Phase 1: Foundation•Week 3 • Wednesday

Day 17: Heavier, cleaner

Full Body Strength B

45 minutes

Today's workout

Hip-hinge focused. Posterior chain, glutes, back.

Warm up (5-7 min)

Easy walk or bike (5 min)

Walk, bike, or row at a light conversational pace for 5 minutes. The goal is to raise core temperature and move blood to the muscles you're about to train. You should break a light sweat but still be able to talk easily.

→Start slow and build gradually
→Breathe through your nose if possible
→If you're sweating hard, you're going too fast

Cat-Cow (10 reps)

On hands and knees, stack your shoulders over wrists and hips over knees. Inhale and drop your belly, letting your back arch (cow). Exhale and round your spine toward the ceiling, tucking your chin (cat). Move with your breath.

→Move through the entire spine, not just the lower back
→Pair breath with movement
→Smooth and continuous, no holding

Hip Circles (10 each direction)

Stand tall with feet hip-width apart, hands on hips. Make large circles with your hips as if you're drawing on a wall behind you. Do 10 in one direction, then reverse for 10 more. This opens the hip joint capsule.

→Make the biggest circle you can without losing balance
→Keep the upper body still
→Go slow - this is mobility, not a dance move

Glute Bridge (10-15 reps)

Lie on your back, knees bent, feet flat on the floor hip-width apart. Press through your heels, squeeze your glutes, and lift your hips until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to knees. Lower with control.

→Ribs stay down - no lower back arch at the top
→Squeeze glutes like you're trying to crack a walnut
→Slow on the way down

Band Pull-Aparts (15 reps)

Hold a resistance band in both hands at shoulder height, arms extended straight in front of you. Pull the band apart by squeezing your shoulder blades together, opening your arms to a T. Return with control.

→Keep elbows straight but not locked
→Squeeze shoulder blades hard at the end
→Chest stays proud, no shrugging

Showing gym version. Switch to home above if needed.

1. Dumbbell Deadlift

3 x 8-10

Rest 90 sec • dumbbells

Form cues

→Dumbbells at sides, shoulders back
→Hinge at hips first, then bend knees
→Drive floor away to stand

Common mistakes

✗Hyperextending at the top - stand tall, don't lean back
✗Starting the pull with your back - drive the floor away with your legs
✗Letting dumbbells drift from your body - keep them close

Easier

Kettlebell deadlift
Rack pull with dumbbells on blocks

Harder

Trap bar deadlift
Conventional barbell deadlift

2. Reverse Lunge

3 x 10 per side

Rest 60 sec • dumbbells

Form cues

→Step back, drop rear knee toward floor
→Front shin vertical, weight on front heel
→Push through front foot to return

Common mistakes

✗Stepping too short - you should feel a stretch in the rear hip
✗Front knee caving in - track knee over middle toe
✗Leaning forward excessively - keep torso vertical

Easier

Bodyweight reverse lunge with chair assist

Harder

Heavier dumbbells
Deficit reverse lunge

Home: Bodyweight reverse lunge

3. Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press

3 x 8-10

Rest 90 sec • dumbbells

Form cues

→Elbows in front of body, not flared
→Brace core before pressing
→Lockout directly overhead

Common mistakes

✗Hyperextending the lower back - brace abs and squeeze glutes
✗Flaring elbows fully out - elbows should be slightly in front of the torso
✗Not locking out - press until arms are straight overhead

Easier

Seated dumbbell press
Half-kneeling press

Harder

Barbell overhead press
Push press

4. Seated Row or Band Row

3 x 10-12

Rest 60 sec • bands

Form cues

→Chest tall, shoulders down
→Pull handles to lower ribs
→Squeeze and control back to start

Common mistakes

✗Using momentum - control the eccentric on the way back
✗Elbows flaring too wide - for rows, keep them at 45 degrees
✗Not squeezing shoulder blades at the end - full range matters

Easier

Seated cable row at light weight

Harder

Heavier band tension
Cable row or machine row

5. Dead Bug

3 x 8 per side

Rest 45 sec • bodyweight

Form cues

→Lower back pressed into floor
→Extend opposite arm and leg slowly
→Return with control

Common mistakes

✗Letting the lower back arch off the floor - press it down the entire rep
✗Moving too fast - this is a slow, controlled exercise
✗Holding your breath - exhale as you extend the limb

Easier

Bent knee dead bug, one limb at a time

Harder

Weighted dead bug
Resistance band dead bug

Cool down (5 min)

•5 minutes easy walk
•Pigeon pose x 30 sec per side
•Lying hamstring stretch x 30 sec per side
•Deep breathing x 2 minutes

Today's nutrition focus

Veggie diversity

Aim for 20 different plant foods per week. Each color brings different phytonutrients. This matters more than fancy supplements. A rainbow salad, berries, onions, garlic, beans, herbs - all count. Your gut bacteria and hormone metabolism depend on this diversity.

Mindset brief

Progress is invisible until it isn't

Most real change happens below the surface for weeks before it becomes visible. Muscles are strengthening. Bones are remodeling. Mitochondria are multiplying. The scale doesn't know. Your jeans don't know yet. But your body does.

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