In part one, we covered the foundations — why you need both strength and cardiovascular training, how to build a routine you'll actually stick to, and why consistency will always outperform perfection.
Now let's get more specific. Because knowing what to do is one thing — knowing how much, how hard, and what to prioritise is where most people get lost.
Your Goal Shapes Your Training — But Doesn't Reinvent It
Whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, or simply feel better, your training programme doesn't need to look completely different. What changes is emphasis, volume — and most importantly, what happens around the training.
The fitness industry often frames this as a split: fat loss = endless cardio, light weights. Muscle building = heavy lifting, no cardio. That's not what the evidence supports.
Resistance training remains the primary stimulus for muscle growth — regardless of your goal. But training is only one variable. Nutrition, sleep, stress, and recovery determine whether that stimulus leads to fat loss or muscle gain. The programme sets the foundation. Everything around it shapes the outcome.
You need to train consistently and purposefully — and adjust the context around it.
What Really Matters for Cardio
How much
The baseline is 150 minutes of moderate cardio per week, or 75 minutes at higher intensity — this is the minimum, not the target. In practice, that usually looks like 3–5 sessions per week, at least one at steady low intensity — even if that feels boring or even pointless at first. That said, even two consistent sessions will make a difference if that's what realistically fits your life right now. A dedicated post on LISS is coming soon.
How intense
Lower-intensity steady-state cardio (LISS) — where you can hold a conversation but still feel like you're working — is effective for cardiovascular health, supports fat metabolism, and helps with recovery. Often underrated. Higher-intensity cardio (HIIT) — where you're genuinely breathless — creates stronger adaptations in less time and has clear benefits for fitness and metabolic health. If there are no contraindications, it should feature at least once a week.
Both matter. The common mistake is doing everything at moderate intensity — tiring, but not effective enough to drive real adaptation. On easy days go low intensity (LISS), on hard days go harder (HIIT).
Cardio and appetite
Cardio can increase appetite — particularly at higher intensities. Many people notice this when using cardio specifically for fat loss. Longer, lower-intensity sessions tend to have a smaller effect. This doesn't mean avoiding cardio — it means understanding how it affects you.
On timing
There's a lot of debate around morning cardio and fasted training. The reality: the effect is small and the evidence is mixed. What matters far more is doing it regularly — you'll recognise the pattern in this post by now. More on training time of day in a dedicated post soon.
What Really Matters for Strength
How much
Two full-body sessions a week is enough to build and maintain muscle and get the health benefits of resistance training. Three to four sessions allow for more volume and faster progress. Beyond four sessions, planning needs to be more precise — because recovery becomes the limiting factor for most people — more on that in the overtraining post. A dedicated post on the fundamentals of strength training — how muscle actually grows — is coming soon.
How intense
Effort matters more than weight. The research on hypertrophy is clear that training close to failure, regardless of the load used, causes adaptation. This means you don't need to lift objectively heavy — you need to lift subjectively hard enough that the last few reps are genuinely challenging — but form still holds. That might mean 12 or more reps with a lighter weight, or 6–8 with a heavier one.
This is important for everyone who's nervous about starting. You don't need to lift heavy straight away. Begin with bodyweight movements, master movement patterns, stability and control, and gradually add load. That's not the slow route — it's the sustainable one. Muscle builds even in this process. And injuries happen when ego and impatience take over.
Progressive overload over time
Your body adapts — so you need to keep providing a slightly greater challenge over time. This doesn't mean adding weight every session. It might mean one more rep, a shorter rest, a slower tempo. Small, consistent progression over months is what produces lasting change. It's also important to understand that progress in training is not linear. There will be days — sometimes weeks — where progress stalls or even dips. That's normal. We're not machines. For women, the menstrual cycle adds another important layer — more in the cycle syncing post.
On timing
Many people feel physically stronger later in the day when the body is fully awake and fuelled. But habits are stronger than almost anything — the body literally adapts: cortisol rises in anticipation of your workout when it consistently happens at the same time. The best time is the one you show up for regularly — and stick to.
Putting It Together
A simple, effective week might look like:
- 2–3 strength sessions, with at least one rest day between sessions working the same muscles
- 2–3 cardio sessions, at least one at steady low intensity
- Mobility integrated into warm-ups and cool-downs
- At least one full rest day — non-negotiable
That's enough. No complicated programming. No perfect structure. Just something that covers the essentials, fits your life, and is sustainable over time.
You don't need to reinvent your training every time your goal changes. You need to understand what works — and apply it consistently.