Beginner plan, skewed to counter sitting: hip hinges, glutes, upper-back posture, deep core and hip/hamstring mobility lead the way; chest, quads and arms are kept lighter (soccer covers your legs). Tap any thumbnail for a short muted form demo.
Follow top to bottom. Ramp-up = easy prep sets (reps@% of working weight); they don't count toward the working sets shown. Each card shows the muscles worked, front & back.
Warm-up · Easy cardio
Stationary bike at an easy pace until lightly sweating.
Warm-up · Dynamic mobility
Cat–Cow ×8, leg swings ×10/leg, glute bridges ×10, bodyweight squats ×10, hip-flexor stretch ×20s/side.
▶mutedRomanian Deadlift (light DBs)
Your main hip hinge — hamstrings & glutes. Flat back, hinge from the hips, stop at mid-shin.
▶mutedHip Thrust
Re-activates glutes that switch off from sitting. Chin tucked, ribs down, squeeze at the top.
▶mutedSeated Cable Row
Upper back & posture. Drive elbows back, chest tall.
▶mutedDumbbell Bench Press
Chest (kept lighter). Lower slowly, full range.
▶muted
Side Plank
Builds the weak lower side (obliques/QL).
▶mutedFollow top to bottom. Ramp-up = easy prep sets (reps@% of working weight); they don't count toward the working sets shown. Each card shows the muscles worked, front & back.
Warm-up · Easy cardio
Stationary bike at an easy pace until lightly sweating.
Warm-up · Dynamic mobility
Cat–Cow ×8, leg swings ×10/leg, glute bridges ×10, bodyweight squats ×10, hip-flexor stretch ×20s/side.
▶mutedSeated Leg Curl
Direct hamstring work. Slow on the way down.
▶mutedBack Extension (45°)
Strengthens the lower back & glutes that sitting weakens. Hip hinge, neutral spine; don't overextend.
▶mutedLat Pulldown
Back width. Pull to upper chest, squeeze.
▶mutedFace Pull
The key anti-desk-posture move — pulls rounded shoulders back. Light weight, lead with elbows, aim at your forehead.
▶mutedBird-Dog
Lower-back & core control. Move slow, stay level.
▶mutedPallof Press (cable)
Anti-rotation core; resist the twist.
▶mutedFollow top to bottom. Ramp-up = easy prep sets (reps@% of working weight); they don't count toward the working sets shown. Each card shows the muscles worked, front & back.
Warm-up · Easy cardio
Stationary bike at an easy pace until lightly sweating.
Warm-up · Dynamic mobility
Cat–Cow ×8, leg swings ×10/leg, glute bridges ×10, bodyweight squats ×10, hip-flexor stretch ×20s/side.
▶mutedRomanian Deadlift (light DBs)
Second hinge day — your hamstrings get the most volume here. Flat back, stop at mid-shin.
▶mutedLeg Press
Quads (kept lighter — soccer already trains them). Feet mid-platform; slight knee bend at top.
▶mutedClose-Grip Lat Pulldown
Back. Full stretch at top, elbows tucked.
▶mutedMachine Chest Press
Chest (kept lighter). Steady tempo, don't lock elbows.
▶mutedDumbbell Lateral Raise
Shoulder width. Light, lead with the elbows.
▶muted
Your cardio comes from sport & a class — no extra treadmill needed.
Tuesday · Indoor Soccer
Interval cardio — sprints + recovery jogging. Warm up with light jogging and leg swings first to protect knees/hamstrings.
Thursday · BodyAttack
High-energy Les Mills class mixing running/jumping/lunging with push-ups & squats. Scale the impact moves while you build up.
Sunday · Outdoor Soccer
More ground covered than indoor. Warm up before kickoff, especially the day after leg work.
Do this ~10 min, 5–7 days a week — the fastest fix for tight hips and hamstrings from sitting. Never force or bounce.
Standing Hamstring Stretch
Soft knee, hinge from hips, don't bounce.
▶muted
Stomach Vacuum
Tightens the deep transverse abdominis (the corset muscle) to flatten the belly. Exhale fully, pull navel to spine, breathe shallow while holding. Daily, even at your desk.
▶mutedFlattening the belly (loose abs)
A belly that sticks out despite low body fat is usually a slack deep core plus posture, not mostly fat. The transverse abdominis (your waist corset) goes loose, and sitting tips your pelvis forward (anterior pelvic tilt), pushing the lower belly out. The fix is built in: glute + hip-flexor work corrects the tilt, bracing core (dead bug, plank, Pallof) trains the deep core, and the new Stomach Vacuum (in Mobility) directly tightens the corset — do it daily, even at your desk. Give it 4–8 weeks. If you see a vertical ridge down your abs when sitting up or feel a lump, get a doctor/physio to rule out diastasis recti or a hernia first.
Why this plan leans posterior
Sitting all day shortens your hip flexors and hamstrings, switches off your glutes, weakens your lower back, and rounds your upper back. So the plan loads hip hinges (RDL), hip thrusts, back extensions, rows and face pulls, trains core every day, and keeps hip/hamstring mobility daily. Chest, quads and arms are trained lighter on purpose — they get plenty from pressing, soccer, and the pulls.
Warm-up, every lifting day
1) 5 min easy bike. 2) Dynamic mobility (cat–cow, leg swings, glute bridges, bodyweight squats, hip-flexor stretch). 3) Ramp-up sets per the cards — 2 easy sets before the first big lift, 1 before other compound lifts, none for isolation/core.
Why 8–12 reps
~1–5 reps = max strength, 6–12 = best for size, 15+ = endurance. Muscle grows across the range if you push close to failure — so 8–12 hard reps builds as much as heavy 3–5s with far less stress on your back. Keep the last 1–2 reps genuinely hard.
Progression
Beat last session by a rep or a small weight bump. Double progression: hit the top of the rep range on all sets, then add the smallest weight and drop to the bottom of the range. Log every set. Leave 1–2 reps in reserve.
Recovery
Protein ~1.6–2.2 g/kg/day. Sleep 7–9 h. Slight calorie surplus to gain muscle. Stand and stretch every 45–60 min of sitting. Sharp pain (not normal fatigue) = stop and swap; if back pain persists, see a physio.