Lucid Fitness

Fitness and nutrition can be hard.

It doesn't need to be complicated.

Find a Routine That Fits in Your Life

Choose a workout routine that fits how often you can go to the gym each week. Picking a routine that matches your schedule helps you stick with it consistently. Decide on the number of days you can commit to the gym every week, and select a routine based on that.

1 Day a Week - Full Body Routine: Use mostly compound exercises to hit the entire body in a single workout.

2 Days a Week - Upper/Lower Routine: One workout to hit your upper body, and one workout to hit your lower body.

3 Days a Week - Push Pull Legs (PPL) Routine: Divide your workouts into pushing movements, pulling movements, and leg exercises.

4 Days a Week - Upper/Lower Routine: Two workouts to hit your upper body and two workouts to hit your lower body, alternating.

5 Days a Week - Conventional Split Routine: Each day targets a different muscle group: Chest, Shoulders, Legs, Back, Arms & Abs.

6 Days a Week - Push Pull Legs x2 Routine: Repeat a Push Pull Legs routine twice a week for increased frequency.

In fitness, a "set" refers to a group of repetitions of an exercise, done in a row, while a "rep" (or repetition) is a single completion of an exercise, such as one squat or one bicep curl.

When you see "3x12" in a routine, it means you should do 3 sets of 12 repetitions for that excercise. So, you would perform the exercise 12 times, rest, and then repeat for a total of 3 sets.

Compound Exercises	Isolation Exercises
Multi-joint movements	Single-joint movements
Work several muscles groups at once	Target individual muscle groups
Build strength and muscle mass across large areas of the body	Aim at single muscle groups for growth
Improve coordination	Little benefit outside of the focus muscle group
Burn more calories	Less calories burned

Use Compound Exercises

Compound exercises are multi-joint movements that work several muscles or muscle groups at one time. They are an efficient way to build strength and muscle mass across the entire body.

Any good workout routine has a focus on compound exercises with some isolation added as complimentary movements. You should choose a routine that follows this plan!

Cardio is an important addition to any workout routine. If your chosen routine does not include cardio, it is recommended to add 20-30 minutes of your preferred cardio exercise at the end of each workout.

Progressive Overload

Progressive Overload is a simple yet powerful principle of slowly increasing the demands on your body.

Why It's Needed

By slowly increasing the demands on your body, you encourage your body to continuously strengthen and grow. Without new challenges, your body has no reason to adapt, slowing further gains in strength and muscle. Progressive overload ensures you can keep making progress forever.

How to Use It

Choose a type of progressive overload.
Apply the chosen changes gradually across each exercise and each workout.
Track your progress to monitor changes and continue to slightly increase demands.

Types of Progressive Overload

Increasing Weight

Increasing Repetitions

Increasing Sets

Increasing Intensity

push harder

five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

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five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

push harder

five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

push harder

five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

push harder

five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

push harder

five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

push harder

five more pounds

one more set

one more rep

push harder

Calories In - Calories Out

The main principle of weight control is the balance between calories consumed and calories used. Consuming more calories than you burn leads to weight gain, while consuming fewer calories than you burn results in weight loss.

You can use a simple calculation to figure out how many calories you can expect to burn in a day (TDEE), then you can subtract or add calories to create a calorie target that meets your desired outcome.

What is a calorie?

What is TDEE?

Why do we need to calculate?

Calorie Calculator

Unit System: Age: Gender:

Male Female

Height (inches / cm): Weight (lbs / kg): Activity Level:

Results:

Estimated TDEE: - calories per day

Weight Loss Target: - calories per day

Weight Gain Target: - calories per day

Aim to lose or gain between half a pound and a pound a week. This is about 250-500 calories below or above your calculated TDEE.

If you are not gaining or losing at the expected rate after a few weeks, then adjust your calories up or down.

Eat a Variety of Unprocessed, Whole Foods

Whole foods are single ingredients with little to no processing, easily recognized as found in nature:

Fruits
Vegetables
Grains
Legumes
Meat
Fish
Eggs

Some whole foods, such as grains, are minimally processed to make them consumable, however they still keep their nutritional value. In contrast, processed foods often contain multiple ingredients, come packaged with ingredient lists, and lose significant nutritional value during processing.

Aim to fill your diet with a variety of whole foods while limiting processed foods. This approach ensures a balanced intake of essential macronutrients and micronutrients, promoting overall health.

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Don't forget to drink lots of water!

Healthy Fats

Avocado
Coconut Oil
Olives
Chia Seeds
Whole Eggs
Coconut Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dark Chocolate
Cheese
Fatty Fish
Flaxseeds
Full-fat Yogurt
Butter
Nuts
Avocado
Coconut Oil
Olives
Chia Seeds
Whole Eggs
Coconut Oil
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Dark Chocolate
Cheese
Fatty Fish
Flaxseeds
Full-fat Yogurt
Butter
Nuts

Eat a Reasonable Amount of Protein and Fat

An effective nutrition plan considers three macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Protein and fat are essential for survival, while carbohydrates are the primary energy source for most people. Eating a variety of whole foods typically provides sufficient protein and fat; it's still important to include significant portions of protein daily for body recovery and growth.

Healthy fats, when consumed moderately, help maintain hormonal balance and other bodily functions, while also contributing to the body’s energy levels. Carbohydrates, on the other hand, should complement your diet, helping you to meet your caloric needs after protein and fat requirements are met. Be cautious with carbohydrate intake, as they are easy to overconsume due to being less filling than protein and fat. Focus on getting carbs from fruits and vegetables, which provide fiber to regulate appetite and a wide variety of micronutrients.

The optimal balance of macronutrients varies widely across the nutrition industry, with scientific studies supporting various ratios of protein, fats, and carbs. This diversity allows for some flexibility in your dietary choices. As long as you focus on consuming whole, unprocessed foods for the majority of your diet, and ensure you're getting an adequate amount of protein and healthy fats within your caloric target, you'll be well on your way to improved health and a better body.

Protein Sources

Chicken
Beef
Fish
Greek Yogurt
Tofu
Turkey
Lentils
Pork
Veal
Beans
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Quinoa
Lamb
Nuts
Chicken
Beef
Fish
Greek Yogurt
Tofu
Turkey
Lentils
Pork
Veal
Beans
Cottage Cheese
Eggs
Quinoa
Lamb
Nuts

You're almost there!

Improve Your Mental

To be successful with fitness and nutrition, you must adopt the mindset of a fit and healthy individual. Having all the knowledge will only help if you decide to act. Acting will only matter if you do so consistently. Consistency requires discipline to focus on your goals and form a routine that works for life.

Willpower to Act

Beginning a journey towards health demands more than just desire; it requires willpower to act. Willpower is that inner strength that helps you overcome laziness and pursue your goals. It's the dedication to wake up for a morning workout or choose a healthy meal over fast food. When motivation is low, willpower is essential.

Consistency to Change

True transformation lies in the power of consistency. It's not the occasional healthy meal or the sporadic gym session that shapes your life, but the daily habits that you carefully follow. Consistency turns efforts into routine, leading to significant and lasting change.

Discipline to Persist

Discipline keeps you on track when life throws curveballs. It's the ability to stay true to your diet and exercise plan, even under stress. With discipline, you live a healthy lifestyle every day, turning short-term sacrifices into long-term gains.