Starter
The Capacity Protocol
A free four-week starter for busy professionals — two full-body sessions a week, about 35 minutes each, built on the minimum effective dose. More energy, focus, and physical capacity on the time you actually have.
- Length
- 4 weeks
- Sessions / wk
- 2
- Per session
- 35–40 min
- Designed by
- NASM-CPT
Free. No card, no subscription — the plan in the app plus the PDF to keep.
Who it's for
The right person walks into this program already.
Fits if you
- You want strength, energy, and capacity — not a gym habit.
- Your time is the scarcest thing you own, and the plan has to earn every minute of it.
- You're rebuilding after training fell off the calendar.
- You train at home or travel and want minimal equipment.
Doesn't fit if you
- You're looking for a quick-fix 30-day transformation.
- You're an advanced lifter chasing a hypertrophy or peaking block.
- You're returning from a long layoff or injury — start with The Comeback.
What you get
A complete program — not a workout list.
Every session is reasoned. Every progression earns the next one. The plan tells you when to push, when to repeat, and when to back off — not the algorithm, the coach.
- The full four-week plan in the app — every session, every set, swipe by swipe.
- Two ~35-minute sessions built around the six patterns that carry everything.
- The one progression rule that runs the whole program — you'll always know when to add.
- A swap for every movement — an easier and a harder version, so it fits you.
- The demonstrated exercise guide, plus the PDF to keep.
- No gym, no subscription — a pair of dumbbells, a band, and a chair.
Structured progression
Every phase has a purpose. Every progression earns the next one.
- 01
Week 1
Groove
Pick loads you could do for twelve and stop at 8–10. Learn the patterns; earn the movement before you load it.
- 02
Week 2
Load
Push reps toward the top of each range. Clean at the top with two in reserve? Add the smallest jump next session and reset to the bottom.
- 03
Week 3
Press
Top of the range at an honest two-in-reserve; carries a notch heavier. Your hardest week — still clean.
- 04
Week 4
Consolidate
Add nothing. Repeat week 3's best clean sets, log every number. Locking the gain in beats chasing more.
Equipment
What you need — and what you don't.
The program ships with substitutions for everything. A missing piece of kit is never the reason a session doesn't happen.
- One pair of dumbbells (adjustable is ideal).
- One resistance band, plus a secure door anchor for band work.
- A sturdy chair or bench.
- Optional: a pull-up bar — a bonus, not a requirement. Every pull has a no-bar swap.
A real session
Week 3 · Session A — Squat-led
~35 minutes including warm-up.
| # | Exercise | Sets & reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| W | The Prime — 90/90 breathing → hip circles → band pull-apart → hip-hinge drill | 1 round | Five minutes, non-negotiable. Your joints will thank you. |
| A1 | Goblet Squat | 3 × 8–10 | Two reps in reserve. 60–90s rest. |
| A2 | One-Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 × 8–10 / side | Elbow past the rib cage. Both sides before you rest. |
| B1 | Push-Up (or DB Floor Press) | 3 × 8–10 | Ribs down, move as one piece. |
| B2 | Dumbbell Romanian Deadlift | 3 × 8–10 | Slow three-second lower. Chase the stretch, flat back. |
| C1 | Farmer Carry | 3 × 30 m | Stand tall, walk smooth. |
| C2 | Dead Bug | 3 × 8 / side | Low back pinned to the floor. Slow. |
One representative session — shown verbatim so you know what you're buying. The full plan walks you, week by week, through every one of them.
Questions
Honest answers, before you buy.
- I genuinely have almost no time. Is two sessions really enough?
- Yes — and that's not a consolation prize. Two full-body sessions a week is a real, evidence-supported dose for building strength and supporting the health markers that come with it. More is not better here; sustainable is better. The best program is the one still running in six months.
- I travel constantly. How do I do this in a hotel?
- Nearly all of it travels. Push-ups, split squats, and dead bugs need nothing. A band packs flat and covers the pull and the press. For the hinge and carries, a heavy bag or a pair of full water jugs stands in fine. The pattern matters more than the equipment — that's the point of training movements instead of machines.
- I'm over 40 with a couple of old injuries. Is this safe for me?
- It's built to be joint-friendly — controlled tempos, an effort cap well short of failure, and a swap to regress any movement that doesn't feel right. Train around a managed old injury, not into it. But an old injury and active pain are different: if symptoms are sharp, radiating, or unexplained, get evaluated first. Returning from a long layoff? Look at The Comeback rather than starting here.
- Will I get bigger? I don't want to bulk up.
- You're very unlikely to bulk up from this by accident. Building noticeable size takes years of deliberate high-volume training and eating to match. What two sessions a week reliably build is strength and capacity — a body that does more, feels steadier, and holds a better position.
- It's free — what's the catch?
- No catch. It's a genuine, complete four-week block — the same minimum-effective-dose scaffolding I use with new clients. If it does its job, you'll want the next twelve weeks, and that's where the paid programs pick up. But you don't need any of them to keep going.
Success metric
What “done” looks like.
Four weeks of consistent sessions, the six patterns re-established, and a logged baseline on your main lifts — proof, to the only skeptic who matters, that this fits your actual life. That's the on-ramp, not the finish line.
Strength · Control · Longevity.
Starter · 4 weeks
The Capacity Protocol
The plan in the app plus the PDF to keep. Free updates included.
Not sure this is the right one?
A short conversation will save you eight weeks of guessing.
Book a free assessment. We'll walk through where you are, where you want to be, and which path fits. No script, no pressure.