By Will Duru, BSc (Hons) Sport and Exercise Science, Award-winning Personal Trainer
I’m Will Duru, and for more than a decade, I’ve had the privilege of guiding people on their journey to a stronger, healthier life. I’ve seen countless transformations, but some stories stick with you. The story of my client, Bala, is one of them. When Bala walked into my gym for the first time, he carried the weight of his goal on his shoulders: to shed 18kg of body fat. He was new to the world of fitness, intimidated by the complex machines and the sea of unfamiliar faces. He needed more than just a workout plan; he needed a clear, simple, and sustainable path to follow. He needed a program that would not only deliver results but also build his confidence and make him feel at home in the gym.
I designed a 3-day push/pull/legs strength training split for him, combined with interval cardio in zone 3 to maximise fat burning. The results were nothing short of amazing. Over the course of 12 months, Bala not only lost the 18kg of body fat he had set out to lose, but he also gained significant strength and built a solid foundation of lean muscle.
In this article, I’m going to share the exact 12-month program I created for Bala. This isn’t just a generic workout plan; it’s a comprehensive guide designed for beginners who are ready to commit to a real change. We’ll break down the workouts, explain the science behind the methods, and give you the tools you need to embark on your own transformation. My promise to you is to keep it simple, direct, and effective. Let’s get started.
The Power of the Push/Pull/Legs Split
The push/pull/legs split is a time-tested, scientifically backed training methodology that has proven effective for individuals of all fitness levels. It’s a simple yet powerful way to organise your training week, and it’s the foundation of the program that led to Bala’s incredible success. Let’s delve deeper into why this split is so effective:
- Enhanced Focus and Intensity: By focusing on a specific group of muscles each session, you can channel all your energy and focus into them. This allows for a higher level of intensity during your workouts, which is a key driver of muscle growth and fat loss. When you’re not fatigued from working your entire body, you can push each muscle group to its absolute limit, maximising the stimulus for adaptation.
- Greater Training Volume: The push/pull/legs split allows for higher training volume per muscle group than full-body workouts. Volume, calculated as sets x reps x weight, is a critical factor in muscle hypertrophy. By dedicating an entire session to a specific muscle group, you can perform more exercises and sets for that group, leading to greater overall growth.
- Improved Mind-Muscle Connection: With a focused training split, you can develop a stronger mind-muscle connection. This is the ability to consciously feel and contract the target muscle during an exercise. A strong mind-muscle connection ensures the right muscles do the work, leading to better results and a lower risk of injury.
- It’s Simple: You train all your pushing muscles (chest, shoulders, triceps) on one day, your pulling muscles (back, biceps) on another, and your lower body (quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves) on the third day. This makes it easy to remember and follow.
- Optimal Recovery: By splitting your workouts this way, you give each muscle group ample time to recover before retraining it. This is crucial for muscle growth and preventing injuries.
- High Intensity: Because you’re only training a few muscle groups each day, you can hit them with high intensity and volume, which is essential for stimulating muscle growth and burning calories.
Supercharging Fat Loss with Interval Cardio
To accelerate Bala’s fat loss journey, we strategically incorporated interval cardio into his program. We specifically targeted Zone 3 cardio, which corresponds to an intensity level of 70-80% of your maximum heart rate. This “sweet spot” is highly effective for maximising fat oxidation (i.e., burning fat for fuel). Here’s a closer look at how we implemented this powerful tool:
- Increased Caloric Expenditure: Interval training is highly effective for burning a significant number of calories in a short time. The intense bursts of effort, followed by brief recovery periods, keep your heart rate elevated and your metabolism revved up, even after your workout is over. This “afterburn” effect, known as excess post-exercise oxygen consumption (EPOC), means you continue to burn calories at an elevated rate for hours after you leave the gym.
- Hormonal Response: High-intensity interval training has been shown to stimulate the release of growth hormone and other hormones that promote fat loss and muscle growth. This hormonal response, combined with the caloric expenditure, creates an optimal environment for body recomposition.
- Time Efficiency: Let’s be honest, we’re all busy. Interval training is a time-efficient way to get a great cardio workout. You can achieve the same, if not better, results in 20-30 minutes of interval training as you would in a longer, steady-state cardio session.
- Treadmill Intervals: We would alternate between periods of high-intensity running and recovery walking. For example, 1 minute of running followed by 2 minutes of walking, repeated for 20-30 minutes.
This type of training is not only effective for fat loss, but it also improves your cardiovascular health and endurance.
Nutrition for Fat Loss: The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
Before we dive into the workout program, it’s crucial to understand that you can’t out-train a bad diet. Nutrition is the cornerstone of any successful fat loss journey. Bala’s transformation was as much about what he ate as it was about how he trained. Here are the key nutritional principles that he followed:
- Caloric Deficit: To lose fat, you must be in a caloric deficit, meaning you consume fewer calories than you burn. We calculated Bala’s daily caloric needs and created a moderate deficit of about 500 calories per day. This allowed him to lose fat at a steady and sustainable pace without feeling deprived.
- High Protein Intake: Protein is essential for preserving muscle mass while in a caloric deficit. We made sure that Bala was consuming 1.6-2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of his body weight each day. This helped him stay full and satisfied, and it ensured that he was losing fat, not muscle.
- Whole, Unprocessed Foods: We focused on a diet rich in whole, unprocessed foods like lean meats, fish, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods are nutrient-dense and provide the vitamins and minerals your body needs to function optimally.
- Hydration: Staying hydrated is crucial for overall health and performance. Bala aimed to drink at least 3-4 litres of water per day.
By combining a sound nutritional strategy with a consistent training program, Bala achieved his fat-loss goals without resorting to extreme diets or unsustainable practices.
Bala’s 12-Month Transformation Blueprint
This 12-month program is the exact blueprint that Bala followed to achieve his remarkable 18kg fat loss. It’s divided into four distinct 3-month phases, each designed to build upon the previous one. The key to success with this program is consistent progression. As you get stronger and fitter, you must continue to challenge your body by increasing the weight you lift, the number of repetitions you perform, or the number of sets you complete. The 12Reps app is an indispensable tool for tracking your progress and ensuring you’re always moving forward.
Warm-up (10 minutes)
Start every workout with a 10-minute warm-up:
- Incline walk on a treadmill or rowing for 10 minutes.
Then, perform these mobility stretches:
Stretch | Sets | Reps/Duration |
Cat-Cow | 2 | 10 reps |
World’s Greatest Stretch | 2 | 5 reps/side |
Hamstring Stretch | 2 | 30 sec/side |
The Workouts
Here are the three workouts you’ll perform each week. Aim to have a rest day between each workout (e.g., Monday, Wednesday, Friday).
Workout 1: Push Day (Chest, Shoulders, Triceps)
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (seconds) |
Barbell Bench Press | 5 | 8-12 | 90 |
Seated Dumbbell Press | 5 | 10-15 | 60 |
Incline Dumbbell Press | 5 | 10-12 | 60 |
Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 5 | 12-15 | 60 |
Tricep Dips (assisted) | 5 | 12-15 | 60 |
TRX Tricep Extensions | 5 | 15-20 | 60 |
Workout 2: Pull Day (Back, Biceps)
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (seconds) |
Pull-Ups (assisted) | 5 | 6-10 | 90 |
Bent-Over Barbell Rows | 5 | 8-12 | 90 |
Lat Pulldown | 5 | 10-15 | 60 |
Seated Cable Row | 5 | 12-15 | 60 |
Barbell Curls | 5 | 10-12 | 60 |
TRX Bicep Curls | 5 | 15-20 | 60 |
Workout 3: Leg Day (Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes, Calves)
Exercise | Sets | Reps | Rest (seconds) |
Barbell Squats | 5 | 8-12 | 90 |
Romanian Deadlifts | 5 | 10-15 | 60 |
Leg Press | 5 | 12-15 | 60 |
Hip Thrusts | 5 | 12-15 | 60 |
Box Jumps | 5 | 10 | 60 |
Sled Push | 5 | 20m | 90 |
Core Finisher
After each workout, perform this core finisher circuit. Complete 3 rounds with minimal rest between exercises and 60 seconds of rest between rounds.
Exercise | Duration/Reps |
Plank | 45 seconds |
Flutter Kicks | 45 seconds |
Decline Sit-ups | 10 reps |
Cool-down (10 minutes)
End each session with a 10-minute cool-down:
- Stairmaster at a low intensity or an incline walk on the treadmill.
Your Digital Coach: The 12Reps App
Bala’s incredible transformation was a result of his unwavering consistency and his meticulous approach to tracking his progress. The 12Reps app was his constant companion on this journey, his digital secret weapon. It’s more than just a workout tracker; it’s a comprehensive tool designed to keep you motivated, accountable, and on the path to success.
You can build this entire program in the app by going to ‘Build Your Routine’. The app has over 1,500 exercise demos, so you can make sure your form is perfect. You can also use the app’s stopwatch to time your rest periods, save your workouts, and even share your personal bests with your friends.
If you’re ready to start your own transformation, I highly recommend you download the 12Reps app for a free trial. It’s the ultimate tool for strength training and muscle building.
Bala’s journey is a powerful reminder that with the right plan, unwavering consistency, and a determined mindset, anything is possible. Losing 18kg of body fat is a life-changing achievement, and it’s a goal that is within your reach. This 3-day strength training split is not just a workout plan; it’s a roadmap to a new you. It’s a blueprint for building a stronger, healthier, and more confident version of yourself. Embrace the process, stay committed to your goals, and trust in your ability to transform. The results will speak for themselves, and you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve.