2023 has been a crazy year!

It started with me moving my family to the West Coast of Canada, then welcoming my second child in April, and seeing big growth in the business. But let’s hold off on the congratulations because my fitness took a hit this year.

I put on some weight after my daughter was born, and I’ve noticed my body slowing down. I’m recovering slower, feeling more aches and pains, and dealing with sleep deprivation.

Now that things have calmed down, I can finally focus on my training goals again.

So, in today’s article, I want to share my plan for getting back in shape for 2024.

Ready? Let’s dive in!

My Body Transformation Plan for 2024

Step 1 – Set The Destination

“A person without a goal is like a ship without a rudder.”

– Thomas Carlyle

Your goals are like a destination—they guide where you focus your efforts.

I like to stick to three goals because it’s the perfect number for staying focused. Here they are:

Goal #1: Keep my body fat between 12-15%.

Goal #2: Gain 2-3 lbs of muscle.

Goal #3: Achieve a VO2 max of 41.0-44.9.

The plan is to become a hybrid athlete in 2024, which means having a healthy body composition, good muscle tone, and the ability to endure long distances.

I’ve always focused on body fat and muscle, but not much on cardio. This year, that’s changing. My long-term goal is to live as long as possible, and a high VO2 max is crucial for that.

Step 2 – Plan Out The Year Of Training

“I think we have the approach that every race is a sprint. Some races are just longer sprints than others”

– Katie Ledecky

To hit these goals, I need to plan my training in cycles. This means understanding the big picture (macro), the middle steps (meso), and the smaller details (micro).

• Macrocycle: This is the whole year of training.
• Mesocycle: This is a specific phase within that year (like focusing on endurance).
• Microcycle: This is the smallest part of training, usually a week.

For this article, I’ll focus on the macro and meso cycles.

Macrocycle: The entire year of 2024, split into three mesocycles:

• Phase 1 (January to April): Focus on building muscle.
• Phase 2 (May to August): Maintain muscle while staying lean.
• Phase 3 (September to December): Improve endurance while keeping muscle and body fat levels steady.

This plan helps me stay focused and avoid getting stuck wondering what to do next. Thinking of the training year as a series of “sprints” keeps things fresh and allows me to concentrate on one goal at a time.

Step 3 – Create The Plan For each cycle

“Those who plan do better than those who do not plan, even should they rarely stick to their plan.”

– Winston Churchill

In each phase, I need a solid plan to reach my goals:

Muscle Building Phase:

• Nutrition: I’ll eat a bit more than usual (200-300 extra calories) and aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of my ideal body weight.
• Workouts: I’ll increase my workouts to 4 times a week, which means more volume and intensity.
• Cardio: I’ll walk 10,000 steps daily for zone 2 cardio and do one HIIT session each week.

Leaning Out Phase:

• Nutrition: Depending on my body fat levels, I’ll eat a bit less (200-300 calorie deficit) while keeping protein at 1 gram per pound of my ideal body weight. Once I hit my target body fat, I’ll eat at maintenance calories.
• Workouts: I’ll cut back to 3 workouts a week to recover better, plus add a few more cardio sessions.
• Cardio: I’ll continue walking 10,000 steps daily and do 2-3 HIIT sessions each week.

Endurance Phase:

• Nutrition: I’ll eat a slight surplus of 100 calories a day and aim for 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight to prevent muscle loss.
• Workouts: I’ll work out 2-3 times a week.
• Cardio: I’ll include 2 long running sessions (5-10k) and 2-3 HIIT sessions a week, usually after weight training.
• Mobility: I’ll do mobility work every day to keep my joints healthy.

I’ll also have backup plans in case things don’t go as expected. It’s important to prepare for obstacles to make the goals feel more achievable.

Also Read: Staying Motivated in Tough Times

Final Step – Track The Things That Matter

“If you cared about it enough you’d track it” 

– Dan “Yes, I just quoted myself” Go

You can only manage what you measure, so tracking is crucial. Here’s what I’m keeping an eye on:

• Weight: I weigh myself daily and use a 7-day average to get a true picture of my weight.
• Inches: I measure my chest, waist, and hips each week.
• DEXA Scan: This checks my body fat percentage. I do this every three months.
• MRI Scan: This shows how much muscle I’m gaining. I’ll get this done every six months because it’s quite pricey.
• Blood Work: This lets me see if I’m healthy inside. I do this every quarter through Insidetracker.com.
• VO2 Max: I plan to get a lab test for this, but if that’s not possible, I’ll use the Cooper test to track my progress.

Tracking helps me see where I’m coming from and adjust my plans if things don’t go as expected.

Where Do We Go From Here?

As the saying goes, “There’s nothing to it but to do it.”

I don’t expect everything to be perfect. I know I’ll slip up and make mistakes. I’m not aiming for perfection; I’m aiming for progress.

Setting goals isn’t just about the end result—it’s about the kind of person you need to become to achieve them.

The great thing about having a plan now is that I can rely on it if things start to get unclear.

One key takeaway from this article is to bring intention to your fitness. Don’t just go to the gym without a plan or a goal.

I also don’t believe in “maintenance” because staying the same often means moving backward.

This is how I’m planning my training year. I hope it helps you figure out how to plan yours.