Gordon Smart’s Busy Man Plan For Sustainable Strength and Fitness

On the days between workouts, Smart was advised to get outdoors for a 30-60 minute walk, throwing on a heavy backpack when possible. Breathwork and meditation were also part of his routine, helping him cultivate mental and emotional fitness, as well as the physical.

The Plan

These three sessions are designed to be performed in sequence; rest for at least 24-48 hours between each. Take notes on the weights you use and reps you achieve, aiming to beat these ‘scores’ in subsequent sessions before graduating to heavier weights. ‘It doesn’t matter if you train twice a week or five times. Simply aim to keep adding reps each session, moving up to bigger dumbbells once you can add 20% or so to your original rep count’, says Tracey.

Each ‘EMOM’ (every minute on the minute) has a suggested rep range. Aim towards the higher end of the rep range, at least in initial sets. If you can hit all sets at the top end of the range, go heavier the next time you perform this session.

Session 1

Warm-up with:

3 rounds:

5 pull-ups

10 calorie machine effort (bike, rowing machine or ski-erg)

15 press-ups

20 alternating lunges

(stretch as necessary between rounds)

A. 16-minute EMOM

At the beginning of the first minute, perform the prescribed reps for the dumbbell bench press. Rest for the remainder of the minute, then perform the chest-supported rows at the beginning of the next minute. Repeat in this fashion, working back and forth between the two movements for 16 total minutes: 8 sets of each movement.

6-10 x dumbbell bench press

Lie flat on a bench, your knees bent, pushing your feet into the floor. Press a pair of dumbbells into the air, locking out your elbows (A). Lower the bells slowly until they touch your chest (B), keeping your elbows at a 45-degree angle. Pause here before explosively pressing back up. Repeat.

6-10 x chest supported row

Set an adjustable bench to around 45 degrees or prop a flat bench up with a box. Position yourself face-down with your chest on the pad, holding a pair of dumbbells with straight arms (A). Staying tight to the bench, row both dumbbells up towards your hips, pause (B) and slowly lower before repeating.

B. 16-minute EMOM

As before. At the beginning of the first minute, perform the prescribed reps for movement 1. Rest for the remainder of the minute, then perform movement 2. Repeat for 16 total minutes.

10-15 x heavy goblet squat

Stand tall holding a heavy dumbbell close to your chest in the ‘goblet’ position (A). Sink your hips back and bend your knees, dropping into a deep squat (B), your elbows should be almost between your knees at the bottom. Drive back up explosively, keeping your torso upright and dumbbell steady throughout.

10-15 x Romanian deadlift

Stand tall holding a pair of dumbbells at waist height (A). With a slight bend in the knees, push your hips back and slowly lower the bells towards the ground, pinning your shoulders down and maintaining a flat back. Push your hips back until you feel a stretch in your hamstrings (B), pause and explosively return to an upright position.

C. 1-10-1 burpee breathing ladder

Perform 1 burpee, followed by one deep conscious breath, in through the nose and out through the mouth. Immediately perform 2 burpees followed by 2 breaths. Then 3, then 4… continue in this fashion until you reach 10 burpees and 10 breaths and then work back down to 1. Breath as normal on the reps themselves, but try to match your breaths to the rhythm of the rep, exhaling and inhaling at the top of each burpee.

D. Down regulation breathing

At the end of each session take some time to slowly and consciously bring your breathing down to a slow and controlled baseline, aiming for a long controlled exhale. This works to down regulate your nervous system, kick-starting the recovery process and ensuring that you’re not carrying any of the aggression that was necessary to get through the session into the day ahead.

Session 2

Begin with the same warm-up from session 1

A. 16-minute EMOM

6-10 x single arm dumbbell or kettlebell press (each arm)

Clean a dumbbell onto the front of your shoulders. Take a breath and brace your core. (A). Dip at the knees and use your legs to help (B) drive the dumbbell up overhead. Lower it under slow control to your shoulder and repeat. Squeeze the opposite fist to create tension.

12-20 x alternating dumbbell or kettlebell clean

Hold a dumbbell at your side, hinge at the hips, bend your knees and allow the weight to swing back between your legs (A). Stand back up explosively, and use the momentum to pull the dumbbell up on to your shoulder (B). Allow the dumbbell to drop back between your legs and repeat. Switch hands each rep.

B. 16-minute EMOM

10-15 x kettlebell swing

With a kettlebell between your legs, hinge at your hips, swinging the weight backward, high between your thighs (A). Drive your hips forward to explosively blast it up to eye level (B). Let the momentum return you back into the hinge position and straight into rep two. Keep your torso flat and knees soft throughout.

10-16 x alternating reverse lunge (total reps)

Standing tall, hold the kettlebell close to your chest by the horns, or under the ‘ball’ (A). Take a long step backward with one leg, bending your front leg until your back knee gently touches the ground (B). Stand up and forward explosively, pause and repeat with the opposite leg. Keep your torso upright throughout. Alternate legs unless otherwise other stated.

C. EMOM until you hit your bodyweight (KG) in calories

Begin each minute with 20m of heavy farmer’s carries, then for the remainder of the minute perform as many calories as possible on your machine of choice (or perform burpees). Continue in this fashion, performing carries at the beginning of every minute, until you hit your bodyweight (in kilograms) in calories on your machine, or burpee reps.

20m heavy farmer’s walk

Grab the heaviest set of dumbbells you can muster and stand tall (A). Let your arms hang freely at your sides, take a deep breath into your core and begin a fast, deliberate march (B).

Max cals machine in remainder

Choose a cardio machine of your choice and complete as many calories or metres as possible in the remainder of each minute.

D. Down regulation breathing

Session 3

Begin with the same warm-up from session 1

A. 16-minute EMOM

8-12 x dumbbell deadlifts

With a pair of dumbbells on the floor just outside of your feet, hinge with a flat back and soft knees to grip them (A). Squeeze your lats and stand upright. Picture ‘pushing the ground away’ with your feet (B). Take a deep breath and reverse the movement to the ground. Squeeze your empty fist to create tension on the opposite side. Avoid excessive rounding of the lower back throughout.

15-20 x alt. dumbbell step-ups

Stand in front of a box, with your feet hip-width apart, dumbbells at your sides (A). Step one foot up on top and drive your foot into the box to stand up. Lean forward slightly to keep your balance, but keep your torso upright (B). Once at the top, stand up fully by extending your knees and hips. Slowly step backward off the box and repeat with the opposite leg.

B. 16-minute EMOM

8-15 x dips

Jump up on two parallel bars your palms facing inwards and your arms locked out straight (A). Lean forward and bend at the elbows, slowly lowering your body until you feel a deep stretch in your chest (B). Pause here before driving yourself back up to the top explosively.

6- 12 x bent over rows

Hold a pair of dumbbells at your sides and hinge at the hips until your chest is parallel to the floor, dumbbells hanging at your shins (A). Maintaining a flat back, row both dumbbells towards your hips (B), squeeze here and lower under control to the start before repeating.

C. 8-minute AMRAP (as many reps as possible)

30s machine sprint/ 15 breath recovery

Perform a 30-second max effort sprint on a cardio machine of your choice, then recover by taking 15 deep breaths. Repeat for 8 minutes and record your ‘score’ in the form of calories or metres. As you progress over the weeks, increasing your fitness and improving your ability to recover, aim to boost this score.

D. Down regulation breathing