losing weight or gaining muscle requires some focus on your diet, this doesn’t mean cutting out the foods you love, or unnecessarily restricting carbs/fats/sugars. I’ll outline a some details on these two subjects. Before you get going, I advise inputting your metrics to a calorie calculator to find your maintenance calories (how much calories you need to maintain your weight) – https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
Weight Loss
Once you’ve found your maintenance calories, reduce this number by 20%, so you’re in a slight calorie deficit. This figure is purely a guide, as it’s hard to assess someone’s energy output and activity level.
Download an app such as myfitnesspal and start to log your foods. If this is all too much, just moderate the foods you eat which you know are bad for you. This does not mean eating healthy, it’s just moderating the full fat fizzy drinks you’re consuming, not eating a full large pizza, just maybe half and saving the other half for tomorrow. Stop snacking between meals. Try to eat meals which have a high satiety index which make you feel fuller for longer, which generally is foods high in protein!
Do not reduce calories drastically, this is not sustainable and you will more than likely give up for a numerous amount of reasons. Wanting that “quick-fix” of weight loss is a fast track to failing.
Bear in mind that this is all to do with energy input and energy output. If you only focus on diet with 0 energy output, you’ll have to go further into a deficit to potentially achieve your goal. Although if you consistently get 6,000 steps a day and often do exercise, you’ll increase your energy output, increasing the calorie deficit. I advise at minimum to keep above 6,000 steps a day.
Muscle Gain
Gaining muscle and strength can take time, results don’t come overnight. Be prepared for this long journey but know you’ll start to enjoy the process more and more. The first couple of weeks are the hardest, convincing your body to stop indulging in short-term pleasures and focusing on a long-term goal of consistent exercise, is a hard shift to make, but one which is very much possible.
If you want to track calories and do this the right way, for many of you, you can consume maintenance calories. If you’re an experienced lifter already, then a slight 10-20% surplus may be required.
Protein should become a huge part of your diet. Take your bodyweight in lbs, 70% of this figure or more should be the grams of protein you’ll need each day to supply your muscles with enough fuel to build new muscle fibres. 150lb male would need 120-150g protein per day.
Intensity is a huge factor while working out, take many sets to failure, push yourself beyond your limits, give your muscle a reason to grow, they will adapt and become stronger overtime if you consistently stress them.
Rather than forcing yourself to "eat healthy" and change your diet to something you dislike, simply increase your protein intake. Just by increasing protein, your diet may become healthier naturally. Protein makes you feel fuller for longer, supports the process of forming new muscle fibres and has numerous amount of other benefits.
SUPPLEMENTS
Here are some supplements I take. Please do your own research to see what supplements best suit you. As a side note these are UK amazon affiliate links.
Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Whey Protein
By far my favourite protein powder I've tried. Mixes well with porridge/fine oats too if you're after a protein fuelled breakfast! Works out to around £1 a serving.
Omega 3 Fish Oil Tablets (6 month supply)
Many fish oil tablets lack a good EPA and DHA rating, while these have really good levels. Omega 3 has too many benefits to list here!
Vitamin D3 Tablets (12 month supply)
Vitamin D3 is produced by the skin in response to sun exposure. During the winter months, supplementing this for me is essential. This vitamin is aids healthy bones and teeth, also playing a role in healthy immune function.
Creatine Monohydrate Powder 500g (100 servings)
Creatine Monohydrate is one of the most researched sporting supplements on the market today. It is renowned for increasing physical performance.
Multivitamins & Minerals (6 months supply)
It's hard to pinpoint what vitamins you lack in your diet, so I feel multivitamin help fill in any gaps I may have in my diet.
Fulfil Vitamin and Protein Bar x15
Not a supplement but I know some people may ask my protein bar preference. These are quite expensive but sometimes found discounted. I've yet to find a fulfil bar I dislike, the elite tier of protein bars.
FOOD IDEAS
Whether you’re losing weight or gaining some muscle, your goal should be to increase your protein intake. Many of these meals and meals you should aim for, are high in protein in relation to their calories. If 1/10th of a meals calories is close to the grams of protein in it, that’s going to be a great meal! For example, a 500 calorie meal that has 50g of protein is more than often going to be great. This is often very hard to achieve so as long as you try to up your protein within your diet, you will feel the benefits.
Don’t subject yourself to Chicken, Broccoli and Rice everyday, you’re not prepping for a bodybuilding competition and this type of strict diet is not necessary.
Maggi Bags
These are a game changer when it comes to cooking chicken, these are available in most major UK supermarkets. It's boil-in-the-bag style cooking, with a pouch of seasoning and a plastic bag to wrap your chicken up in. Simply cut your chicken up or buy some already pre-diced, put it in the bag with the seasoning and a bit of water, cook in the oven for 30 minutes. I box up 1kg of chicken and store it in the fridge which lasts about 5 days. Adding 200g of chicken to a meal each day is a nice 50g of protein hit and the seasoning tasting great. Mexican is my favourite!
Egg Whites
Egg whites are a low calorie alternative to getting all the goodness and protein from eggs without the calorie dense yolk. Of course the yolk is the best bit, so many people have a couple of eggs, then top of the pan with 100ml of egg whites or so. Either way, eggs are a great source of protein.
Yogurt + Grapes
At the start of my weight loss journey I struggled with a bit of a sweet tooth, especially after dinner! Many of us crave a dessert, and this did the trick! Around 150g of yogurt (which is quite a good sized bowl) is 100cal, then simply add some grapes. Even thought it's plain yogurt, the sweet burst of grapes counteracts it and it becomes a great dessert that satisfied my sweet tooth without fail!
Turkey Rashers
A great substitution to bacon which is much more fatty. At 29cal per slice, this is a huge hit of protein for such little calories. 4 rashers is 116 calories and 30g of protein!! I like to enjoy these with some low fat cheese slices inside some seeded wholemeal rolls.
Protein Porridge
Porridge whether it's Scottish oats or fine oats such as Ready Brek, are a great start to the day. Personally I mix in 1 scoop (25g) of Gold Standard Whey Protein (french vanilla cream), linked above in the supplement section. I make sure to mix in the powder and oats together before adding milk. Oats are a great source of slow-releasing energy and a nice start to a cold winters morning!
Fruit
It goes without saying that fruit is going to be beneficial to us in some way, although when it comes to working out, there are two fruits which are superfoods. Kiwis have numberous amount of benefits, most notably their effectiveness with helping sleep. Studies have shown increased sleep quality with those who consume 1-2 kiwis a day. Another notable fruit is Blueberries, which studies have shown increased blueberry consumption to help the muscle repairing process, potentially leading to less muscle soreness days after exercise.