Sweatlas

Build your longevity week

Pick your level, your days and your kit. You get a full week of real sessions: strength, Zone 2 and intervals, laid out so hard days never pile up.

Level
Training days
Equipment
Focus

230 min of training · 4 sessions

Tap a day to see the full session.

Monday

Strength

Dumbbell lower and pull

45 min

Squat · single leg · row · carry

Warm-up

  • 4 min easy movement
  • 2 rounds: 10 goblet squats (light), 8 rows each side, 10 glute bridges

Main

  • Goblet squat 4 × 10, three seconds down
  • One-arm dumbbell row 4 × 10 each side, RIR 2
  • Single-leg Romanian deadlift 3 × 8 each side
  • Step-up onto a sturdy chair 3 × 10 each side

Finisher

  • Farmer carry or march 4 × 45 s

Light dumbbells get heavy with tempo: slow the lowering before you go hunting for more weight. Form before load. Stop and get checked if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.

Against the WHO guidelines

  • Move

    160 moderate-equivalent min

    WHO range 150–300 min

  • Strength

    2 strength days

    WHO: 2 or more days

How we count: easy sessions and brisk walks as moderate minutes; half of each interval session as vigorous, the rest as moderate; one vigorous minute counts as two moderate. Strength days are counted separately.

Start lighter than you think, keep form before load, and stop if you feel chest pain, dizziness or unusual breathlessness.

Want something harder today? See today's WOD Find your Zone 2

Why this mix

In a small trial of moderately trained men, 4 × 4-minute intervals three times a week for eight weeks raised VO2max more than doing the same total work at a steady moderate pace or at lactate threshold.

The builder counts minutes from hard sessions as vigorous and minutes from easy and moderate sessions as moderate. The WHO guidelines let one vigorous minute count as two moderate ones.

The ACSM position stand names progressive overload, specificity and variation as the core principles for getting stronger over time.

Descriptive studies of competitive endurance athletes find most of their training is done at low intensity, with a smaller share of hard sessions.

Sources

  1. Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(4):665–671. doi:10.1249/mss.0b013e3180304570
  2. Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451–1462. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955
  3. American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687–708. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181915670
  4. Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010;5(3):276–291. doi:10.1123/ijspp.5.3.276
Gear that helpsA home strength kit: kettlebells, dumbbells and the restOpen the guide

How the week is built

The builder assembles a week from a library of strength, Zone 2, interval and long easy sessions, matched to your level, days and equipment. Strength sessions rotate through A, B and C so each day trains different patterns, and interval days never sit next to each other.

Every plan is checked against WHO: 150–300 moderate-equivalent minutes and strength on 2 or more days a week 1. Easy sessions count as moderate minutes, half of each interval session counts as vigorous, and one vigorous minute counts as two moderate.

The interval sessions build on the 4 × 4 format from Helgerud and colleagues, who found that hard four-minute intervals improved VO2max more than steady training in moderately trained men 2.

How to use your plan

Start lighter than you think and add a little each week: progressive overload, specificity and planned variation are the core principles in the ACSM position stand on resistance training 3. Keep most of your endurance work easy; in well-trained endurance athletes, most sessions are done at low intensity 4.

Copy the plan into your notes, repeat it for three or four weeks, then step up a level or change the focus. Our guides Stay strong and Build your VO2max explain the why behind each session.

Questions people ask

How many days a week should I train for longevity?

WHO recommends 150–300 minutes of moderate activity a week plus strength on 2 or more days 1. For many people that fits into three to five sessions, with walks on the other days.

Can I combine strength and cardio in the same week?

Yes. The builder spreads them so hard days do not stack. Keep easy days truly easy; in endurance athletes, most training is done at low intensity 4.

What is the 4 × 4 interval workout?

Four bouts of four minutes at 90–95% of maximum heart rate, with three minutes of easy active recovery between them. In the original trial it was done three times a week for eight weeks 2. The builder uses gentler versions for starters.

How do I progress from week to week?

Add a little load, a few reps or a few minutes while form stays clean. The ACSM position stand names progressive overload, specificity and variation as the core principles, and suggests 2–3 strength days a week for novices 3.

Sources

  1. Bull FC, Al-Ansari SS, Biddle S, et al. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. Br J Sports Med. 2020;54(24):1451–1462.
  2. Helgerud J, Høydal K, Wang E, et al. Aerobic high-intensity intervals improve VO2max more than moderate training. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2007;39(4):665–671.
  3. American College of Sports Medicine. American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687–708.
  4. Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010;5(3):276–291.

More free tools

Your longevity compass

Sleep, movement and strength in one look, against the guidelines.

Open tool

Find your Zone 2

The easy, steady heart-rate range that builds your engine.

Open tool

Estimate your VO2max

A quick estimate from two numbers you already know.

Open tool

GearEditorial standardsSunrise Letter

Sweatlas: Your Hybrid Training Map

Build your longevity week

A free week of real training for your level, days and equipment: strength, Zone 2 and intervals, checked against the WHO guidelines.

For educational purposes only. Not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your training, diet or supplements, especially if you're pregnant, have a condition or take medication.