Strength & impact you build gradually, with kinder, well-controlled movement. Grounded in Dr Stacy Sims & Dr Kelly Starrett.
The shape
The weekly shape
Two sessions is the whole ask. Pick the days that suit your energy — leave a day between A and B where you can.
The minimum session
Warm-up + the two big lifts (squat & hinge), one set each. ~8 min. On a low day that’s a win, not a failure — it keeps the thread.
One honest note: returning energy wants to become planning. This is already planned — the next action is session one, not optimising the plan.
On-ramp
Movement prep — 5 min, every time
Your transition ritual as much as a warm-up. In order:
Breathing. 10 slow breaths — let the belly and lower ribs expand on the inhale, soft and unhurried. Settles the system before you load it.
Ankle rocks — knee over toe, 10 each side.
Hip circles / standing hip CARs — 5 slow each way.
Spine rotations — seated or standing, 8 each side.
Bodyweight squats to a chair — 8. Your daily “is everything moving well today?” check.
Starting tip — the first set is a warm-up for your brain
Picking up a weight, the nervous system can take a set or two to “remember” what that load feels like — so the first reps can feel heavier, clumsier or oddly effortful, which makes starting feel like a bigger hurdle than it is. Don’t judge the weight, or the session, on round one. Treat the first set as a recalibration: light focus, just groove the movement. It settles fast, and the good feeling shows up by set two.
Bone & power
The impact ladder (skip / jump)
Work top to bottom. Spend 1–3 sessions at a level before moving up. Do it early in the session, when fresh.
Green light to progress
No joint pain, no discomfort, and landings stay quiet and controlled. Any pain, a niggle at an old-injury site, or landings that feel heavy or out of control — drop back a level. That’s information, not failure.
Readiness self-check (before Level 1)
All of these comfortably, with no joint pain?
10 single-leg calf raises each side
10 sit-to-stands from a chair (one leg if you can)
30 sec single-leg balance each side
Jog on the spot 60 sec
Clear → ready for Level 1. Not yet → stay at Level 0 and build the base first.
Worth doing
Impact is high-load by nature, so build height gradually and let comfort — not ambition — set the pace. If you’re returning from an injury or have any specific health considerations, a quick check with a physio before adding impact is the highest-value step. Readiness here is individual.
Session A
Strength A
Full body. Tap Watch demo on any move to see the form on YouTube.
Session B
Strength B
Full body, different moves.
Getting stronger
The progressive-overload arc
Same handful of moves getting steadily harder over ~8 weeks, then a light reset, then restart with fresh variations.
The six levers — reach for the next one before assuming you need heavier weights
heavier weight · more reps · more sets · slower lowering (3–4 sec down) · fuller range with control · shorter rest
The one weight rule
Start at the bottom of the rep range. When you can hit the top on every set with ~2 reps still in the tank, go up a notch next time and drop back to the bottom. That’s the whole engine.
Track it
Log it
Tap a session, nudge the numbers (last time is shown), Save. It stays on this device. Seeing last week is the cue to beat it.