How I'm Starting Again
After deciding to start again, I needed something more useful than motivation: a routine I can actually follow.
After deciding to start again, I needed something more useful than motivation.
A plan.
Not a perfect plan. Not something designed around getting results as quickly as possible.
Just a routine I can actually follow.
The idea is pretty simple:
Lift 3 days.
MMA 3 days.
Cardio every day.
Eat properly.
Sleep properly.
Then repeat.
Training
I’m keeping the gym at 3 days a week.
Monday — Upper / Pull Focus
- Back rows — 3 × 6–8
- Incline bench — 4 × 5–8
- Lat pulldown — 3 × 10–12
- Lat pullover — 3 × 10–12
- Lateral raises — 4 × 15–20
- Rear-delt flyes — 4 × 15–20
- Barbell curls — 4 × 8–12
- Dips — 4 × 8–12
- Farmer carries — 3 × 40 m
- Landmine rotations — 3 × 10/side
Wednesday — Upper / Push Focus
- Seated shoulder press — 4 × 5–8
- Incline Smith-machine bench — 4 × 8–10
- Front raises — 3 × 10–12
- Lateral raises — 4 × 15–20
- Upright rows — 3 × 10–12
- Chest flyes — 3 × 12–15
- Rear-delt flyes — 3 × 15–20
- Barbell curls — 4 × 10–12
- Triceps pushdowns — 4 × 10–12
Sunday — Lower
- Box jumps — 10
- Zercher squats — 4 × 5–8
- Romanian deadlifts — 4 × 8–10
- Bulgarian split squats — 4 × 8–10
- Leg press — 3 × 10–12
- Leg extensions — 3 × 12–15
- Leg curls — 4 × 12–15
- Jefferson curls — 3 × 5–8
MMA
I also wanted something beyond lifting.
So MMA is becoming a proper part of the routine.
Tuesday: Wrestling + BJJ
Friday: Wrestling + BJJ
Sunday: BJJ
The Tuesday and Friday sessions are planned for 6:30–8:30 PM, while Sunday’s BJJ session is 11:30 AM–1:30 PM.
It’s something I’ve wanted to get into for a while, and honestly, it makes the whole process a lot more interesting than just spending every day in a gym.
Cardio
Cardio is happening every day.
Nothing complicated:
20 Hindu squats
10 Dands
10 push-ups
30 seconds mountain climbers
That’s one round.
The plan is 6–7 rounds, with the goal of burning roughly 200 calories.
For now, I’m doing it as fasted cardio.
The point isn’t to destroy myself.
It’s just another thing I need to show up for.
Food
The diet is deliberately boring.
That’s a feature, not a bug.
The current targets are approximately:
180 g protein
70–75 g fat
46 g carbs
22–27 g fibre
1,600–1,800 calories
Two meals.
Meal 1
- 5 whole eggs
- 10 egg whites
- 200 g high-protein paneer
- 250 g vegetables
- 20 g chia seeds
Meal 2
- 5 whole eggs
- 8 egg whites
- 300 g vegetables
- 20 g flax seeds
Vegetables can rotate between spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, mushrooms, capsicum, bell pepper and pineapple.
Before a heavy workout, I’ll have some fruit — usually a banana or pineapple.
Again, nothing exciting.
Just predictable.
Sleep
This is probably the easiest part to underestimate.
The target is 8–10 hours.
Same sleep and wake times.
And no food during the last three hours before bed.
I’ve spent enough time trying to fix one part of my life while completely ignoring another.
This time, sleep is part of the program too.
That’s the Plan
There isn’t really a secret here.
I’m not trying to find the perfect workout.
I’m not looking for a magical diet.
I’m not waiting for motivation.
I just need to do the same things often enough that they become normal again.
Train.
Eat.
Fight.
Sleep.
Repeat.
The first goal isn’t getting lean.
It’s becoming consistent again.
We’ll see where that takes me.