Behaviors
3,474protocols, ranked by how often the world’s top health podcasts mention them.
- Use One Sport Session Per Week During a Hypertrophy Phase▶ 1
Example hypertrophy quarter: include one sport session per week, such as an indoor sport like basketball.
- Lift Weights 3–4 Times Per Week During a Hypertrophy Phase▶ 1
Example hypertrophy quarter: lift weights three or four times per week.
- Take Long Walks Twice Per Week During a Hypertrophy Phase▶ 1
Example hypertrophy quarter: include two long walks per week.
- Shift From Indoor to Outdoor Sport in Spring▶ 1
As days get longer, shift from indoor sport to outdoor sport to combine exercise with sunlight exposure; stand-up paddleboarding was given as an example.
- Take a Fitness or Exercise Class During a Fat-Loss Phase▶ 1
Include a fitness or exercise class during the spring fat-loss phase.
- Lift Weights Two Days Per Week During a Fat-Loss Phase▶ 1
Example fat-loss quarter: lift weights about two days per week in addition to outdoor sport and classes.
- Continue Outdoor Sports During the Summer Conditioning Phase▶ 1
Continue emphasizing outdoor sports during the summer conditioning phase; examples given include golf, pickleball, and outdoor basketball, about twice per week.
- Do Interval Work During the Summer Conditioning Phase▶ 1
During the summer conditioning phase, include interval work such as track workouts, bike intervals, or hill sprints.
- Lift Weights Twice Per Week During the Summer Conditioning Phase▶ 1
Example summer conditioning quarter: continue lifting weights twice per week.
- Use Two Workouts Per Day During the Fall/Winter Cardiovascular Phase if Appropriate▶ 1
During the cardiovascular phase, consider two workouts per day if trying to improve conditioning and endurance aggressively.
- Do an Indoor Sport During the Fall/Winter Cardiovascular Phase▶ 1
Use an indoor sport during the colder-weather cardiovascular phase; examples given include kickboxing or jiu-jitsu.
- Use Cardio Machines During the Fall/Winter Cardiovascular Phase▶ 1
Use cardio machines once or twice during the fall/winter cardiovascular phase.
- Walk Outside Twice Per Week During the Fall/Winter Cardiovascular Phase▶ 1
Continue to get outside by walking twice per week during the fall/winter cardiovascular phase.
- Use Moderate Training if Sleep Loss Is Acute but Goals Matter▶ 1
If one poor night of sleep occurs during an important adaptation phase, still train, potentially using acute hacks to feel better in the moment.
- Back Off if Poor Sleep Has Become a Pattern▶ 1
If poor sleep is chronic rather than acute, back off and prioritize recovery rather than pushing through.
- Use Moderate Restorative Training When Recovery Is Needed▶ 1
When recovery is needed, use moderate restorative training rather than hard training; examples given include breathing drills, mobility work, or riding the bike at about 50% heart rate.
- Keep Training Below About 70% if You Feel a Bug Coming On▶ 1
If you think you may be getting sick, do restorative training and avoid pushing much past about 70% effort.
- Shut Training Down if You Have a Pretty Gnarly Cold▶ 1
If you already have a significant cold, generally stop training rather than trying to push through.
- Use Some Ice Cautiously When Sick▶ 1
Some ice exposure may be used cautiously when sick, but not a lot because it is a major stressor.
- Sleep When Very Sleepy During Illness▶ 1
If illness makes you very sleepy, sleep rather than train.
- Use a Three-Day Split of Speed/Power + Hypertrophy, Strength + High Heart Rate, and Endurance▶ 1
A sample three-day split: day 1 speed and power then hypertrophy; day 2 pure strength then higher-heart-rate work; day 3 steady-state long-duration endurance. Do speed and power before hypertrophy in the same session. This can be done in about 45 minutes of work plus warmup/downregulation, generally under 60 minutes total.
- Differentiate Exercise From Physical Activity▶ 1
Treat structured exercise and general physical activity as distinct; both matter for health.
- Increase Daily Physical Activity Outside Workouts▶ 1
Avoid doing only hard workouts while sitting the rest of the day. Increase daily movement with strategies like parking farther away, aiming for about 30 minutes per day of moderate to low intensity activity, and adding several hours of walking if you sit all day.
- Do Not Rely on Physical Activity Only▶ 1
Do not rely solely on low-intensity physical activity without structured exercise.
- Do 10-Minute Walks Three Times Per Day▶ 1
One way to increase physical activity is to do a 10-minute walk three times per day.
- Use a Four-Day Split of Strength/Hypertrophy, Long Duration, Muscular Endurance, and Medium Intensity▶ 1
A sample four-day split: day 1 strength in the 5–10 rep range; day 2 long-duration work; day 3 11–30 rep muscular endurance/bodyweight/yoga/Pilates/gymnastics/group class/circuit work; day 4 medium-intensity conditioning plus a short max-heart-rate finisher. Favor mostly whole-body, multi-joint exercises. Place long-duration work after strength because it can be restorative when the whole body is sore.
- Use a Group Activity Class on the Muscular-Endurance Day▶ 1
A group activity class can fit well on the muscular-endurance day; examples given include spin class or dance class. If a dance class mainly trains the legs, finish with about 10 minutes of upper-body light weights, such as sets of 30 reps, to balance the body.
- Use Medium-Intensity Conditioning With Rolling Intensity▶ 1
For the fourth day, use medium-intensity conditioning with alternating harder and easier periods rather than all-out work; a sample protocol is one minute on, one minute off on the bike, with the hard minute at about 85–90% heart rate and the easy minute around 50%.
- Use a Straight 5-Minute Assault Bike Effort▶ 1
A favored protocol on the Assault Bike: do a solid 10-minute warmup, recover, then go five minutes and cover as much distance as possible, followed by about 10 minutes of gradual cooldown. During the last ~2 minutes of cooldown, use deliberate 5-second nasal inhales and 5-second nasal exhales.
- Slide Workouts Forward if Recovery Is Poor▶ 1
If you did not sleep well or do not feel recovered, slide the workout forward by a day rather than forcing it.