Why I'm Recommeding The Circuit I Developed

It's January 6th, 2026. Happy New Year to everyone! By now, all those resolutions are starting to do one of two things. They're either manifesting or they are meeting up with all the usual suspects. Those suspects come in the form of excuses. Yep, I said it, that's all they are!

For those who are ready to put the excuses aside, or find themselves on a mission this year, you're not alone. Maybe you're tired of being crushed under the thumbs of richer, greedier men, and want a better way. Or, are you tired of being tired, becuase you haven't been taking the best care of yourself. Some need to meet a brand new person in the mirror.

Whatever the reasoning, or the motivation, any mission needs a plan. And while I can't formulate a plan for all of you and your respective missions, those who want to start with the basics, this might be for you. Lord knows, 2025 beat my ass, and I went at it with Rocky Balboa in his prime is how I feel about 2024.

Let me explain.

In the winter of 2024, everything was going so well. We were finally coming out of covid. The world was really starting to get back to normal, or as close to normal as we're ever going to see, again. Then, it all came tumbling down around me. Honestly, I was probably happier than I'd been in a decade.

"I'm sorry, but you're dying."

A terminal cancer diagnosis is the worst thing that I could have imagined, and I can imagine a lot. It set so many things back.

I was a single father my whole adult life. I stepped up and embraced what was going to need done when my senior year sweetheart and I did something we weren't ready for. Yes, some guys do take responsibility and not run away, even in 1990. Telling him what the doctors were saying broke him. Fear, anticipation of the unthinkable, and the thought of losing me were too much.

My additional family I gained through him being married turned on him, and he lost the love of his life as she couldn't deal with him falling apart over my situation. This hurt both of us. He, obviously, was in hell over seeing what I was going through, then she added onto it by turning on him.

But, we try to rebuild. We try to rebuild our loved ones, we try to rebuild our lives, and we try to rebuild ourselves.

As I entered the fall of 2025 I felt the ravages of chemotherapies, cancer, and the damage done to the body by the entire ordeal. It's been more than three years now since the cancer would have started growing inside me, and I'm in what doctors call is the, "final year," of the three year max expectancy for my degree of cancer.

Everyday, I say dammit! I struggle to get up, I struggle to walk, and I struggle to focus. The latter, because having that hanging over your head is a hell of a distraction.

Thus, my mission is clearer than ever. My reasoning may seem off to some, but I have different reasons I want to succeed at the next step. Some are from the immature childish side in me, something we all have, and others are from the adult or man in me, or at least the person I hope to be remembered as.

I won't succeed without work, luck, support, and those slight bits of help I can find along the way. Now that I've accepted those things, I stand a better chance.

The obvious mission is to stay alive, to continue to fight the cancer, and to do that, it means I need to learn as much as possible about my health situation and the different ways to slow or stall the diseases progression. One of those, is to become more. More fit, more committed, and more consistent about how I take care of my body as it slowly starts to show the signs of my age and the massive spread of the cancer that threatens my existence.

That said, after six weeks of experimenting, and a lot of hard work, I find myself sitting on something that is changing my body and helping me do more, despite what doctors say is reasonable to expect.

The Foundation

Technically, I'm rebuilding, or doing what I can to rebuild. I heard Arnold Swarzenneger say this once. If you're building a house without a strong foundation, it'll collapse. How is that any different than building, or rebuilding, yourself?

If you're going to rebuild your body this year, you're going to need a strong foundation. Getting in shape is like starting over, and once you start, you have to have a sturdy place to stand. So I refreshed myself on the basics, and started from there.

• A basic training schedule is going to be 3-5 days per week, alternating different muscle groups or switching between upper and lower body movements.
• Compound movements should be prioritized to burn more calories and preserve lean muscle.
• It's important to progress patiently: add reps or weight every 1-2 weeks and don't rush the progress. The more rushed you let yourself feel the more likely to injure yourself.
• Combine strength training with light cardio and daily movement. Try to use a 15-30 minute brisk walk on the treadmill, preferably with an incline, after weight training. For most of us, walking is easy enough even exhausted, but save that for when you've already done everything else to maximize your results.
• Pay attention to what you're eating. Smart nutrition is important. Eat whole, health foods, with adequate protein. And remember, if you're older, you might need supplements.

Upper Body Training

With zero testosterone in me, or as close to zero as you can imagine, chest definition changes. Things don't look as manly as they did two years ago.

Chest strength forms the foundation of upper body pushing power. From the punch to the push, this is where your body's perceived power comes from. So, how did I start to fix that enough I'm comfortable sharing this?

I tried several ideas out in my head, researched each movement and muscle goup involved, and found a path to tighten and strengthen any chest.

Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays

• Pushups 3 to 5 sets of 10, for 2 weeks, then moved to 15
• Bench Press. Figure out how much your maximum is. Then figure out how much 60 to 70 percent of that is, and that's your training weight. Do 3 to 5 sets of 8 to 12. Add 10 pounds after 2 weeks and 25 pounds after 4. At six weeks I've been able to add 60.
• Dumbell press. Do it the same way you did the bench press. Figure out your max, do 60 percent of that, and focus on form. The dumbell press uses the same muscle groups but encourages stability and individual strength.
• Incline dumbell presses. Follow the same method, and remember that the incline press works the upper portion of your chest, which gives that fuller appearance.
• Cable or machine flys. Pick a weight you can do 8 to 10 times, and work the stretch in your chest or pec muscles carefully. Cable flys from a lower positon help to work the bottom of the chest.

When you're done with chest, move onto shoulders. Shoulders are important for strength, posture, and giving that wider appearance. Finding the right weight is much the same as it was for chest, remembering that you want a weight you can do 8 to 10 reps, and complete 3 sets, shooting for 5.

• Overhead or military press
• Lateral Raises
• Front Raises
• Dumbell overhead press

By now, you're starting to feel gassed. You haven't worked out for a while, and you might not be in the healthiest place you've ever been. That's alright. But if you complete these movements and don't feel you have much left, you can choose to go to your mid section. It's time to work that beer gut or that baby weight off.

The Mid-Section

Work your core and waist and tie it all together. Your slimmer waist is going to show up after fat loss, and defined abdomals will come from having a strong core. The core can be worked in or done on the 3 to 4 time a week schedule.

• Planks
• Hanging Leg Raises
• Cable Crunches
• Machine Crunches (Planet Fitness)
• Weighted Cable Twists

I have been using a simple idea. Consistency is king, and if one muscle group isn't ready on a given day, instead of risking injury and trying to be in my 20's when even my 20s told me I was pushing too hard, I give that group a break.

But, typically, I go with back and arms as part of my upper body split. This is the back and arm plan that is working, and is helping me to find muscle growth still possible without supplementing testosterone or hormones and risking the efficiency of the cancer therapy.

Training your back muscles helps with posture, tightening the waist, and overall body power.

• Pull-ups. If you can't do pull-ups and want to, start with a pull down machine or movement, and 3 to 4 times a week, do 3 to 5 sets of a weight you can finish 8 to 12 reps. Add 10 pounds every 1 to 2 weeks. When you can pull down your body weight, you'll be able to do pull-ups. Also, if you're in a planet fitness or a gym with an assisted dip or pull up machine, try using that and starting with the weight that allows you to do 6 to 10 pull-ups, decreasing the weighted assist every 1 to 2 weeks.
• Lat pulldowns
• Bent-over rows

Bicept training adds that shape and girth to the arms, and strong biceps assist with pulling movements.

• Dumbell curls
• Hammer curls
• Cable curls
• Preacher curls
• Barbell curls

Most of the arm mass comes from your triceps and triceps define the back of the arm.

• Dips
• Tricep pressdowns
• Overhead extensions
• Machine tricep pushdowns

That's the entire upper body plan I've been hammering between 3 and 4 days a week. One week it is Monday, Wednesday, Friday and the other is Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Now, you're onto the dreaded lower body, or legs day. Are you gonna skip leg day?

Leg Exercise

You have to get down! Time for the dreaded leg day. Do it wrong and you’ll hurt the next day. Do it right and you’ll feel great, despite the small aches and pains.

Quads crive power, strength, and athletic movement. They’re also a major muscle, taking up the space above the knee and below the hip. So try:

• Squats, Hack Squats, or Smith Machine Squats. Get used to the movement, especially if you haven’t worked out in a while.
• Leg presses, seated leg presses.
• Lunges
• Leg lifts
• Dumbell squats
• Kettlebell squats

Move into Hamstrings, and protect your knees and have stronger hips as you age.

• Deadlifts
• Romainian deadlifts
• Leg curls

Finish off with calves.

• Standing calf raises
• Seated calf raises

Final Thoughts

I took a notepad and started working out on a two on, one off, two on, one off, two on, one off schedule. At 53, and allegedly dying, I started to see remarkable gains in the first month. I can feel the muscle and definition in my chest, granted it’s beneath a layer of fat still. I can see changes in my arms, and I am starting to see less of a belly.

Already, I can get up easier, and my core and posture have gotten better.

While I’m not a doctor, and can’t recommend anything is safe for you without a doctor’s advice, I can say that this plan of working upper, then lower and doing 15–20 on an inclined treadmill, is working and working well.

Do each exercise on a 3 to 5 set plan, while using 60 to 70 percent of your max weight for that movement.

Yes, we can see our best selves in 2026!