A push/pull/legs build on the exact split you're already running, tightened with real progression, a nutrition setup built around the one gap you named, and a dedicated conditioning day for the waist and body-fat side of recomp. Built straight from your application, we'll tighten it up once we connect.
So in your onboarding you said you're already running push, pull, legs, and that you're intermediate, and you rated your commitment a 10 out of 10, I'm holding you to that number. You also told me the thing that's actually held you back wasn't training, it was dieting alone with no real guidance on counting calories. That's the piece we're fixing first. I'm not throwing out what you're already doing, your split stays, I'm just adding real progression to it, a nutrition structure, and a tracking system so this time it actually sticks. We haven't hopped on a call yet, so treat this as the first draft, we'll tighten whatever needs it once we connect or once you log Week 1.
Programmed to the ISSA CPT standard, for Echelon Fitness Collective.
| Phase | Weeks | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1: Foundation & Load Establishment | 1–4 | Learn and execute the push/pull/legs split with real tracking. Every working weight gets established in the Hub in Week 1, that becomes the baseline everything after progresses against. Nutrition holds at maintenance while four weeks of your real trend-weight data comes in, no deficit guessing. |
| Phase 2: Progressive Overload & Deficit Start | 5–8 | Add load on the main lifts using your Week 1 baseline. Nutrition steps into a modest deficit calculated off your actual Phase 1 trend weight, not a guess. Day 4 conditioning volume increases. Deload Week 8. |
| Phase 3: Recomposition Push & Reassessment | 9–12 | Hold the deficit, protein stays non-negotiable, Day 4 conditioning intensifies. Week 12: full remeasure, weight, waist, photos, against your Week 1 baseline, then we decide together whether to extend this block or start the next one. |
| Day | Focus | Why it's placed here |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Push (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps) | Fresh CNS for the heaviest pressing of the week, opens the split the same way your own PPL cycle already does. |
| Day 2 | Pull (Back, Biceps, Rear Delts) | Full recovery from Day 1 pressing, balances the pressing volume so your shoulders stay healthy. |
| Day 3 | Legs (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves) | The biggest compound day of the week, placed with a full recovery day on either side. |
| Day 4 | Conditioning, Core & Recomp Finisher | The piece your current split doesn't have, direct work toward the waist and body-fat side of recomp, not just the lifting side. |
On a 3-day week, skip Day 4 or fold the core circuit into Day 3's finisher. On a 4-day week, run all four as written.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 × 6–8 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 × 8–10 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 × 10–12 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 3 × 12–15 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
Cues: Bench press, shoulder blades pinned, feet driving into the floor, bar path stays over the chest not the face. Shoulder press, ribs down, no lower-back arch to substitute for shoulder range. Lateral raise, lead with the elbow, stop at shoulder height, this is a shoulder isolation move not a momentum swing.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Triceps Pushdown | 3 × 12–15 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Overhead Rope Tricep Extension | 2 × 15–20 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Lat Pulldown | 4 × 8–10 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 × 10–12 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Face Pulls | 3 × 12–15 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
Cues: Lat pulldown, pull to the upper chest, elbows drive down and back, no leaning back to cheat the range. Row, chest stays tall, squeeze the shoulder blades together at the finish before releasing. Face pulls, elbows high, this is the rear-delt and posture piece pressing volume doesn't cover.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Curl | 3 × 10–12 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Hammer Curl | 2 × 12–15 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 4 × 6–8 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Walking Lunges | 3 × 10–12/leg | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Leg Press | 3 × 10–12 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
Cues: Squat, brace before the descent, knees track over the toes, drive through mid-foot out of the hole. RDL, hips travel back not down, soft knee bend, feel the hamstring stretch before reversing the movement. Walking lunges, torso stays upright, front knee doesn't drift past the toe.
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Lying Hamstring Curl | 3 × 12–15 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 × 15–20 | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Load |
|---|---|---|
| Farmer's Carry | 3 × 30–40 sec | Establish Week 1, log in Hub |
This is the day your current split doesn't have. The waist and body-fat side of recomp responds to conditioning volume and a calorie structure, not more lifting, this day and the nutrition protocol below carry that load together.
Now about your eating: you told me the real gap already, dieting alone without much guidance on counting calories. That's not a discipline problem, that's a structure problem, so here's the structure. Exact gram targets lock in once you log your starting weight in the Hub Week 1, here's what Week 1 runs on.
| Macro | Target (locks to exact grams once starting weight is logged) |
|---|---|
| Protein | ~0.8–1.0 g per lb of bodyweight |
| Fat | ~0.3–0.35 g per lb of bodyweight |
| Carbs | Fills remaining calories after protein & fat, adjusted by phase |
| Water | ~0.5–1 oz per lb of bodyweight, higher on Day 1 & Day 3 |
General fitness and nutrition guidance from your coach, not a substitute for individualized clinical dietary advice.
You rated your own commitment a 10 out of 10 and told me professional accountability is why coaching works for you when going it alone hasn't. This is how that shows up every week, not just a feeling.
| What | Frequency | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Sessions completed | Weekly | Target 4/4 on a 4-day week (3/3 on a 3-day week), the number that predicts your outcome more than anything else. |
| Body weight | 1×/week, same morning conditions | Starts your Week 1 baseline, everything else, including your nutrition targets, gets built off this. |
| Protein grams | Daily, even if estimated | The one number you said was missing last time, non-negotiable now. |
| Progress photos | Every 2 weeks | Recomposition shows in the mirror and the waistband before it shows on the scale. |
| Waist measurement | Monthly | Direct check against your own 36-inch target. |
Everything above came straight from your application, keeping the split you're already running and fixing the one thing you said got in the way last time. Log Week 1 in the Hub, get your working weights and starting weight in, and I'll tighten whatever needs it from there.