The fat loss plan
you can finish.
Four days a week of lifting and conditioning across ninety days. Strength work is kept in deliberately, because in a calorie deficit it is what decides whether the weight you lose is fat or muscle.
- Length
- 90 days
- Days a week
- 4
- Sessions listed
- 12
- Equipment
- A gym with barbells, dumbbells, cables and machines.
The plan
Everything below is the actual programme, not a summary of one. Work down each session in order. The sets and reps shown are the starting prescription for that phase.
Foundation
Build movement quality, aerobic capacity and consistency without excessive fatigue.
Full Body A
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Goblet squat | 3 × 10 |
| Dumbbell bench press | 3 × 10 |
| Romanian deadlift | 3 × 10 |
| One-arm row | 3 × 12/side |
| Incline walk | 15 min Zone 2 |
Cardio + Core
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Brisk walk / bike | 30 min Zone 2 |
| Dead bug | 3 × 10/side |
| Side plank | 3 × 30 sec |
| Pallof press | 3 × 12/side |
Full Body B
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Leg press | 3 × 12 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 10 |
| Hip thrust | 3 × 12 |
| Seated shoulder press | 3 × 10 |
| Bike intervals | 6 × 30 sec |
Conditioning
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Kettlebell deadlift | 4 × 10 |
| Incline push-up | 4 × 10 |
| Cable row | 4 × 12 |
| Farmer carry | 4 × 30 m |
Progression: Weeks 1-2: leave 3 reps in reserve. Weeks 3-4: add 1-2 reps per set before increasing load. Rest 60-90 seconds on accessory exercises and 2-3 minutes on main lifts.
Build
Preserve muscle while increasing training density and weekly calorie expenditure.
Upper Strength
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 × 6-8 |
| Chest-supported row | 4 × 8 |
| Overhead press | 3 × 8 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 × 10 |
| Triceps pressdown | 3 × 12 |
Lower Strength
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Back squat | 4 × 6-8 |
| Romanian deadlift | 4 × 8 |
| Walking lunge | 3 × 10/side |
| Leg curl | 3 × 12 |
| Calf raise | 3 × 15 |
Upper Volume
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Incline dumbbell press | 3 × 10 |
| Cable row | 3 × 12 |
| Lateral raise | 3 × 15 |
| Face pull | 3 × 15 |
| Zone 2 cardio | 20 min |
Lower + Intervals
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Trap-bar deadlift | 4 × 5 |
| Bulgarian split squat | 3 × 8/side |
| Hip thrust | 3 × 10 |
| Bike sprint | 8 × 20 sec |
Progression: Add 2.5-5% load when all prescribed reps feel controlled. Keep hard intervals to two sessions weekly. Rest 60-90 seconds on accessory exercises and 2-3 minutes on main lifts.
Perform
Drive a final result while managing fatigue and protecting strength.
Full Body Power
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Trap-bar deadlift | 4 × 4 |
| Push press | 4 × 5 |
| Front squat | 3 × 6 |
| Pull-up / pulldown | 3 × 8 |
| Farmer carry | 4 × 40 m |
Zone 2 + Mobility
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Bike / incline walk | 40 min |
| Hip mobility flow | 10 min |
| Thoracic mobility | 8 min |
| Plank series | 3 rounds |
Upper / Lower Mix
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Bench press | 4 × 6 |
| Leg press | 4 × 10 |
| Single-arm row | 3 × 10 |
| Reverse lunge | 3 × 10/side |
| Sled push | 6 × 20 m |
Metabolic Circuit
| Exercise | Sets & reps |
|---|---|
| Kettlebell swing | 5 × 15 |
| Push-up | 5 × 10 |
| Goblet squat | 5 × 12 |
| Row ergometer | 5 × 250 m |
Progression: Week 11 is your hardest week. In week 12 reduce sets by 40%, keep steps consistent and review measurements. Rest 60-90 seconds on accessory exercises and 2-3 minutes on main lifts.
How to run it
Warm up for five to ten minutes before the first working set: light cardio, then the first exercise of the day with an empty bar or very light weight for one or two sets. Rest 60 to 90 seconds between accessory exercises and two to three minutes after main lifts.
Leave about three reps in reserve for the first fortnight of each phase. When the top of the rep range is clean on every set, add load. When you stall on the same weight for two sessions running, keep the weight and add a rep instead, or take an easier week and come back to it. Progressive overload covers this in more detail.
Record what you lift. A plan you cannot compare to last week is a workout, not a programme.
Who this suits
- Fat loss is the goal and you want to keep the muscle you have.
- You can train four days a week.
- You want conditioning programmed rather than bolted on.
Who it does not
- You want to gain size. Use the muscle building plan.
- You are not willing to address food at all. Training alone rarely does it.
Swapping exercises
These are the substitutions Phasebuilt itself makes when your equipment or your joints call for it, rather than a generic list.
| Situation | Prescribed | Swap to |
|---|---|---|
| If you train at home | Back squat | Dumbbell front squat |
| If you train at home | Leg press | Goblet squat |
| If you train at home | Cable row | One-arm dumbbell row |
| If you train at home | Lat pulldown | Band pulldown |
| If you train at home | Machine press | Dumbbell floor press |
| If you train at home | Sled push | Loaded carry |
| If you have almost nothing | Back squat | Tempo bodyweight squat |
| If you have almost nothing | Front squat | Split squat |
| If you have almost nothing | Leg press | Wall sit |
| If you have almost nothing | Bench press | Push-up variation |
| If you have almost nothing | Dumbbell bench press | Push-up variation |
| If you have almost nothing | Cable row | Towel / band row |
| If you have almost nothing | Barbell row | Band row |
| If you have almost nothing | Lat pulldown | Band pulldown |
| If you have almost nothing | Deadlift | Single-leg hip hinge |
| If you have almost nothing | Trap-bar deadlift | Backpack deadlift |
| If you have almost nothing | Machine press | Push-up variation |
| If you have almost nothing | Hip thrust | Single-leg glute bridge |
| If you have almost nothing | Sled push | Bear crawl |
If something hurts
Pain is not something to train through. These swaps keep the session intact while working around a sore joint. If pain persists, that is a question for a clinician, not a programme.
| If you have | Instead of | Do |
|---|---|---|
| Sore knees | Back squat | Box squat to comfortable depth |
| Sore knees | Front squat | Supported sit-to-stand |
| Sore knees | Walking lunge | Low step-up |
| Sore knees | Bulgarian split squat | Supported split squat |
| Sore knees | Running | Cycling |
| Sore lower back | Deadlift | Cable pull-through |
| Sore lower back | Romanian deadlift | Hip thrust |
| Sore lower back | Barbell row | Chest-supported row |
| Sore lower back | Kettlebell swing | Sled push / bike |
| Sore shoulders | Bench press | Neutral-grip floor press |
| Sore shoulders | Overhead press | Landmine press |
| Sore shoulders | Push press | Landmine press |
| Sore shoulders | Push-up | Incline push-up |
| Need low impact | Running | Incline walking |
| Need low impact | Bike sprint | Bike tempo interval |
| Need low impact | Kettlebell swing | Sled push / fast walk |
Make it yours
The plan above is one configuration. Phasebuilt will rebuild it around your bodyweight, equipment, training days, session length and any injuries, and set the calorie and protein targets alongside it. It is free, takes about a minute, and runs entirely in your browser.