Iron.Filings

The Mission

You finished the bulk at 86.9kg, ~20% body fat — bang on the 85–87kg target, a clean +6.1kg across the block. The job now is the opposite of the last 27 weeks: strip the fat off and reveal everything underneath, without giving back the muscle you worked for.

• Now → mid-October 2026: Gradual cut. ~15 weeks of runway.
• The standard: Lose fat, keep the gains. That's the entire game.
• The deadline: Beach-ready, second week of October.

This is a slow, controlled cut by design. Long timeline, no crash dieting, no gutted training — time and consistency do the work.

The Non-Negotiables

The Split

PPL → Shoulders/Arms → Beach Muscles → Abs.

Day	Focus	Anchor Lift	Priority Hit
1	Chest + Triceps	Barbell Bench	Chest (heavy)
2	Back + Biceps	Deadlift	—
3	Legs (glute emphasis)	Back Squat	Glutes (heavy)
4	Shoulders + Arms	Seated DB Press	Arms
5	Chest + Glutes "Pump Day"	—	Chest + Glutes (feel)
6	Core + Cardio (60 min)	—	Core

Chest, glutes, and arms get hit twice a week. Back and shoulders (your strong points) sit at once-a-week maintenance. Day 5 pairs your two biggest priorities into one feel-focused session.

Weekly Schedule

Sun–Sat tracking week.

Day	Session
Sun	Day 1 — Chest + Tri (CUT BEGINS — photo first thing, fasted, before training)
Mon	Day 2 — Back + Bi
Tue	Day 3 — Legs / Glutes (squat)
Wed	Rest (easy swim optional, no pressure)
Thu	Day 4 — Shoulders + Arms
Fri	Day 5 — Chest + Glutes pump
Sat	Day 6 — Core + Cardio (or a Barry's class)

One genuine rest day mid-week. Ab finishers attach to Days 1, 2 and 4 — never Day 3, so we never pre-fatigue the brace before squats/deadlifts.

The Workouts

Day 1 — Chest + Triceps

Warm-up: Band pull-aparts 2×20 · Light cable flys 2×15 · Push-ups 1×12 · Empty barbell bench 2×8.

#	Exercise	Sets	Notes
A	Pec Deck (pre-activation)	3×12–15	Squeeze hard. Lengthened partials final set — your proven pre-exhaust.
B	Barbell Bench Press	4×6–8	THE ANCHOR. Shoulders back/down, squeeze the pecs. Rack with safeties or a spotter.
C	Incline DB Press	3×8–10	Your proven chest builder. Lengthened partials final set.
D	High-to-Low Cable Fly	3×12–15	Long ROM, squeeze at the bottom.
E1	Tricep Pushdowns	3×12–15	Superset with E2.
E2	Rope/EZ Overhead Tricep Ext.	3×10–12	Lengthened partials final set.
Abs	Hanging Knee Raises	2×12–15	End of session only.

Day 2 — Back + Biceps

Warm-up: Cat-cow 2×10 · Band pull-aparts 2×20 · Dead hangs 2×20–30s · Light lat pulldown 1×15 · Light hip hinges 2×8.

#	Exercise	Sets	Notes
A	Deadlift	4×5–6	Brace, hinge, bar close. Lower reps for strength retention in the deficit.
B	Barbell Rows	4×8–10	"Chest out" — squeeze shoulder blades, lead with elbows.
C	Lat Pulldown	3×10–12	Lead with elbows. Lengthened partials final set.
D	Chest-Supported DB Rows	3×10–12	Strict, no momentum, squeeze.
E	Straight-Arm Pushdowns	3×12–15	Lat isolation, feel the stretch at the top.
F1	Hammer Curls	3×10–12	Superset with F2.
F2	Cable Curls	3×12–15	Squeeze at the peak, no swing.
Abs	Cable Woodchops	2×12/side	End of session only.

Face pulls dropped — rear delts get hit on Day 4.

Day 3 — Legs (Glute Emphasis)

Warm-up: Bodyweight glute bridges 2×20 · Clamshells 2×15/side · Bodyweight squats 2×10 · Leg swings 10/side · Empty bar squat 2×8.

#	Exercise	Sets	Notes
A	Back Squat	4×6–8	THE ANCHOR. Safeties at the bottom of range. Depth + brace, start conservative.
B	Hip Thrust	4×8–10	2-second pause + hard squeeze at the top — non-negotiable. Your glute unlock.
C	RDL	3×8–10	Hinge, feel the glute/ham stretch. Lengthened partials final set.
D	Leg Press	3×10–12	Feet high and wide for glute emphasis.
E1	Cable Kickbacks	3×15–20	Superset with E2.
E2	Machine Abductions	3×15–20	Squeeze and hold the peak.
F	Leg Extensions	3×12–15	Myo-rep finisher on the final set.
G	Lying Leg Curls	3×12–15	Direct hamstring — balances all the hinging.
H	Calf Raises	3×12–20	Full stretch at the bottom, squeeze at the top.

Short on time? G and H are your flex slots. Squat, hip thrust and RDL never get dropped. No abs today — protect the brace.

Day 4 — Shoulders + Arms

Warm-up: Arm circles 2×15 each way · Band pull-aparts 2×20 · Light lateral raises 2×15 · Light tricep pushdown 1×15.

#	Exercise	Sets	Notes
A	Seated DB Overhead Press	4×8–10	New primary press. Rotate in an Arnold press occasionally for longer ROM.
B	DB Lateral Raises	3×12–15	Lead with elbows, "pour the jug," no momentum.
C	Reverse Pec Deck	3×15–20	Myo-rep finisher final set — cleanly replaces face pulls.
D1	EZ-Bar Skull Crushers	4×10–12	Superset with D2. Lengthened partials final set.
D2	Barbell Curls	4×10–12	Superset. Lengthened partials final set. No swing.
E1	Cable Overhead Tricep Ext (rope)	3×12–15	Superset with E2.
E2	Incline DB Curls	3×10–12	Arms hanging back for the stretch. Lengthened partials final set.
Abs	Weighted Crunch Machine	2×15	End of session. Load it and progress like any lift.

OHP retest: every ~3–4 weeks, swap the seated DB press for free-barbell OHP for one session — watching whether the rightward lean resolves.

Day 5 — Chest + Glutes (Pump Day)

Warm-up: Band pull-aparts 2×15 · Bodyweight glute bridges 2×15 · Light cable fly 2×15 · Light bodyweight hip thrust 2×12.

#	Exercise	Sets	Notes
A	Pec Deck (pre-activation)	4×12–15	Myo-rep finisher final set.
B1	Incline DB Press	3×10–12	Superset with B2. Lighter than Day 1 — all squeeze.
B2	Hip Thrust	3×10–12	2-second pause + squeeze.
C1	High-to-Low Cable Fly	3×12–15	Superset with C2. Squeeze at the bottom.
C2	Machine Abductions	3×15–20	Squeeze and hold.
D	Cable Kickbacks	3×15–20	Optional glute burnout to finish.

No heavy spinal load here by design — keeps you fresh going into Saturday.

Day 6 — Core + Cardio (60 min)

Cardio block (30–40 min): steady-state in Zone 2. Pick from the menu — incline walk, stairmaster, easy run, or swim.

Core circuit (15–20 min) — 2–3 rounds:

• Hanging leg raises — 12–15
• Weighted crunch machine — 15
• Plank — 30–60s
• Pallof press — 12/side
• Ab wheel — 8–12 (plank is the no-equipment fallback)

Intervals (optional, after the core circuit): 30s hard / 90s easy × 8 rounds, or 1 min hard / 1 min easy × 10. Cap at once a week in a deficit, keep them short, never the day before legs.

Cardio Rules & Heart Rate

Estimated max HR = 220 − 30 = ~190 bpm.

Zone	% of Max	Your Range	What It's For
Zone 2 (steady)	60–70%	~114–133 bpm	The workhorse. Conversational pace.
Moderate	70–80%	~133–152 bpm	Tempo work. Use occasionally.
Hard (intervals)	80%+	~152+ bpm	Max once a week in a deficit.

• Start low: ~3 sessions / 90–120 min total per week — Day 6 is one of those three, not extra on top.
• Keep cardio in reserve. When fat loss stalls in week 6 or 8, add cardio then.
• Lift first, cardio after. Never let cardio compromise the heavy session.
• Hot day rule: stairmaster or swim in the air-con beats skipping entirely.

Nutrition Rules

• Protein is king. ~1.8–2.2g per kg, so ballpark 160–190g a day. Non-negotiable.
• Small tweaks first. Cut the cheese, the snacking, the mindless extras. Run it 2–3 weeks before changing anything else.
• Mass gainers → lean protein. Swap to whey, chicken, fish, eggs, Greek yoghurt.
• Don't crash. A gentle deficit keeps your strength and muscle.
• Keep carbs around training. Fuel the heavy days especially.
• Hydrate — thirst often masquerades as hunger.
• Judge by the trend, not the day. Weigh same time weekly, track the average.

Recovery & Tracking

• Sleep 7h+ — the headline lever. Aim for 4+ nights over 7 hours.
• Log live — every set, in real time.
• Session ratings — whole numbers, end of each session. Incomplete session caps at 9.
• Progress photos every 4 weeks — same spot, light, time of day, fasted. Front relaxed, front flexed, side, back.
• Weekly check-in: training log, bodyweight trend, sleep average, how you feel, plus the photo every 4th week.

Progressive Overload — On a Cut

• The two anchors (bench, squat): new/reintroduced — chase these numbers early.
• Everything else: holding your weights while losing fat IS winning.
• Late in the cut: if numbers stall or dip slightly, that's the deficit, not failure.
• Lengthened partials and myo-reps stay — high stimulus, low extra fatigue.

Week 1 — Finding Your Anchor Weights

• Bench (Day 1): work up in jumps to a weight where 8 reps leaves ~2 in the tank.
• Back squat (Day 3): safeties set at the bottom first. Work up conservatively to a weight where 8 reps feels controlled with 2–3 in reserve.

Sunday Morning — The First Thing You Do

Before you train, before you eat: the baseline photo. Front relaxed, front flexed, side, back. Same spot every time.

"You built the engine. Now we take the cover off it."