The Fitness Plan You've Been Looking For

I hesitate to call this "the only fitness plan you'll ever need", but it sort of is...

Update 6/26: I’ve uploaded a podcast explaining The Bare Flynnimum in a bit more detail. I recommend watching.

The Fitness Plan You’ve Been Looking For, aka The Bare Flynnimum

Because people often write in asking for a fitness regimen, I thought it would be expedient to have an 8-week lifting program that I can just send people to — one that, actually, you know, works.

So here it is — The Bare Flynnimum (had to) — and I can promise you this. What follows is more effective than 95% of the gimmick-soaked bullshit you constantly see advertised on social media and, even better, it’s free.

Use it, get results, then shut the front door, because you’re letting all the cold air out. Stop asking questions, and DO.

Seriously! if you run The Bare Flynnimum you do NOT need anything else. You do not need to buy any fitness course, potion, or tape from Liver Guru on Instagram. You can just run TBF, get into great (or at least good enough) shape, and then get on with your life (read philosophy, pet cats, etc.).

So, make the commitment to yourself. Do the program. Do the program. Do the program!

Background (Sort of Important)

Dad has been working out since he was sixteen, the year I finally decided that I no longer wanted to be fat. Looking back, it was the right call, and since that time I have followed a variety of fitness programs, from gymnastics to kettlebells. What I always come back to, however — ultimately, what has caused me to be in better shape at 33 (married, with five children, running a business, writing books, etc.) than in my teens — is just a stubborn commitment to the basics.

I list them now, as principles. Commit them to memory, please.

Walk everyday, stretch everyday. Resistance train 2 - 4x/week, working close to failure with big, compound lifts. Get sweaty and out of breath 1 - 2x/week with sprints or complexes or playing sports. Avoid drugs (these kids and their marijuana), alcohol, and the Standard American Diet. Eat foods that are close to nature and consume adequate protein (i.e., 1g per pound of TARGET bodyweight daily). Get to bed at a reasonable hour and sleep in a cool dark room. Try intermittent fasting, or calorie or carb cycling (cyclicality is best for long-term caloric control). Have ways to manage stress that don’t involve fattening yourself — martial arts, musical instrument, etc. That’s it.

People will want something more specific — and that’s fine. Still, I cannot emphasize enough that one must understand and implement these principles if success is to be had. Why? Because there are some specifics that people love to fuss over, like workout frequency or exercise selection, that are significantly less important than others, like volume and intensity, which people overlook. People fail in their fitness routine because they move away from the basics and not than deeper into them, or they just don’t know the basics at all. Study the fundamentals and ensure whatever you are doing fitness-wise has them in place. Got it?

Onto specifics, then.

The Bare Flynnimum

Structure

The Bare Flynnimum should be performed 2 - 3x/week. (Beginners, 2x/week. More advanced, 3x/week.) Included is a primary lifting routine, a conditioning element, and then a little something for the abs. The conditioning can be performed either immediately after the lifting session or separately (including on separate days).

To keep things simple, just make your conditioning this: Once per week, grab a kettlebell complex from my YouTube channel, at random. My Kettlebell Workout of the Week series is ideal for this. Another day, do sprints (4 - 6 rounds, preferably uphill) or interval running (= 10 second sprint, 2 minute walk, 2 minute jog, on repeat for 15 - 30 minutes).

Of course, conditioning doesn’t have to be that. Perhaps you practice a martial art or rec sport — fine substitutes. Conditioning benefits from variety; strength and muscle benefit from consistency. So mix the former up, if you like. The latter do as written below.

I recommend training on non-consecutive days. If you’re doing 3/x week, then M, W, F or T, Th, Sa is fine. If you’re doing 2/x week, then M, Th, and probably do one conditioning day on the weekend just so you’re staying generally active. Ultimately, what is most important is that you get everything done, not necessarily when get everything done. (Abs are bonus/optional).

Final thing: try to engage a daily 20 - 60 minute brisk walk.

Exercise Selection

In the program you’ll see movement categories: “Squat, Push, Pull, etc.”

Here, then, are the options for what exercises to fill in. (It doesn’t matter which exercise you pick so long as you are consistent with it for the entirety of the program. Just go with whatever you like best or makes sense with the equipment you have).

For “Squat” you could perform front squat, back squat, or Bulgarian split squat.

For “Press” you could perform barbell bench, dumbbell (flat, incline, or decline) bench, kettlebell military press, or dips.

For “Pull” you could perform pull ups, chin ups, lat pull downs, or bent over row.

For “Hinge” you could perform deadlift, trap bar deadlift, or single leg deadlift.

For “Curl” you could perform preacher curl, concentration curl, hammer curl, or cable curl. (Honestly, I’m not picky about curl variations).

OK, time for the actual routine.

Weeks 1 & 2

Squat. 3 sets x 10 reps

Press. 3 sets x 10 reps

Push Up. 2 sets x max reps

Hinge. 3 sets x 10 reps

Pull. 3 sets x 10 reps

Curl. 3 sets x 10 reps

Do these exercises in the order presented.

For intensity/weight, work close to technical failure for all sets. “Close” means within 2 - 3 reps, and technical failure means the point where technique begins to fail (significantly reduced rep speed, compensatory movement patterns, etc.).

In the concrete, this means for weeks 1 & 2, you should be using a weight you can perform NO MORE than 12 reps with without lifting technique breaking down. Again, I cannot emphasize how important working at the appropriate intensity is. Go too light and you won’t get the results you’re after.

Conditioning: If you just need something quick, here’s a complex idea...

Abs:

Ab wheel (video). 2 sets x 5 - 10 reps

Hollow hold or plank. 2 sets x 30 seconds

Weeks 3 & 4

Squat. 3 sets x 12 reps

Press. 3 sets x 12 reps

Push Up. 2 sets x max reps

Hinge. 3 sets x 12 reps

Pull. 3 sets x 12 reps

Curl. 3 sets x 12 reps

Intensity is same as before. Work within 2 - 3 reps of technical failure for all sets.

Conditioning: Again, in case you need a quick complex idea, try this.

Abs:

Ab wheel. 3 sets x 5 - 10 reps

Hollow hold or plank. 3 sets x 40 seconds

Week 5

Squat. 4 sets x 10 reps

Press. 4 sets x 10 reps

Push Up. 2 sets x max reps

Hinge. 4 sets x 10 reps

Pull. 4 sets x 10 reps

Curl. 3 sets x 10 reps (Notice, one less set here).

Intensity: Again, within 2 - 3 reps of technical failure for all sets.

Conditioning: Here’s an idea.

Abs:

Ab Wheel. 3 sets x 5 - 10 reps

Hollow hold or plank. 3 sets x 40 - 60 seconds

Week 6: De-Load

Same as week 1 but HALF the total volume. That means, cut in HALF all sets. When the number is odd, round down. No conditioning or abs this week.

Weeks 7 & 8

Squat. 4 sets x 12 reps

Press. 4 sets x 12 reps

Push Up. 2 sets x max reps

Hinge. 4 sets x 12 reps

Pull. 4 sets x 12 reps

Curl. 3 sets x 12 reps

Intensity: within 2 - 3 reps of technical failure, as usual.

Conditioning: Again, you can pick whatever you want for conditioning, but in case you need another idea…

Abs:

Ab wheel. 3 sets x 5 - 10 reps

Hollow hold or plank. 3 sets x 60 seconds

Question and Answer

I’ll probably update this section as questions come in (comments are open), but in the meantime, I’m anticipating at least these.

Q. I’m a beginner. What if the above is too much?

A. There are several ways to modify for the beginner. You could perform the routine 2x/week instead of 3x/week, which is what you SHOULD be doing if you’ve never been on a program like this before. Alternatively (or additionally) could could bring every lift down a set. That is, instead of 3 sets, perform two sets. Otherwise, try to keep intensity as prescribed.

Q. What if I don’t have kettlebells to do conditioning with?

A. In many cases, dumbbells work just as well with the complexes I demonstrate on my YouTube channel. Kettlebells, though I like them, are not mandatory. However, if you want to pick some up, Kettlebell Kings is a decent brand.

Q. Can I follow this program longer than what’s prescribed?

A. Yes. Take another de-load after Week 8 and then start again, this time either mixing up the lifts (front squats instead of back squats, say), trying to use more weight, or both.

Q. How often should I mix up the exercises?

A. Whatever exercises you select for squat, push, pull, etc., stick with those lifts for the entire 8 weeks. Mix it up the next cycle, if you like.

Q. What about a warm up?

A. Start with 3 - 4 rounds of a mobility routine like this (rocking with knees down, rocking with knees up, and t-spine rotations x 20 seconds each). Then, spend 5 - 10 minutes with light cardio — say, jump rope or jogging. Finally, perform 2 - 3 light sets of whatever is on the menu that day, just to get everything primed.

Q. Is there an eating plan I should be following alongside this plan?

A. Following the guidelines above (protein, veggies, berries, water, etc.), if you want to focus on gaining strength & muscle, aim for a 300 - 500 daily calorie surplus. If you want to focus on fat loss/body re-composition, aim for a 10 - 20% daily reduction from caloric maintenance (get a rough calculation here) for FIVE consecutive days, followed with TWO consecutive “re-feed” (not binge!) days where you bring calories back to maintenance, or ever-so-slightly above. That’s the weekly schedule.

Want more help?

Considering joining Strong ON!, where I do all the daily workout programming for you (all kettlebell-based).

If you want something more intimate, you can get more information and join the waitlist for private online coaching —> PatFlynn@ChroniclesOfStrength.com with the subject line “Online Coaching,”

- Pat

PS - This is predominantly a philosophy blog; if you want more fitness content from me, I suggest joining my (free) email list at 101kettlebellworkouts.com.

Final PS - If you’ve found this post helpful, the best way to say “thanks” is simply to share it around. Appreciate you!