Fray

Nutrition

Daily Maintenance Target

2,700

calories / day

170gProtein

340gCarbs

75gFat

No breakfast — eating window starts at lunch. Hitting 170g of protein across 3 meals and a snack is very achievable. A protein shake handles ~25g with zero prep.

Sample Daily Meals

12:00 PM

Lunch

Grilled chicken rice bowl — 7 oz chicken, 1½ cups rice, veggies, olive oil · ~750 cal · 55g protein

3:30 PM

Afternoon Snack

Greek yogurt + protein shake or almonds · ~400 cal · 35g protein

7:00 PM

Dinner

8 oz salmon or lean beef, roasted potatoes, salad · ~800 cal · 55g protein

9:00 PM

Evening Snack

Cottage cheese or protein shake · ~300 cal · 28g protein

Protein Sources

Chicken breast, turkey, lean beef
Eggs (great at lunch or as a snack)
Greek yogurt, cottage cheese
Salmon, shrimp
Protein shake — 1 scoop ≈ 25g

Hydration: 90–120 oz water/day. Coffee is fine before noon.

Training

Weekly Schedule

MonPush

TueCardio

WedRest

ThuPull + Legs

FriRest

SatRest

SunRest

Push ~60 min · Cardio ~25 min · Pull+Legs ~65 min — ~2 hrs 30 min/week

Tap any exercise below to see how it's performed and what muscles it works.

Monday — Push

Chest · Shoulders · Triceps · ~60 min

Tuesday — Cardio

Heart rate 120–145 bpm · ~25 min

Thursday — Pull + Legs

Back · Biceps · Quads · Hamstrings · Glutes · ~65 min

Key Principles

Progressive Overload

Add 2.5–5 lb every 1–2 weeks when all reps feel clean. This drives gains more than any other variable.

Protein First

Hit 170g daily across 3 meals + a snack. A shake makes this easy without breakfast.

Core Without Crunches

Every core-tagged exercise builds functional stability — the kind that helps in real life.

Sleep 7–8 Hrs

Muscle is built during recovery. Sleep is as important as the workout itself.

Consistency Wins

Showing up 3× a week, week after week, beats any perfect plan you don't stick to.

Weekly Averages

Daily weight swings 2–3 lbs. Track weekly averages. Adjust by ~150–200 cal/day if trending off.

Dailies

Morning

Drink a full glass of cold water

Before coffee, before your phone — first thing

Morning hydration replenishes fluid lost overnight and has been shown to improve alertness and short-term memory performance. Cold water specifically may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, providing a modest boost in metabolic rate and mental arousal.

Reference

Boschmann et al. (2007) — Water-induced thermogenesis reconsidered · J Clin Endocrinol Metab

Get natural light within an hour of waking

5–10 min outside or by a window

Morning light exposure entrains the circadian clock by triggering a cortisol pulse that sets the body's 24-hour rhythm. Studies show it improves sleep onset latency at night, elevates daytime alertness, and can reduce symptoms of low mood — particularly in winter months.

Reference

Leproult et al. (2001) — Morning light exposure and the human circadian clock · Sleep

Eat protein first at every meal

Start with your protein source before carbs or sides

Eating protein before carbohydrates at a meal significantly attenuates postprandial glucose and insulin spikes — an effect shown even in people without metabolic conditions. It also increases GLP-1 and PYY secretion, both of which promote satiety and reduce total caloric intake at that meal.

Reference

Shukla et al. (2015) — Food order has a significant impact on postprandial glucose · Diabetes Care

Midday

10-minute walk after lunch

Blunts blood sugar spikes and clears your head

A short walk after eating (as little as 2–5 minutes) significantly reduces postprandial blood glucose compared to sitting. A 10-minute walk amplifies this effect further and has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity over time. It also improves sustained attention in the afternoon.

Reference

Buffey et al. (2022) — The acute effect of interrupting prolonged sitting · Sports Medicine

Halfway to your water goal by noon

~45–60 oz by midday to hit 90–120 oz total

Even mild dehydration (1–2% body weight) impairs cognitive performance, mood, and physical endurance. Tracking intake in two halves of the day prevents the common pattern of under-drinking in the morning and then overcorrecting in the evening, which can disrupt sleep.

Reference

Ganio et al. (2011) — Mild dehydration impairs cognitive performance · British Journal of Nutrition

Evening

No screens for 30 minutes before bed

Swap for reading, stretching, or winding down

Blue light from screens suppresses melatonin secretion by up to 50%, delaying sleep onset and reducing REM sleep duration. Avoiding screens for 30–60 minutes before bed has been shown to accelerate sleep onset and improve self-reported sleep quality the following morning.

Reference

Chang et al. (2014) — Evening use of light-emitting eReaders · PNAS

5 minutes of light stretching or mobility

Hips, shoulders, and hamstrings — whatever feels tight

Brief evening static stretching (≥5 minutes) has been shown to reduce muscle soreness, improve next-day range of motion, and lower resting heart rate before sleep — supporting a parasympathetic shift that promotes deeper sleep onset. It also reduces injury risk when performed consistently alongside resistance training.

Reference

Lim & Kim (2020) — Effects of stretching on sleep quality and fatigue · IJERPH

Night

Lights out at the same time every night

Consistent sleep schedule over all else

Sleep regularity — going to bed and waking at consistent times — is independently associated with lower cardiovascular disease risk, better metabolic markers, and improved athletic performance. Research shows sleep consistency predicts health outcomes even more strongly than total sleep duration in some populations.

Reference

Lunsford-Avery et al. (2018) — Sleep regularity and cardiometabolic risk · Scientific Reports