Adjustable dumbbells, or two fixed pairs (one lighter, one heavier).
A sturdy chair, bench or couch edge.
About 6 × 6 feet of floor.
Built for people who want to add muscle and lose a little fat at the same time, with very little time and very little equipment.
Your week
Alternate Workout A and Workout B on any three non-back-to-back days. Week 1 is A B A, week 2 is B A B, and so on.
MonA
Tuerest
WedB
Thurest
FriA
Satwalk
Sunprep
Every session runs the same way: a 5-minute warm-up, two pairs of exercises, a short finisher, and 3 minutes of stretching. In each pair, do one set of the first move, rest 30 seconds, do one set of the second, rest 30–45 seconds, and repeat for 3 rounds.
Warm-up · 5 min
Arm circles, 10 forward and 10 back, arms straight out to the sides.
Bodyweight squats, 10 slow reps, sitting between your heels with your chest up.
Hip hinges, 10 reps: hands on hips, push your hips back until you feel your hamstrings, then stand tall.
Push-up to down-dog, 5 reps: from the top of a push-up, push your hips up and back, then return.
One light warm-up set of the first exercise of the day at about half your working weight.
Hold one dumbbell upright against your chest. Feet shoulder-width, toes turned out a little. Sit straight down between your heels, elbows inside your knees, chest up. Stand by pushing through your whole foot.
Watch for: heels lifting, knees caving inward, lower back rounding at the bottom.
Put one hand and the same-side knee on a chair or bench, back flat. Pull the dumbbell toward your hip with your elbow close to your side. Lower it slowly until your arm is straight.
Watch for: twisting your torso to swing the weight up, shrugging toward your ear, jerking the dumbbell.
Lie on the floor with knees bent and dumbbells over your chest. Lower until your upper arms touch the floor, elbows about 45° from your body. Press straight back up. Use a bench instead of the floor if you have one.
Watch for: elbows flared straight out to the sides, bouncing your arms off the floor, arching your back.
Stand holding the dumbbells in front of your thighs with soft knees. Push your hips back and slide the weights down your legs to about mid-shin, back flat. Squeeze your glutes to stand up.
Watch for: rounding your back, bending your knees into a squat, letting the weights drift away from your legs.
Forearms on the floor under your shoulders, body in one straight line from head to heels. Squeeze your glutes and brace like someone is about to poke your stomach.
Watch for: hips sagging toward the floor, or hips piked up high.
Dumbbells at your shoulders, palms facing forward or in. Brace your stomach and squeeze your glutes. Press straight up until your arms are beside your ears.
Watch for: leaning back and arching your lower back, pressing the weights out in front of you.
Hands a little wider than your shoulders, body straight. Lower until your chest is a fist from the floor and push back up. Too hard: hands on a chair seat. Too easy: feet on the chair.
Lie on your back, knees bent, one dumbbell resting across your hips. Drive your hips up until your body is straight from knees to shoulders. Pause one second at the top.
Watch for: arching your lower back at the top instead of squeezing your glutes.
Lie on your back, arms pointing at the ceiling, knees bent over your hips. Press your lower back into the floor. Slowly lower your opposite arm and leg, then switch.
Watch for: lower back lifting off the floor, moving fast.
Standing hamstring stretch, 30 s per leg: heel on the chair, hinge forward with a flat back.
Doorway chest stretch, 30 s per side: forearm on the door frame, step through gently.
Child's pose, 60 s: knees wide, sit back toward your heels, arms long.
How to get stronger
Pick a weight where the last two reps of each set are hard but your form still looks like the description. You should feel you could do about two more.
When you hit the top of the rep range on all three sets, go up to the next dumbbell next time. If you have no heavier dumbbell, take 3 seconds to lower each rep instead.
Write it down. Weight and reps for every set. Beating last week's numbers is the whole game.
A day of eating
The same simple menu every day. Fewer ingredients means less waste, less thinking, and a smaller bill.
Meal
What
Protein
Calories
Breakfast
3 scrambled eggs, ½ cup oats cooked with water, 1 banana
24 g
465
Lunch
6 oz baked chicken thigh, 1 cup rice, 1 cup frozen veg
51 g
610
Dinner
Turkey and black bean chili over 1 cup rice
35 g
535
Snack
1 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp peanut butter
31 g
320
Cooking
About 1 tbsp oil across the day
0 g
120
Total
~141 g
~2,050
2,050 calories is a starting point. Weigh yourself a few mornings a week. If you are losing more than 1% of your body weight a week, add ½ cup rice. If nothing moves after two weeks and you want to lose fat, drop the peanut butter.
The grocery list
Item
Buy
Price
Per week
Eggs
2 dozen
$7.00
$7.00
Boneless skinless chicken thighs
3.5 lb family pack
$9.75
$9.75
93% lean ground turkey
2 lb
$9.00
$9.00
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt
2 × 32 oz tubs
$9.00
$9.00
Black beans
4 cans
$3.60
$3.60
Frozen mixed vegetables
2 × 12 oz bags
$2.50
$2.50
Diced tomatoes
2 cans
$2.00
$2.00
Onion and chili seasoning
1 onion, 1 packet
$2.00
$2.00
Bananas
7
$1.75
$1.75
White rice
5 lb bag lasts ~2.5 wks
$4.00
$1.60
Peanut butter
16 oz jar lasts 2 wks
$2.50
$1.25
Old-fashioned oats
42 oz canister lasts 4 wks
$4.50
$1.10
Oil, salt, garlic powder
If you don't have them
$4.00
$1.00
Total
~$62 first trip
~$52
Prices are estimates for store-brand items at a US discount grocer, late 2026. Egg prices swing the most. The first trip costs more because you're buying rice, oats and peanut butter that last several weeks. After that you have about $8 a week of room for fruit, hot sauce or coffee.
Sunday prep · about 1 hour
Heat the oven to 425°F. Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper and garlic powder and spread them on a sheet pan.
Start the rice: about 4½ cups dry in a big pot or rice cooker.
Bake the chicken 20–25 minutes, until the thickest piece reads at least 165°F. Thighs stay juicy up to about 175°F.
While it bakes, brown the turkey with the diced onion in a large pot. Add the drained beans, tomatoes and seasoning, and simmer 15 minutes. That makes 8 servings of chili.
Portion everything into containers. Keep 4 days of lunches, dinners and rice in the fridge, and freeze the rest.
Wednesday night, move the frozen portions to the fridge so they thaw for Thursday.
Cooked food keeps 3–4 days in the fridge, which is why half of the week goes in the freezer.
Cheap swaps
Chicken on sale elsewhere?Use pork loin or 4 cans of tuna for lunches.
Turkey too pricey?Use 90% lean ground beef, or 2 cups dry lentils for an even cheaper chili.
Not a yogurt person?Use cottage cheese. Same protein, similar price.
Eggs spiked?Swap 2 eggs for a scoop of whey protein in your oats.
Coming soon
Get this built for you
We're building an app that writes this plan around your own equipment, your own minutes per day, and your own grocery budget, and updates it as you get stronger. Join the early-access list and you'll get it first, free.