The Level Up Guide

This is your Level Up Guide. It does three things: helps you find which year you're in, shows you the shift that gets you to the next one, and gives you your week-1 homework. I took every one of these classes the hard way. You don't have to.

Step 1: Which year are you in?

Be honest. Pick the one that sounds like your last month, not your best week.

Step 2: The shift that gets you to the next year

You can't skip a year. But you can stop repeating one. Here's what actually got me out of each.

Year 1 → 2

The trap: no plan, all or nothing. What got me out: a clear plan, and being intentional with my calories. Later I learned it's way more than that.

Go deeper: most of us start with "I just want to lose weight" and end up skinny fat. The key is building muscle while you lose fat. Comment RECOMP on any of my posts for my recomp guide.

Year 2 → 3

The trap: chasing smaller. What got me out: I realized being hungry and petite wasn't my goal. I wanted to feel strong, so I started building muscle.

Go deeper: ready to take muscle gain seriously? Comment SHELF on any of my posts for my booty guide.

Year 3 → 4

The trap: only training for how I looked. I wasn't functional. I wasn't fast, I couldn't breathe properly, I had no endurance. What got me out: funny story, I went for a run hungover because I had a feeling it would make me feel better. It did, and I got addicted to how good I felt, especially for my mental health. Now I train the whole system: power, endurance and strength.

Year 4 → 5

This is how I fell. I was doing way too much, trying to overachieve. I used fitness to regulate my nervous system and tied my worth to performance. It wasn't real discipline. What I had to learn: take a step back and just exist. My worth isn't my performance.

Year 5 → 6

I felt like absolute shit, and I remembered how much fitness helped me. So I hired a coach, signed up for races, and kept my promises to myself because I didn't want to feel like that anymore. If you're here right now, this is exactly where I can help.

Step 3: Graduation standards

This is what graduated looks like for me, every day. Not perfect. Non-negotiable.

1. I'm mindful and intentional.
2. My energy and health come first, not how my body looks.
3. Performance over looks.
4. I sleep. It's not a bonus, it's part of the program.
5. A lifestyle, not an extreme.
6. I make myself uncomfortable on purpose.
7. I have a routine, and I keep it.

Step 4: Your week-1 homework

This is exactly what I make every new client do in week one.

• Film your form. Every main lift, every session. Watch it back. One video teaches you more than ten tutorials.
• Do the 3-day program below.
• Protect your sleep. Pick a bedtime and keep it for 7 nights.
• Do a journal check-in at the end of the week. Which year am I in? What did I avoid? What did I do anyway?
• Track one progress marker. A photo, a lift, or how your energy feels.

Your 3-Day Program

Cardio warm-up

Start each workout with 5–10 minutes of light cardio.

Choose one: Incline treadmill walking · StairMaster · Stationary bike · Elliptical · Rowing machine

Your warm-up should feel like a 4–6 out of 10 effort. You should feel warmer and slightly out of breath, but you should not feel exhausted before lifting. The purpose of your warm-up is to prepare your body, not become the workout.

Dynamic warm-up

Dynamic stretches involve controlled movement. They prepare your joints and muscles for training. Complete one round before each workout:

This should take approximately five minutes. You do not need to hold long static stretches before lifting. Save those for the end of the workout.

Understanding sets and reps

A repetition, or rep, is one complete movement. A set is a group of repetitions. For example: 3 sets of 10 reps means you complete the exercise 10 times, rest, and repeat that process for three total rounds.

For heavier exercises, you may need up to two minutes of rest. Rest long enough to perform your next set properly. You are not lazy for resting. You are training, not auditioning for cardiac arrest.

How heavy should you lift?

Choose a weight that allows you to complete the exercise with good form while making the final two or three repetitions feel challenging. At the end of the set, you should feel like you could complete approximately one to three more good repetitions if you absolutely had to.

• If you could easily perform another ten reps, the weight is probably too light.
• If your form falls apart halfway through the set, the weight is too heavy.

Your goal is controlled, challenging repetitions, not moving the heaviest dumbbell in the gym for emotional validation.

The workouts

Tap a workout to open it.

Optional cardio

After strength training, complete 10–20 minutes of cardio two or three times per week.

Choose one: Incline treadmill walking · StairMaster · Stationary bike · Elliptical · Easy jogging intervals

Keep most cardio at a moderate pace. You should be able to speak in short sentences without gasping. Cardio supports your heart health, work capacity and fat-loss goals, but it does not replace strength training. If you only have one hour, complete your lifting first.

Post-workout stretch

Hold each stretch for approximately 20–30 seconds.

Breathe slowly and avoid forcing your body into painful positions. Stretching should feel like mild tension, not a hostage negotiation with your hamstrings.

Muscle & exercise cheat sheet

You do not need to memorize human anatomy before entering the gym. Start with the major muscle groups:

A balanced program trains all major muscle groups throughout the week. You do not need four exercises for every muscle in every workout. This program distributes your training across three days so your body can recover.

How to progress

Your body changes when your training gradually becomes more challenging. This is called progressive overload. Here is a simple example:

Once you can complete the top of the repetition range with good form, increase the weight slightly. You can progress by:

• Adding repetitions
• Adding weight
• Improving your form
• Increasing your range of motion
• Controlling the lowering portion
• Completing the same workout with better technique

Track your weights and repetitions in your phone. Do not rely on your memory. Your brain has enough tabs open.

Your beginner checklist

The results come from repeating these actions, not from attempting to overhaul your entire life overnight.