Creating your FITNESS PLAN

Written By Sakoa International

(Continuation of “Training or Bullshitting?”)

This isn’t rocket science, it’s the science of you.

Nobody knows your life better than you.

So, now you need to deconstruct your life, and reconstruct it based off of your own findings.

But, this is where you gotta leave the bullshit behind.

Tailored Adaptive Methodology.

Let’s break this down some more. If you can get the logic, you can get everything else.

  • Intensity only works after the system is correct

  • Consistency only matters if the stimulus stays relevant

  • Risk is useless if it’s not calibrated risk

  • Where/When/How you start does not fucking matter.

You know what matters? WHY.

  • Why are you starting?

  • Why do you want this?

  • Why is this important?

  • Why would you quit?

No, seriously. What would cause you to quit? (We’ll come back to this later.)

Back on track.

Adaptive methodology is paying attention and responding, not forcing.

The difference is that you’re accounting for the current you, not the ideal you.

To make a good plan:

  • Start with your truth.

    • “I want to accomplish _____ because of _____.”

  • Non-negotiable framework.

    • Frequency: how often can you realistically show up.

    • Focus: sticking to the intention

    • Baseline Effort: how hard the workout should be, not how close to death you can get.

  • Adjustment Factors

    • Energy: Did you fuel your body?

    • Recovery: Did you recover properly from this or the last workout?

    • Performance: Did you hit the same, more, or less than last time?

    • (You can add mood, but honestly, fuck your mood. Do you want it or not?)

  • Adjustment/Adaptation Options

    • Reduce volume first, frequency last.

    • Adjust weight before changing exercise.

    • Change only ONE variable, then reassess.

    • More than one change means no definitive fix.

  • Track “off days” as data.

    • Off days aren’t failure, they’re information.

  • Make sure you can stick to the plan.

    • You’re not changing the plan. You’re just making the plan work. The goal stays the same. The timeline can move.

Building the actual plan.

TRAINING DAYS: Your split is dictated by recovery and schedule, not ambition.

  • 2 days → Full body

  • 3 days → Full body or Upper / Lower + Full

  • 4 days → Upper / Lower

  • 5 days → Push / Pull / Legs + Upper / Lower

  • 6 days → Advanced split only if recovery allows

ASSIGN A ROLE TO EACH DAY:

Example for 4 days (Upper / Lower):

  • Day 1 Upper: Primary strength emphasis

  • Day 2 Lower: Volume accumulation

  • Day 3 Upper: Hypertrophy / control

  • Day 4 Lower: Posterior chain + lower stress

Notice:

  • Same muscles show up multiple times

  • Stress and intent change

  • No duplicate days

If two days feel the same, the program is broken.

BUILD DAILY LAYERS:

LAYER 1: Primary Lift (1–2 movements)

Purpose: main stimulus for the day’s role

Characteristics:

  • Compound

  • Repeatable

  • Easy to load progressively

  • Low skill variability

Examples:

  • Squat, hinge, press, pull, lunge

  • Machine or free weight, doesn’t matter

Typical loading:

  • 3–5 sets

  • 3–8 reps

  • 1–3 reps in reserve most of the time

If you can’t recover from this lift, the week collapses.

LAYER 2: Secondary Lift (1-2 movements)

Purpose: reinforce the primary pattern or address weak links

Characteristics:

  • Slightly less fatiguing

  • Still structured

  • Still trackable

Examples:

  • Variations of the primary lift

  • Unilateral work

  • Controlled tempos

Typical loading:

  • 2–4 sets

  • 6–12 reps

This is where volume lives. Not in chaos.

LAYER 3: Accessories (2–4 movements)

Purpose: hypertrophy, joint health, balance

Characteristics:

  • Targeted

  • Easy to adjust

  • Low nervous system cost

Examples:

  • Isolation work

  • Cables, machines, bodyweight

  • Carries, abs, small muscle groups

Typical loading:

  • 2–3 sets

  • 8–15 reps

Accessories exist to support, not exhaust.

LAYER 4: Optional finishers or conditioning (optional)

Purpose: capacity, work tolerance, or sport carryover

Rule: If recovery is an issue, this is the first thing removed.

DECIDE PROGRESSION BEFORE STARTING:

If progression isn’t defined, adaptation becomes guessing.

Simple options:

  • Add reps within a range

  • Add load when top reps are hit

  • Add one set after 2–3 stable weeks

Progression should feel boring when it’s working.

DECIDE HOW LONG THE PROGRAM RUNS:

No emotional rewrites.

Typical:

  • 4–8 weeks

  • Or until performance stalls across multiple sessions

Rule: You don’t change a program because you’re bored. You change it because it stopped working.

How this connects to adaptation

Now adaptation finally makes sense because the structure exists.

  • Bad day → reduce sets or load inside the session

  • Bad week → trim volume on accumulation days

  • Good phase → add a set to secondary lifts

  • Stalled lift → adjust load or rep range, not the whole split

You’re not “changing the plan.”
You’re operating within it.

There you go. You can build yourself a program. Get out there and get that shit done.

But remember, if your program can’t survive a bad week, it’s not a good program.

Don’t worry, I’ll leave a visual example for those of you who might need it, and if you need extra help, I’ll be here.

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.” - Charles Spurgeon

VISUAL EXAMPLE: (OPENS IN NEW WINDOW)

https://deadstop.fit/s/b3709c9f-cfd8-4d4e-ac1d-2b3e958f8e42.png

Sakoa International
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