Guides

Straight answers

Strength training, running, food and using your AI assistant to keep track. Every number is sourced.

Strength training

Lifts, splits and how to keep getting stronger.

How to bench press

Lie on the bench with your eyes under the bar, feet flat and shoulder blades pulled back and down.

How to deadlift

Stand with the bar over the middle of your feet, hip-width stance.

How to do push-ups

Start in a high plank with hands slightly wider than your shoulders and your body in a straight line from head to heels.

How to do a pull-up

Hang from a bar with straight arms and hands a little wider than your shoulders, pull your shoulder blades down, then pull until your chin clears the bar and lower all the way.

How to squat

Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and toes turned out slightly.

How to stay consistent with exercise

Plan exactly when and where you'll work out, and tie it to a cue you already have, like right after work.

Rest time between sets

Rest about 2 to 3 minutes between sets of big lifts like squats, deadlifts and presses, and about 1 to 2 minutes for smaller exercises like curls or lateral raises.

How many days a week to work out

For general health, US guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week, such as five 30-minute sessions, plus strength training on at least two days.

Sets and reps to build muscle

To build muscle, aim for about 10 or more hard sets per muscle group each week, spread over two or more sessions.

Strength training over 50

Start with two or three sessions a week of a handful of exercises that train your whole body, using a weight you can lift for about 8 to 12 controlled reps.

Do 5 minutes of easy cardio to raise your body temperature, then warm-up sets of your first exercise: start with the empty bar or a light weight and work up in a few jumps, doing fewer reps as the weight climbs.

Strength training for women

Mostly, yes.

Push pull legs split

A push pull legs (PPL) split groups exercises by movement: push days train your chest and shoulders along with your triceps; pull days train back and biceps; leg days train quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves.

Upper lower split

An upper lower split alternates upper body days (chest, back, shoulders and arms) with lower body days (quads, hamstrings, glutes and calves).

Progressive overload

Progressive overload means gradually asking more of your muscles over time so they keep adapting, usually by adding weight or reps.

RPE scale explained

RPE (rating of perceived exertion) rates how hard a set was from 1 to 10, based on how many more reps you could have done.

Full body workout for beginners

A good beginner full body workout trains every major muscle group in one session, two or three days a week, with a rest day between.

How to track workouts

Write down the date, each exercise, and the weight and reps of every set, plus how hard it felt.

Running and cardio

Getting started, building up and staying with it.

How to start running

Start with run-walk intervals three times a week: for example, 1 minute of easy running and 90 seconds of walking, repeated for 20 to 30 minutes.

How many steps a day

You don't need exactly 10,000.

HIIT for beginners

Start with one or two sessions a week of short, hard intervals followed by easy recovery, for example 30 seconds hard and 90 seconds easy, repeated 6 to 8 times on a bike or while walking uphill.

Zone 2 cardio

Zone 2 cardio is steady, easy aerobic exercise at a pace where you can still hold a conversation, usually about 60 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Food and nutrition

Protein, calories and macros without the busywork.

Count calories without a scale

Yes.

Creatine

Creatine monohydrate is one of the most researched supplements.

How to meal prep

Pick two or three meals you like and cook them in batches once or twice a week, then pack them into portions you can grab.

How to track macros

Tracking macros means counting the grams of protein, carbs and fat you eat each day against a target.

Calories to lose weight

Start about 10 to 20 percent below your maintenance calories (your TDEE), which for many people means 300 to 500 fewer calories a day.

High-protein breakfast ideas

Good high-protein breakfasts give you about 25 to 40 grams of protein: for example, Greek yogurt with berries and nuts, eggs with cottage cheese on toast, a tofu scramble, or overnight oats made with milk and protein powder.

Macros for weight loss

Set calories first, about 10 to 20 percent below maintenance, because calories drive weight loss.

Yoga and mobility

Getting started, basic poses and fitting it around other training.

Yoga for beginners

Start with a beginner or gentle class, or a short beginner video, two or three times a week for 15 to 30 minutes.

Recovery

Rest, deloads and the days between workouts.

Sleep and muscle recovery

A lot.

Deload week

A deload is a planned period, usually about a week, of lighter training to let your body recover, most often by cutting sets or weight.

Training with an AI assistant

Using your AI assistant to log workouts and food, and to plan what comes next.