SEVEN PILLARS OF STRENGTH AND FITNESS:

THE FUNDAMENTAL MOVEMENTS

A FREE 12-WEEK PROGRAMME FOR

FITNESS AND FAT LOSS

1
2
This ebook is an introduction to the seven fundamental human
movements. It will provide you with a better understanding of
them and of how to construct whole-body workouts that are
functional, fun and life-proof.

Although the book is aimed particularly at beginners, with the dual

purpose of i) familiarising them with the full variety of movement
types and ii) helping them to build confidence and a base level of
fitness, the principles outlined here can be applied by anybody,
with any level of experience. A strength-training programme built
on these principles and movement patterns, whether using
bodyweight exercises, kettlebells, resistance bands, dumbbells and
barbells or machines (or a combination of these things), will be
functional and fit for purpose. You will be able to build strength,
lose weight and look and feel great.

What you get:

● An interval-based exercise plan drawing on the seven
fundamental movements, which will take between 20 and 45
minutes for each workout, three times a week
● Advice on calculating your caloric needs and tailoring your
diet and lifestyle to meet your goals, including fat loss

What you need:

● At a minimum, one resistance band and an interval timer app

You can also use dumbbells and kettlebells, and a pedometer to

chart your activity levels outside the workouts.

3
If you take this programme seriously, it can serve as the foundation
for a total transformation of your body and health.

Good luck.

Conrad Scott, editor at Herculean Strength

4
Contents

The Seven Fundamental Movements in Depth 7

Hinging 8
Squatting 10
Lunging 11
Pushing 11
Pulling 12
Twisting 13
Carrying (also referred to as ‘gait’) 14
The Programme 15
What you need 17
What you need to do 17
Warming up 22
Progression 22
Notes on Fat Loss and Diet 24
Next Steps 28

5
6
The Seven Fundamental Movements in Depth

Underlying the massive, near-infinite, variety of exercises in

existence are just seven fundamental patterns of movement.
Knowing and understanding what they are will provide you, in an
instant, with a better understanding of the means and the purpose
of training.

Training, we might say, is principally a question of getting better at

movement; and whatever movement it is you are trying to get better
at, it will fall under one of the seven fundamental categories.
Understanding these movement categories will also show you how
the exercises people do in the gym are related to the mundane
things we do every day, whether picking up a load of shopping bags,
pushing a heavy wheelie bin or twisting round to reach something
behind us. Training these movement categories diligently will have
significant carry over into ordinary life too. You won’t just look
better, you’ll also function better – be a more competent human
being.

These fundamental movements unite us all as humans, past, present

and future: we all share the same body, with the same potentials. If
you look at Ancient Greek depictions of exercise, for instance, you
will see the fundamental movements. If you read a Roman account
of how wrestlers trained, you will see them too. If you look further
afield, to Indian or Chinese accounts and depictions of exercise –
again, the same fundamental movements.

Without further ado, the seven fundamental movements are:

7
Hinging
Squatting
Lunging
Pushing
Pulling
Twisting
Carrying (often referred to as ‘gait’)

Straight away, you should be able to see that some of these

movements are primarily – though never entirely, depending on the
type of exercise actually being performed – lower-body movements,
such as squatting, hinging and lunging, while others are primarily
(with the same caveat) upper-body movements, such as pushing and
pulling. Carrying unavoidably involves both upper and lower body
(you are holding the object in your hands, for instance, or across
your shoulders, but your legs are involved in moving it too).

Some complex exercises will involve more than one of these

fundamental movements.

So let’s look at each of the seven movements in turn, with some

examples.

Hinging

8
Hinging as a movement involves the hips: the hips are pushed back
and act as a hinge between your thighs and your back, which comes
down and forwards. Hinge movements primarily target the muscles
of the posterior chain: the hamstrings (back of the legs), the glutes
(rear) and the muscles of the lower back.

One of the primary strength-training movements involving hinging is

the deadlift. Hinging, and especially the deadlift, is one of the
most-feared movement patterns because it is said to be among the
riskiest. Executed with poor form, usually with a rounded lower back
and inadequate internal bracing, the deadlift can be a very
dangerous exercise indeed. But this is no reason to avoid doing
hinging exercises. The best way to avoid lower back injuries is to
strengthen the lower back; indeed building up muscular imbalances
as a result of training some body parts but not others is as sure-fire a
way of getting injured as performing certain exercises with poor
form.

The importance of hinging as a fundamental movement is also

reflected in the name. We often say that something, perhaps an
important decision or event, ​hinges upon something else. The muscle
complexes of the posterior chain include the largest muscles of the
body, namely the glutes. As much as we might laugh at certain
exercises building an enormous rear-end, whether by design for
aesthetic purposes or not, there is no question that the glutes are an
essential part of overall strength that must be developed.

Exercises that primarily involve hinging include all the various forms
of deadlift, including Romanian deadlifts and suitcase deadlifts;

9
kettlebell swings; hip bridges; good mornings; and low-bar back
squats.

Squatting

Squatting movements, unlike hinging movements, tend to work the

quadriceps primarily, rather than the muscles of the posterior chain.

As with hinging, good squatting form is essential, especially when

squatting significant amounts of weight. Squatting properly requires
good flexibility in the hips, which can be developed by practising the
squat diligently. One of the main problems beginners often
encounter is curving of the lumbar (lower) spine towards the bottom
of the movement, which is often referred to as ‘butt wink’. Together
with insufficient bracing of the core – proper bracing should be
achieved by deep diaphragmatic breathing and tensing of the
muscles of the core – butt wink places undue pressure on the lower
back and can cause heavy soreness and discomfort as well as serious
injury. Again, this is no reason not to squat; rather, it is reason to
take the movement seriously and learn how to do it properly,
without cutting corners.

Exercises that primarily involve squatting include high-bar back

squats; front squats; goblet squats; and bodyweight squats. If the
exercise has the word ‘squat’ in its name, chances are it will involve
squatting. The low-bar back squat, while still technically a squat, is
much more a hinging movement than a squat; it is a hip-dominant
exercise, unlike the high-bar squat, which is quad-dominant. The
lower-bar back squat is often favoured by powerlifters because they
are usually stronger at it than they are at high-bar back squats; as a

10
movement that targets the posterior chain, low-bar back squats also
have a significant carry-over into another of the big three lifts
powerlifters practice, the deadlift.

Lunging

Lunging is an example of a unilateral movement. One leg moves

forward and bends while the other remains in position.

When performing unilateral exercises with weight, you will generally

find that you must use much less weight than if you were performing
the exercise bilaterally, with both legs. Although this may be
damaging for your ego, it will absolutely improve your performance
at bilateral movements if you stick with it. Lunging requires you to
develop your balance and your flexibility as well.

Examples of lunging exercises include weighted and bodyweight

lunges; reverse lunges; Bulgarian split squats; and various single-leg
deadlift variations, such as the kickstand deadlift and single-leg
deadlift.

Pushing

The push-up is one of the first exercises that most people think of
when they think of exercise in general, and, as the name suggests, it
is an example of the fourth fundamental movement pattern:
pushing. A variation with weight would be the bench press, a
favourite of bodybuilders and powerlifters alike. Both are examples
of horizontal pushes. Another form of pushing is vertical pushing,

11
which involves pushing weights above rather than in front of the
body. An example of a vertical press would be the military or
overhead press, in which the weight is pressed from a ‘clean’
position at the shoulders above the head, until the arms are locked
out.
Horizontal pushing tends to be more demanding of the chest and
shoulders, while vertical pushing requires more work from the
shoulders and triceps. Both, however, require strength and stability
from the shoulder. The gleno-humeral joint of the shoulder is
actually the most unstable joint in the body, because it has the
greatest range of motion. It tends to be the joint that develops
recurrent instability most often. Again, proper form is key.

Muscular imbalances, as discussed in the section on hinging, also

have a part to play in many shoulder injuries. For instance, bad
posture arising from stiffness in the thoracic spine (running from the
neck to the abdomen) and tightness in the muscles of the chest can
cause the shoulder to sit incorrectly in the socket, raising the chance
of injury. Mobility and strengthening exercises are likely to be the
answer.

Examples of pushing exercises include all variations of push-ups,

including single-handed push-ups, various hand widths and elevated
push-ups; bench press and variations; military press; push press; and
overhead dumbbell presses.

Pulling

Pulling is the opposite of pushing. Pull-ups, like push-ups, are one of

the first exercises most people think of when they think of exercise in
12
general, and they are also one of the most feared, because of their
difficulty; pull-ups, rightly or wrongly, are well-established as an
indicator of whole-body strength and fitness.

As with pushing, pulling can also be divided into horizontal pulling

exercises, which include all rowing variations, and vertical pulling,
such as pull-ups and pull-downs, which are usually executed with a
cable system.

Pulling exercises primarily exercise the muscles of the whole back,

with emphasis on different parts depending on the type of exercise
being performed. For instance, a bent-over row performed with the
bar being pulled into the lower part of the abdomen, below the belly
button, will target the lower part of the lats and the traps, whereas a
row which is pulled in higher, towards the chest, will target the
upper lats and upper traps. By altering the grip on the bar, from
pronated (overhand) to supinated (underhand), other muscle groups
can be emphasised, such as the biceps during pull-ups or row
variations. Chin-ups are easier to perform than pull-ups because
chin-ups use a supinated grip, which allows greater recruitment of
the biceps during the pull.

Pulling exercises include pull-ups and chin-ups; supported or ‘sissy’

pull-ups; pull-downs; barbell rows of all kinds; and dumbbell rows.

Twisting

Twisting involves rotation of the body. Although rotation is a

fundamental movement that is everywhere in our daily lives – from

13
turning around to look over our shoulder or reach for something, to
the twisting involved in walking, jogging and running – you would be
surprised how many people fail to train twisting movements.

Like pushing and pulling, twisting movements can be broken down

into two types: rotational, in which the body itself rotates, and
anti-rotational, in which the body stabilises against and resists a
rotational force, such as a stretched resistance band or pulley. Both
types can be incorporated into a fitness routine to build a strong and
stable core.

Exercises that involve twisting include Russian twists; hanging leg

circles; cable wood chops; single-arm dumbbell rows; Pallof presses;
and sideways medicine ball throws.

Carrying (also referred to as ‘gait’)

Carrying involves holding or supporting a weight and then moving,

whether walking, running or lunging. As such it is part of a broader
category referred to as ‘gait’, or ‘the pattern of limb movements
during locomotion’. There are five ‘natural’ gaits which, in order of
increasing speed, are walking, jogging, skipping, running and
sprinting. Crawling and jumping are also examples that can be
included within the category of ‘gait’.

The most common gait work people do is running. Unfortunately,

running is seldom treated as a skill – which it is, with many subtleties
and techniques – and more often as a monotonous exercise. By
placing gait on a par with the six other fundamental movements, gait

14
is revealed as a skilled exercise that requires as much practice and
finessing as a squat or pull-up. Improving your skill at gait
movements will reduce your chance of injury, such as by improving
your stride mechanics and balance when running.

Gait work, especially carrying, is taxing on the core as well as the

legs, because the core is at the centre of all motion. If you are
carrying a heavy kettlebell in one hand, or a heavy shopping bag for
that matter, you will feel the core on the opposite side resisting
heavily. Carries are a very effective way of improving your posture.

Gait and carrying exercises include running; crawling of various kinds,

such as alligator or scorpion walking; farmer’s walks; overhead
carries; and Zercher walks.

Now that we’ve seen the seven fundamental movements in depth, it

remains for the programme involving them to be outlined in depth.

The Programme

The programme draws on all seven fundamental movements in each

workout. Each workout is designed to be a whole-body workout,
rather than a workout or series of workouts targeted at different
body parts. Such workouts are usually referred to as splits, and are
widely employed, whether by bodybuilders, powerlifters or ordinary
people exercising to get fit. A famous and often derided split is
known as the ‘Bro Split’ and involves a weekly series of workouts
dedicated solely to individual body parts; for instance, chest on
Monday (sometimes referred to jokingly as ‘International Chest

15
Day’), back on Tuesday, a rest day on Wednesday, legs on Thursday,
shoulders on Friday and arms on Saturday.

Instead of working to a split, you will perform three whole-body

workouts a week, with at least a day’s rest in between. We suggest
you exercise on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, with rest days on
Tuesday, Thursday and over the weekend. This will allow you ample
time to recover. Rest is important for anybody who is training, but
especially for beginners who may be making totally new demands on
their bodies. There is no need to overdo it and either injure yourself
or scare yourself off. As well as your muscles, the central nervous
system, the assemblage of neurons which controls all human activity,
is also given more time to recover. Exercises like heavy deadlifts, in
particular, are extremely fatiguing for the central nervous system,
and overtraining can result in decreasing strength.

Whole-body workouts have a number of other benefits over

split-based workouts. Full body workouts, especially using compound
exercises like squats and bench press, stimulate the maximum
number of muscle fibres and help to release larger amounts of
testosterone, which is essential to muscular gain. Because more
muscle is involved, the caloric expenditure is generally greater too.

The time commitment is generally less, even if the individual

workouts sometimes take longer; you might be in the gym for three
one-hour workouts instead of five forty-five minute workouts, for
example. This leaves more time to do other activities, including
sports, should you wish.

16
Boredom avoidance is also an advantage. Instead of spending your
entire workout plugging away at different varieties of shoulder raise
(if it’s shoulder day on a Bro Split), you will work every muscle group
with a variety of exercises. Nobody, especially somebody
undertaking a programme of exercise for the first time, wants to be
bored after only a few sessions; failure usually follows. The variety is
almost certainly one reason why Crossfit and Crossfit-style workouts,
in which multiple exercises of various types are performed in one
workout, are so popular.

What you need

The programme requires a minimum of equipment. While we offer a

selection of exercises involving kettlebells and dumbbells, at
minimum you can perform the programme with your own
bodyweight and a resistance band. A resistance band is the only item
of equipment you need to purchase. An interval time will also be
required. The easiest option is to download an interval timer app,
such as the Interval Timer by Deltaworks on the Apple App Store, or
the Tabata Interval Timer on the Google Store. Alternatively, you can
buy a combined interval timer and stopwatch unit.

So, to reiterate, you need no more than:

● A resistance band
● An interval timer app or interval timer unit

What you need to do

17
Each workout will involve circuits of seven exercises, one from each
of the seven fundamental movements. The seven exercises will be
performed in sequence for a certain amount of time (30 seconds),
with 30 seconds rest between them. All seven exercises constitute a
single circuit; multiple circuits will be performed, with a rest period
of 30 seconds between them.
In weeks one to three of this twelve-week programme, three full
circuits will be performed. In weeks four to six, four circuits; in weeks
seven to nine, five circuits; and in weeks ten to twelve, six circuits.
The workout should take around 20 minutes to perform in the initial
three weeks, rising to about 40 in the final three. This is in no way an
unfeasible investment of time, even for a busy person. All you need
is to be motivated to do it: you’ll make the time.

Below are a selection of exercises for each fundamental movement.

Depending on your equipment, choose one exercise from each of the
seven fundamental movement patterns. The seven exercises you
choose will form your circuit.

Search Google and Youtube for tutorials on how to perform each

exercise with correct form. We suggest practising them first a few
times to get the idea.

Hinging

Kettlebell swing / resistance band deadlifts / dumbbell Romanian

deadlifts

Squatting
18
bodyweight squats / goblet squats / dumbbell front squats

Lunging

alternate leg lunges / dumbbell reverse lunge / single leg dumbbell

deadlift

Pushing

push-ups / dumbbell shoulder press / resistance band chest press

(standing or laying)

Pulling

resistance band rows / bent dumbbell rows (with two dumbbells)

Twisting

Pallof press / Russian twists / resistance band woodchopper

Carrying

19
Overhead carry with dumbbells / single or double-sided farmer’s
carry with kettlebell / shuttle runs

When selecting the weights, if you are using weights and not just
your bodyweight and a resistance band, choose a light weight that
you can handle easily for multiple reps; you can use the same weight
throughout, for all the dumbbell or kettlebell exercises, if you
choose. As the weeks progress, you can add weight if you want to
make the exercises more difficult.

With the carries, choose a distance of roughly 10 m to walk or run to,

and back, until the 30 seconds has elapsed.

For the Pallof press and wood chopper, perform one set (one circuit’s
worth) on one side of the body, then the next set on the other, and
continue alternating.

Make sure to have all the equipment gathered together, ready to use
when you begin the workout. If you are using a resistance band for
multiple exercises, you will have to set it up for each exercise. This
should only take a second or two.

Do not rush the exercises but focus on performing them properly. An

emphasis on proper form should be instilled from the very beginning.
Although those who perform exercises as quickly as possible with
dreadful form will seem initially to be making more progress, an
emphasis on proper form will benefit you more as time progresses.
Your muscular development will be better and you will avoid injuries.
Mastering the simplest versions of more complex exercises will also

20
give you a solid foundation for performing the more complex
versions: mastering the form of the bodyweight squat, for instance,
will be of great advantage when you begin doing weighted squats of
any kind.

If you have to rest during the performance of an exercise, stop and

catch your breath, then get back to performing the exercise as soon
as you can. Don’t crash to the floor. Either hold or put your
equipment down safely, and get ready to go again.

So, an example circuit might look like this:

Kettlebell swing​ (30 sec)

(30 sec rest)
Goblet squat​ (30 sec)
(30 sec rest)
Alternate leg lunges​ (30 sec)
(30 sec rest)
Push ups​ (30 sec)
(30 sec rest)
Bent dumbbell rows​ (30 sec)
(30 sec rest)
Pallof press​ (30 sec)
(30 sec rest)
Shuttle runs​ (30 sec)

21
(30 sec rest, then back to the beginning for the next circuit, until the
set number of circuits has been performed)

Warming up

A warm up is meant to do precisely that: warm your body up in

preparation for exercise. It should not take anywhere near as long as
your main workout.

Generally, evidence suggests that static stretching before a workout

is not a good idea; although many people continue to do this. Static
stretching before exercise can actually make you more rather than
less prone to injury during exercise.

I would suggest the following basic dynamic warm-up before you

begin your circuits: 45 seconds minute of jogging normally on the
spot, followed by 45 seconds of jogging with high knees, then 45
seconds of jumping jacks. Do this twice. This should be sufficient for
the muscles of the upper and the lower body. If you don’t feel
sufficiently limber, repeat the warm up for a third time.

Progression

A clear progression is built into the programme: an increasing

number of circuits as the weeks pass. Over time, you will do more
and more work, which will also burn more calories.

22
You should find with many if not all of the exercises that as time
passes you are able to do an increasing number of reps during the
allocated 30 seconds. This is a clear sign of progression. Another way
you can progress is to increase the allocated exercise time, say from
30 seconds to 40 seconds, and to reduce the rest time between
exercises, say to 20 or even 15 seconds.

Another principle of progression is known as progressive overload, as

illustrated by the story of Milo of Croton. Milo is said to have carried
a calf on his shoulders every day for four years. Over that period, the
calf got larger and larger, and so did Milo’s strength. This is one of
the most basic principles utilised by all athletes training for strength
and aesthetics, whether they are powerlifters, Olympic weightlifters
or bodybuilders. No powerlifter starts with a 700lb deadlift: they
must work their way up, in small increments of weight, over years
and years. If you want to increase the weight for any weighted
exercises you are doing, because you find them too easy, you are of
course free to do so, but we suggest waiting until at least the fourth
week to do so. It is not essential that you do this.

Yet another principle of progression is variation. Bodybuilders and

other strength athletes often use the phrase ‘muscle confusion’ to
describe a process of keeping the muscles on their toes, as it were,
by regularly altering the exercises they perform, as well as the
number of sets and repetitions. Muscle building is one part of a
broader system of physiological adaptation, and over time the body
can become habituated to the exercise we perform; such habituation
is often referred to as a ‘plateau’, where the exercise just doesn’t
seem to be doing what it should be – strength and muscle growth
may cease altogether. While variation is an important tool for
achieving strength and weight loss goals, the principle of muscle

23
confusion is often taken to an absurd extreme by Crossfitters in
particular, who make a supposed virtue out of never doing the same
workout twice. Each WOD, or ‘workout of the day’, is different from
the last. This is often claimed to be a more ‘functional’ or ‘real world’
way of working out, because it supposedly mimics the demands of
life better. The most cursory examination of what the average
person, or even a specialist like a soldier or fireman, does on a daily,
weekly, monthly or yearly basis will show this to be completely
wrongheaded. Such an approach also misunderstands the purpose of
training, which is to increase skill in movement; yes, you are
exercising – burning calories – when you do your infini-WODs, but
you are not training, because you are not really increasing your skill
over time. If you want to switch some of the exercises in your
circuits, again you are free to do so, but we recommend you do this
only once, after the half-way stage, and that you only switch some of
the exercises, not all of them.

Notes on Fat Loss and Diet

For many beginners, one of the most important initial goals, if not
the most important, will be to lose excess fat weight, not just for
aesthetic but also health purposes. Carrying significant excess fat
weight is bad for you for all sorts of reasons which we don’t need to
get into here in detail. Since you are already here, reading this
ebook, it’s worth assuming that you know this already and want to
make a difference. However, if you want to see 50 reasons why being
fat sucks, read our online guide so as to be in no doubt that it really
does.

(​https://herculeanstrength.com/50-reasons-why-being-fat-sucks/​).

24
The most direct way to lose fat is to be in a caloric deficit. Simply put,
you have to consume, as food and drink, fewer calories than your
body uses. The best way to do this is to combine a restricted diet
with exercise. Note, though, that it should be the diet that is doing
most of the work and not the exercise itself. The famous
bodybuilding guru Vince Gironda once said that ‘bodybuilding is 85%
nutrition’, and he meant it.

Losing a 1-2lb of fat a week is a sustainable goal for most people; the
worst thing you can do, whether you are undertaking a diet or a new
programme of exercise or both, is to attempt something that will
prove unsustainable. For many people, the experience of failure will
be discouraging enough to cause them to give up altogether, which is
not what anybody wants. Slow and steady wins the race, as they say.

To estimate your basic caloric requirements, multiply your

bodyweight in pounds by 15. A 200lb man will need an estimated
3000 calories a day to satisfy his metabolic requirements. In order to
calculate how many calories he needs to lose 1-2lb of fat a week, we
must perform a calculation using the energy content of fat, which is
nine calories per gram.

To lose a single pound of fat a week (453g), you would need to be in

a deficit of 4077 calories a week (9*453). Divide that number by
seven (for the days in the week) to get your daily deficit total, which
is 582. So, each day of the week our 200lb man must consume 582
calories less than his basic metabolic requirement of 3000 calories:
2418 calories a day is his target.

25
This deficit can be achieved in different ways. Through exercise (by
eating 3000 calories and doing 582 calories’ worth of exercise);
through dieting and exercise (by eating 2700 calories, say, and
burning off 282 with exercise); or simply by dieting (eating 2418
calories and doing no exercise). The third option is, of course, the
least desirable and the least effective in the long term, for a number
of reasons.

Generally speaking you’ll want to increase your protein intake as part

of your daily calories to support muscle repair and growth. The
following ratio of macronutrients is common: 30% protein, 30%
carbohydrates, 40% fat. Remember that protein and carbohydrates
offer 4 calories per gram, less than half the 9 calories yielded by fat.

Our 200lb person’s 3000 calories might therefore be broken down

into the following amounts of the three main macronutrients: 200g
protein (800 calories); 200g carbohydrate (800 calories); 156g fat
(1400 calories). As protein intake should be kept high, in order for
the 200 lb person to hit their deficit, they might wish to remove a
quantity of fat, fat being the most calorically dense of the
macronutrients; by reducing daily fat intake by 57g, for instance, to
89g a day, a 600-calorie deficit is achieved. Alternatively, the person
could reduce carbohydrates and fat together. You can use an app like
My Fitness Pal to ensure that you are consuming the right amounts
of each macronutrient group, and to log your calorie intake over
time.

As far as which foods to eat – a topic for an ebook all of its own, or
maybe even five – a few basic principles will suffice. Consider the
advice of the classic bodybuilder Chuck Sipes.

26
‘Eat a well-balanced diet of meats, fish, fruits and vegetables. Avoid
high-calorie foods such as bread, cake, candy, macaroni products and
all foods containing white flour and white sugar.’

Prefer good-quality animal protein and wholegrain carbohydrate

sources, such as wholemeal bread, and oats, as well as starches like
potatoes and sweet potatoes; prefer animal fats, including butter,
and olive oil to vegetable oils. Try to reduce your consumption of
processed (‘high-calorie’) foods to an absolute minimum, as well as
your consumption of foods that contain refined sugars – and that
includes drinks. Be mindful of what you drink: many forget to
consider the caloric content of liquids. Be aware that condiments and
sauces all contain calories too, sometimes a significant amount.

At this early stage, I wouldn’t recommend taking any additional

supplementation; you can get more than enough protein from
whole-food sources. In time, as your needs and goals change, you
may consider adding supplements to your diet.

You can choose how many meals to take each day. Some will prefer
multiple smaller meals, while others will prefer the standard three or
even fewer. Avoid snacking. What you absolutely shouldn’t do is give
yourself a meal plan that is unrealistic. If you struggle with hunger
pangs if you don’t have breakfast, don’t start on a diet that involves
eating only lunch and dinner. Your willpower will probably break and
you’ll end up eating too much or even binging to satisfy the craving.
Not eating at all in order to lose weight is almost always a bad
strategy.

27
Ultimately, it is up to you to calculate your daily calorie needs,
including the deficit you wish to achieve, using the model provided
above, and to select which foods you wish to eat, and when.

Roughly speaking, an hour a day of weight training or exercise will

burn 280 calories, so you must factor the length of time you are
doing your circuits in to your calculation of calories in and calories
out.​1 To calculate a minute’s calorie burn, divide 280 by sixty and
then multiply this number by the minutes you have worked out to
arrive at a rough total of calories burned through your workout.

You should track your progress by taking regular pictures of yourself

(the poses should be comparable, under similar lighting) and
regularly taking your weight. You should take your weight each day
at the same time, preferably in the morning, before you have eaten
or drunk anything. If you are failing to lose weight, the answer is to
lower your calorie intake and increase your activity.

You should also think about your activity outside your workouts.
Download a pedometer app and aim for 5,000 steps a day, which will
burn an additional 273 calories.

Remember too that once you've started to lose weight, you need to
re-evaluate your caloric intake to continue losing weight at a similar
pace. Recalculate your body’s basic caloric requirements as before
and then subtract the number of calories that corresponds to how
much weight you want to lose.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/diet-and-weight-loss/calories-burned-in-30-minutes-of-leisure-and
-routine-activities

28
Next Steps

From the outset, we recommend you think about your future in the
longer term: what is it that you want? Where do you see yourself in a
year, or two years’ or five years’ time? If your goal is simply to
remain in decent shape and get a buzz, you might want to continue
with interval training in the manner of this programme. If, however,
your goal is to become a bodybuilder or a powerlifter, you must
begin to train like one. Many exercise without a clear idea of what
they want; but if you apply yourself and think carefully about what
you want, you will continue to reap the benefits of the hard work
you have put in to this 12-week programme. This can be the
beginning of something very good indeed: a total transformation of
your life.

Here at Herculean Strength, we have programmes to suit every goal.

See our programme page for more details.

https://herculeanstrength.com/category/products/programs/

We also offer individual one-on-one online coaching, including

personalised exercise and diet plans.

https://herculeanstrength.com/category/coaching-enquiries/

29