Fettle FIT FORMULA
Discover how to build lean muscle, enhance muscular endurance, lose body fat, and integrate daily movement into your lifestyle—all while enjoying healthy meals without giving up your favorite foods.
This is perfect for anyone eager to jumpstart their fitness journey and get into the best shape they’ve been in years. The intensity is entirely up to you, with customizable exercises to match your skill level, making it ideal for beginners and novices. Follow this simple yet effective framework consistently, and you’ll see impressive results.
TRAINING PROTOCOL
Each week you will have 1 assessment day (MRA), 5 training session days, and 1 day of rest.
The Fettle Fit routine includes 5 exercises: push-ups, pull-ups, kettlebell swings, goblet squats, and standing calf raises.
You can sub any exercise you want into this protocol, just be sure to choose ones that match your skill level and use compound exercises to train multiple muscle groups for a full-body workout.
Always aim for good form over bad quality reps on every single exercise you do. Each movement should be done in a controlled manner and stop once your form breaks. Stay safe.
MAX REPETITION ASSESSMENT (MRA)
Do 1 set of each exercise until failure. Record your results. Give each set maximum effort with good form and rest 3-5 mins in between each exercise.
Multiply each total by 0.6 (60%) to get the number of reps to do for each set in your training sessions.
You should fail anywhere between 15-30 reps. Make the exercise more challenging or use a heavier weight the following week if you get to 30 reps with ease.
Do 2-3 sets of each exercise on each day you train.
Make sure to keep track of all reps. These are used to show your progress and how much you have put into this transformation. Count every rep and make every rep count with good form!
SESSION LINK
A small exercise you will do on days that you don’t have an MRA or training session. Whether it’s your rest day or you just can’t get a workout in, the session links creates a habit chain of daily exercise.
Choose anything you want: 10 pull-ups, 15 push-ups, 20 jumping jacks, or take the stairs instead of the elevator, just make sure it’s a physical activity to remind your body and yourself you exercise!
Use a wall calendar and mark a big X every day you complete a training session or MRA and small x on the days you do a session link. This will give you a visual representation of your habit chain and provide daily motivation. You can easily do this on your smart phone’s calendar as well.
REST & RECOVERY
Rest 30-60 seconds in between sets during your training sessions and 3-5 minutes during your MRA.
Aim to train at the same time every day so you have a full 24 hours in between your sessions.
Listen to your body and rest when you need to. Get quality sleep every night (7-9 hours) so your body can heal and recover.
If 3 sets of each exercise is too much, do 2 sets instead. If 6 days in a row is too much, train 5 days and rest on the weekend.
Follow this program for 2-3 months and then take some time off to rest. Maybe go down to 2-3 days of training for a few weeks.
EXERCISE MODIFICATIONS
You do not have to do the Fettle Fit Five Exercises to do this program. You can plug in any exercise you want as long as you train the whole body. Musclewiki.com & Acefitness.org are excellent sources for exercise tutorials.
Start with exercises that are within your skill level. Master them and as you get stronger make them more challenging.
5 Resistance Machine Exercises: chest press machine, lat pulldown machine, leg press machine, hamstring curl machine, and calf raise machine.
5 Bodyweight/Band Exercises: resistance band rows, knee push-ups, bodyweight squats, forward lunges, and seated calf raises.
CARDIO
Aim to get your heart rate up doing a cardio activity at least 3 days a week.
60-minute power walk, a 30-minute jog, or wind sprints for 5 minutes. You can hike, row, bike or play sports.
Whatever it is just make sure you get short of breath during these activities.
STRETCHING
A well-rounded stretching routine can improve flexibility, reduce muscle tension, and enhance overall well-being. Here's a simple yet effective program that can be done daily:
Each stretch should be performed gently without any bouncing or jerking movements. Remember to breathe normally and to stretch to the point of mild tension, not pain. This program can be completed in about 10-15 minutes and is suitable for all fitness levels. Tutorials for all these stretches can be found at musclewiki.com
EAT WHOLE FOODS
Eat nutrient-dense food that is as close to its original form as possible such as fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, whole grains, meats, plant-based proteins, eggs along with healthy fats, cheese, dairy and fermented foods.
Throughout the week, try and eat a variety of whole foods. Different colored fruits and vegetables tend to be sources of different nutrients our bodies need to thrive.
Eat more protein and fats earlier in the day and save your carb heavy foods after you train and later in the day. You don’t have to count calories but be mindful of how much you eat in a single day.
SIMPLE RECIPE FORMULA
Choose the Whole Food, how it’s [prepared], and then add flavour with (seasoning, sauces, and/or dressing). Plug in whatever food, preparation and flavouring you want.
Breakfast: EGGS [fried] (salt/pepper) + SPINACH [sauteed] (butter) + AVOCADO [fresh] (salt/lemon juice)
Lunch: KALE + TOMATO + CUCUMBER + CARROT [fresh] (oil/vinegar) + CHICKPEAS [toasted] (teriyaki)
Dinner: STEAK [grilled] (salt/pepper) + POTATO [baked] (sour cream) + BROCCOLI [steamed] (butter)
This is useful for recipes with few ingredients and simple prep when meal planning and food journaling.
80/20 MEAL PLAN
80% of your meals are made with healthy whole foods and the other 20% whatever you want.
If you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for a week that is 21 meals in total (not including snacks or desserts). 18 of those would be healthy meals and 3 of them would be treat meals.
Eat when you’re hungry. Eat slowly. Enjoy every bite.
TREAT MEALS
You shouldn’t deny yourself of your favourite foods. Instead you should reward yourself with them for training consistently. Reward yourself throughout the week or have all your treat meals on your rest day.
Enjoy dessert, eat your snacks, drink alcohol but just remember all of these add up so be mindful on how much you indulge.
INTERMITTENT FASTING
Also known as time-restricted feeding where you eat only within a specific window of time during each day. The most common is a 16:8 fast where you fast for 16 hours straight and have a feeding window of 8 hours.
An easy one to follow is to practically skip breakfast and eat your first meal around 12 PM and then have your last meal around 8 PM. This way, you are sleeping through most of it. You can still have breakfast foods, just make sure it’s at 12 PM.
If you want to start slow, go with a 12:12 or a 14:10 schedule for the first few weeks and work your way up.
If you incorporate fasting into your 80/20 meal plan by skipping breakfast, you would have 12 whole food meals and 2 treat meals per week.
To fight off hunger make sure you are eating enough protein and healthy fats to stay satiated. If you find yourself very hungry in the morning or evening, drinking water helps. If it doesn’t go away then eat something rich in protein or healthy fat.
The biggest hurdle is to not be very hungry during your fasting window. It can be difficult at first but take it slow, don’t be too strict, and let your body adapt to it in the first couple of weeks.
Check with your MD before implementing intermittent-fasting into your routine to make sure it’s right for you.
Breakfast (8AM): Coffee, Tea or Water
Lunch (12PM): Spinach Salad with Lamb Chop, Red Onion, Olives, Feta Cheese
Snack (3PM): Coconut Yogurt with Pineapple and Mango
Dinner (6PM): Baked Salmon, Steamed Asparagus, Baked Sweet Potato
Treat (7PM): Mixed Berries and Whipped Cream
Click here to watch an excellent episode of the Huberman Lab podcast on Intermittent Fasting.
Click here for a comprehensive review on fasting in humans.
DISCLAIMER
The information provided in the Fettle Fit Formula is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always consult with a qualified healthcare professional before making changes to your fitness or nutrition routine. Your use of this guidebook is at your own risk, and Fettle Fox is not responsible for any decisions or actions taken based on the information presented.