FAST AMINOS WELLNESS
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Home workout

Core

A strong, stable midsection in about 20 minutes, no equipment.

Exercises
5
Total sets
15
Time
15–20 min
Equipment
None

The workout

Warm up first: 3–5 minutes of marching in place, arm circles and a few easy bodyweight squats.

  1. Plank

    3 sets30–60 secRest 45 sec

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

    Level up: Lift one foot an inch off the floor, switching halfway.

    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.

    Level up: Hold a light dumbbell in your hands.

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

  3. Reverse Crunch

    3 sets12–15 repsRest 45 sec

    Curl your hips off the floor toward your ribs. Lower slowly; don't swing.

    Level up: Pause at the top for 2 seconds.

    Reverse Crunch, start position
    Start
    Reverse Crunch, finish position
    Finish

  4. 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.

    Level up: Lift your top leg.

    Side Plank, start position
    Start
    Side Plank, finish position
    Finish

  5. Mountain Climbers

    3 sets30 secRest 45 sec

    Hands under your shoulders, hips level. Drive your knees toward your chest at a steady pace.

    Level up: Go faster, or put your hands on a lower surface.

    Mountain Climbers, start position
    Start
    Mountain Climbers, 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 version

Choose a version you can do for the listed reps with 1–2 good reps left. Too easy? Use the Level up.

Progress each week

Add reps, slow down the lowering, or move to the Level up version when the top of the range feels easy.

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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