Plan description
When you eat less, you lose some muscle along with the fat. Lifting tells your body to keep it.
Two strength days a week, plus a brisk walk on the other five days.
Eat enough protein: about 1.6 g per kg of body weight a day. At 70 kg (155 lb), about 110 g.
Before this plan, it is best to have done:
Lose fat, keep muscle overview
This plan runs for 8 weeks, 2 sessions a week.
Strength on Tuesday and Friday. Walk on the other five days.
The eight weeks
| Weeks | Sets | Reps | Walks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–2 | 2 | 10 | 5 × 30 min |
| 3–5 | 3 | 10–12 | 5 × 30 min |
| 6–8 | 3 | 10–12 | 4 × 30 min, 1 × 45 min |
One strength session
Do the moves in this order.
| Exercise | How | Sets × reps |
|---|---|---|
| Goblet squat | Hold the dumbbell at your chest. Sit down and up. | See table |
| Dumbbell deadlift | Dumbbell in both hands. Back flat. Hips back, stand. | See table |
| Incline press-up | Hands on a table or the chair seat. Push up. | See table |
| One-arm row | Hand on the chair. Pull the dumbbell to your hip. | Reps each arm |
| Glute bridge | On your back, knees bent, a dumbbell on your hips. Lift your hips. | See table |
| Plank | Forearms and toes. Keep your body straight. | 20–40 sec |
The rules
- Eat a little less, not a lot less. Small cuts are easier to keep.
- Protein at every meal.
- Got all your reps? Use a heavier dumbbell, or lower it more slowly.
- Rest one to two minutes between sets.
- Weigh yourself once a week, same day, same time. Watch the trend.
- Warm up: 5 minutes of easy walking, then a light set of each move.
- Health condition? See your doctor first.
Your lifts, week by week
Once a week, write the weight you used and the reps you got on your last set.
The PDF has a page for it, one row each for: Goblet squat, Dumbbell deadlift, One-arm row, Glute bridge. The spreadsheet log works out your next weights for you.
After week 8
Keep the walks and the strength days. Then pick your next step.
| Next step | What it is |
|---|---|
| Dumbbells at home | More strength, three days a week. |
| Keep going | Same plan, heavier dumbbell, for as long as it works. |
When to stop
Dizzy, faint, sick, chest pain, very short of breath, or a racing heart.
Call emergency services for: chest pain that does not stop with rest, or spreads to your arm, jaw or back.
Not medical advice. Check with your doctor before you start.
Based on 3 sources
- Resistance training and body composition in overweight and obesity: a meta-analysis2022 · Obes Rev
- Protein supplementation and resistance training gains: a meta-analysis2018 · Br J Sports Med
- WHO's weekly exercise targets for every age groupGuidance · 2020 · Br J Sports Med
Questions about this plan? Ask us. We read every message.
