For when the beginner gains stop. One free PDF for the second year and beyond. No email, no signup, no catch.
The first year is about consistency. The second year is about strategy: breaking plateaus, recomposition, and training with intent instead of momentum. Year Two picks up exactly where the Day One pack leaves off. Here's what the free guide covers.
Overload isn't just "add weight to the bar." Four levers: load, reps, weekly volume, and frequency. Rotate which one you push — chasing heavier weight every single week stalls. Track it in Strong or Hevy (both free); if you're not writing numbers down, you're guessing, not progressing.
Fatigue builds faster than it shows. Every 4–6 weeks of hard training, take a week of deliberately less: same weights at half the sets, or ~60% weight with the reps moving. Signs you need one early: creeping resting heart rate, stalled lifts two sessions running, training feeling like a chore.
A 1,000-calorie surplus doesn't build muscle faster, it builds fat faster. Sensible surplus: 200–300 kcal above maintenance, aiming for 0.25–0.5kg gained per week on the weekly average. Scale climbing faster than that means the surplus is too big — not "working harder". Protein stays high throughout.
The bulk builds it, the cut reveals it — and most people only plan the first half. Stop bulking when your planned block ends, then cut 300–500 kcal under maintenance: protein high, lifting heavy, roughly 0.5% of bodyweight lost per week. Cutting longer than 10–12 weeks? Take a one-to-two-week diet break at maintenance, then go again. Find your maintenance number with the free TDEE calculator.
At this training volume, sleep gets managed like a training block: 7–9 hours, consistent wake time (weekends included), caffeine cutoff 8–10 hours before bed. Track something simple over weeks — resting heart rate, or just how you feel on waking. Patterns mean something; one bad night doesn't.
New to this? Start with the Day One starter pack, grab the free 5-day gym split, or build a free AI meal plan in 30 seconds.