A busy week: three 45-minute sessions
A template week that fits between work and family. Three sessions, a handful of lifts, and no wasted sets.
- training
- everyday
The most common reason training stalls isn’t the wrong programme. It’s that the programme was designed for someone with more time than you have.
Here’s a template week built from the opposite direction: 45 minutes, three times a week, changing room to gym floor and back.
The principles
Compound lifts first. Squats, deadlifts, presses, rows and pull-ups load several muscle groups at once. When time is short, they give you the most per minute.
Two or three working sets per lift. More isn’t needed when the sets are taken close to the limit. Leave one or two reps in reserve — that’s enough.
Keep rest to 90 seconds. Long enough for the big lifts, short enough that the session doesn’t drag.
Write your weights down. Without a record you don’t know whether you’re progressing. Notes on your phone will do.
Session A — legs and pushing
- Back squat, 3 × 6–8
- Bench press, 3 × 6–8
- Bulgarian split squat, 2 × 10 per leg
- Overhead press, 2 × 8–10
- Cable crunch, 2 × 12
Session B — pulling and posterior chain
- Deadlift, 3 × 5
- Pull-up or lat pulldown, 3 × 6–10
- Barbell row, 3 × 8–10
- Leg curl, 2 × 12
- Biceps curl, 2 × 12
Session C — full body
- Front squat or leg press, 3 × 8
- Incline dumbbell press, 3 × 8–10
- Single-arm row, 3 × 10
- Hip thrust, 2 × 12
- Plank, 3 × 45 s
Place the sessions so at least one rest day falls between them. Monday, Wednesday and Friday works, or Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.
How you progress from here
Each week add either one rep or 2.5 kg to one of the lifts. When you’re at the top of the rep range in every set, add weight and go back to the bottom of the range.
That’s the whole trick. You don’t need to change the programme every month — the same one works for as long as the weights keep going up.
When the week falls apart
If you only manage twice, do A and B. If you only manage once, do C. Don’t try to make up missed sessions by making the next one longer — that only raises the barrier to getting there at all.
This is a general programme, not one written for you. If you want one built around your starting point, your schedule and your goal, get in touch and we’ll look at it together.