FAST AMINOS WELLNESS
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Gym workout

Core

A stable, strong midsection that carries over to every lift.

Exercises
5
Total sets
15
Time
20–25 min
Equipment
Gym

The workout

Warm up first: 5 minutes of easy cardio, then 1–2 light sets of the first exercise.

  1. Plank

    3 sets30–60 secRest 45 sec

    Squeeze your glutes and pull your ribs down. Your body should be a straight line.

    Plank, start position
    Start
    Plank, finish position
    Finish

  2. Dead Bug

    3 sets8 each sideRest 45 sec

    Press your lower back into the floor the entire time. Move slowly.

    Dead Bug, start position
    Start
    Dead Bug, finish position
    Finish

  3. Hanging or Captain's Chair Knee Raise

    3 sets10–15 repsRest 60 sec

    Curl your pelvis up toward your ribs rather than just lifting your knees.

    Hanging or Captain's Chair Knee Raise, start position
    Start
    Hanging or Captain's Chair Knee Raise, finish position
    Finish

  4. Cable Woodchop

    3 sets10–12 each sideRest 45 sec

    Rotate through your upper back with your arms long. Pivot the back foot.

    Cable Woodchop, start position
    Start
    Cable Woodchop, finish position
    Finish

  5. Side Plank

    3 sets20–40 sec eachRest 45 sec

    Stack your hips and push the floor away. Drop to your knees if you need to.

    Side Plank, start position
    Start
    Side Plank, finish position
    Finish
The 45/30 rule

Lift for 45. Then 30 minutes of Zone 2.

45min

Resistance training

Builds and preserves lean muscle, so more of the weight you lose comes from fat, not muscle.

30min

Zone 2 cardio (LISS)

Low-intensity steady state at about 60–70% of your max heart rate: a brisk walk or incline treadmill. This is the intensity range where your body's fat burning peaks.

Why the order matters: resistance training draws down muscle glycogen and releases stored fat into your bloodstream. Research shows steady cardio started within about 20 minutes of lifting burns more fat than the same cardio done on its own. And because Zone 2 is low-stress, it burns extra fat and calories without the recovery cost of high-intensity cardio, so your muscles keep the energy they need to recover and grow.

Find your Zone 2: about 60–70% of your max heart rate. At age 40 that's roughly 108–126 bpm for men and 102–120 bpm for women. No watch? Use the talk test: you can speak in full sentences, but you couldn't sing. Calculate your Zone 2 →

Fat loss still comes down to your daily calories and protein, so get your numbers. Research: Goto et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2007.

Pick the right weight

Choose a weight you can lift for the listed reps with 1–2 good reps left in the tank.

Progress each week

When you hit the top of the rep range on every set, add a little weight next time.

Protect your muscle

Especially while dieting or on a GLP-1: train 2–4 days a week and hit your daily protein target.

Know your protein number?

Training builds the signal; protein supplies the material. Get your daily calories and protein target in about 2 minutes.

Find my numbers →
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