HI there!
Welcome to One Exercise a Day!
My goal with One Exercise a Day is to help you get started, and help you make that first step. If you google “one exercise a day”, you’ll get results like “one lift per day” that explain how to optimize a training program on minimal exercises.
Most of these articles out there right now are for a style of training that is very different than the one you are reading about here, and I want to explain the difference to you.
Most of those are written for intermediate level lifters who are training and want to progress, but are looking to minimize a complicated program. If you are beginning to exercise, these programs and training sessions aren’t a great starting point. If you are doing a full strength training program and that is what you are training for, this might not be for you.
My program is just that, a starting point. I want to differentiate between a full training program, and what this One Exercise a Day is. Instead of a full training session each day, this one is just one exercise, one set. It takes the guesswork out of getting started with training.
If you aren’t an exercise person, picking what to do can be so confusing! Heck, it’s confusing even if you are! I’ve been a personal trainer for 19 years now, and I’m blown away by how much info is out there (good and bad).
My program will tell you exactly what to do each day, and make the starting process a little less confusing and scary.
Let’s discuss the difference between my program and other one lift a day programs a little more.
Most times you see me, I’ll be in my living room showing you a quick and effective lift to do right now.
What is One Exercise a Day?
When you join One Exercise a Day, I’ll send you an email every Monday – Saturday morning. It will include a video of me explaining your exercise for the days, and demonstrating how to do it. The video will be around a minute or less.
This program is one exercise, and one set. Truly. It’s quick. You will see movements like body weight squats (sit to your couch and up), pushups, modified pushups (push from your countertop), standing overhead presses, and rows. You’ll also see non traditional exercises that people might not do in gyms. Some of these different lifts are compound movements that involve many muscle groups and joints, and some are single body part exercises.
Note that with my One Exercise a Day program, I suggest you have one set of light dumbbells. My clients usually say they’ve got some hand weights hanging around the house. Grab those, and get started. Even if you don’t have them, get started.
How Much Work do I do in One Exercise a Day?
Like I said, this program is one exercise, one set, for a moderate number of reps. For example, you might do 10 squats to your couch. You know you can do that anyway, you probably do it every day, so do it 10 times. That’s one set of 10 squats (1×10) and then you are done.
As you can see, it is NOT a full workout program. And that’s ok, because that’s not where everybody has to start.
Does One Exercise a Day Work my Entire Body?
No, and yes. In one day, it does not. Each day is just one exercise that works a specific movement or muscle group. Over the week, you will work your whole body. You’ll do lower body, upper body, legs abs/core, arms, shoulders, chest and back. That list is somewhat redundant, but the different exercises will cover different movement patterns and body parts, so you will work most everything within a week.
Is This Enough Exercise?
To optimize your health, no. To make it to the Olympics, nope. Is it better than nothing? Absolutely! Will it teach you new exercises? Potentially, depending on your exercise knowledge. It will ensure you are doing upper body, lower body, balance exercises, and not neglecting large movements that you should be including. Will it take a lot of time? No. Guaranteed less than 5 minutes a day.
Most importantly, will it help you develop a habit? YES! Regular exercise is the most powerful thing you can do for your health and quality of life. My goal with One Exercise a Day is to help you start that habit.
Why is One Exercise a Day so Easy?
I want you to make a commitment to yourself to do this program, 6 days a week. I mean it when I say it will be less than 5 minutes. Probably 3, honestly. I know that 99% of people can way do more than this, and I know you are leaving a lot of growth on the table. But if the option was to do nothing else, keeping this promise to yourself is a fantastic start.
If you want to do more, you can do another set. If you want to do more, you can take a walk later. If you really, often, frequently want to do more, YAY! Contact me and I’ll help you take the next bump up in your training.
How Much Exercise Should I Get?
The current exercise guidelines for healthy adults, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion are:
- Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, or a combination of both, preferably spread throughout the week.
- Add moderate- to high-intensity muscle-strengthening activity (such as resistance or weights) on at least 2 days per week.
The full report that includes those guidelines can be found here.
As you can see, the best way to use physical activity to build a healthy life and healthy body is to do regular aerobic exercise and resistance training or strength training. Some people love this, and some people hate it. Some people just will not do this type of exercise, so doing something is much better than doing nothing.
What Do Other Training Programs Look Like?
First, let’s look at a traditional training program. I believe that if you are training 3 times a week or less, it is best to to do a full-body workout hitting the major muscle groups with compound exercises each training session. Many people do 3 day training programs or more, or just prefer to split up their training program.
People who lift multiple times a week will typically do a split, which just refers to what exercises they do on what days. For example, some people might do an upper body/lower body split. This means that on one day they do all upper body. On the next day, they do all lower body. Repeat.
Bodybuilders will typically split their training program into body parts. For example, it might look like this:
- Monday: chest
- Tuesday: legs
- Wednesday: back
- Thursday: arms
- Friday: shoulders
Powerlifters typically split their workouts more according to the movements they are doing. For example:
- Monday: squat
- Wednesday: bench press
- Friday: deadlifts
Days between training sessions could be rest days, or days on which the lifter does cardio or other accessory work they enjoy. This could be jogging, swimming, biking/cycling, rock climbing, or hiking. Some of these days are another type of training, but some are more low impact active recovery.
A bodybuilder’s main goal is maximizing hypertrophy, which is muscle size. A powerlifter’s main goal is to build maximal strength. There is quite a bit of overlap in their style training, but these two types of training will differ in rep schemes,
What Do Other OLAD Programs Look Like?
Now that you have an understanding of training programs for a specific goal (muscle growth like the bodybuilders, or strength gains like the powerlifters), let’s discuss how their one lift a day, or OLAD workout, as it is sometimes shortened to, programs look.
A bodybuilder on a 5 day split might have a leg day that includes 4 exercises, or more. For example, it might include front squats, lunges, a Romanian deadlift, and a hamstring curl machine or leg extension machine. Each exercise might be 3 sets of 12 (3×12). In total for the 4 exercises, that would be 12 sets. A powerlifter doing his or her squat day might do squats (4×5), deadlifts (4×3), and a couple assistance exercises. In total, that would be 12-16 sets at slightly lower reps.
Doing the one lift a day a lifter would pick one main lift and do 6-8 sets of that one lift. The best exercises for this would be a big lift like squat, deadlift, overhead press or barbell row. A smaller lift like a biceps curl or lateral raise would not be significant enough to make one lift effective.
If the goal is strength, the reps would be lower. If the goal is size, 10-12 reps might be more ideal. Ultimately, the rep scheme is dependent on the goal, with lower reps (but heavier weight) driving strength results, and higher reps driving hypertrophy and endurance.
Are There Rest Days in This Program?
In my program, Sunday is a rest day. This is more for the mental health benefits of just taking a break than for the health benefits. Remember, One Exercise a Day is just one exercise. It is not an entire workout. The exercises are pretty quick too and won’t take much of your time or energy. Because of how much less time and energy this one exercise takes, you won’t need the recovery time/rest day, but it’s a great way to recharge and plan for a new training week coming up.
Who is One Exercise a Day For?
We’ve established that it’s probably not for Olympians. 🙂 Besides Olympians or very advanced trainees, it’s for anyone who struggles to get started and/or continue exercising on a regular basis. There’s something truly beneficial about building a habit that is for you and benefits you. This program definitely isn’t as flashy or as tough as the programs you’ll see in a fitness magazine or on social media.
And, I do want to be clear that this is not enough exercise to accrue so many minutes of moderate aerobic activity, or intense activity, or drive significant weight loss.
However, it is a small step toward a total body workout routine that can truly benefit your health. One of my clients does One Exercise a Day in addition to her other training, which is 2-3 sessions a week.
​If you can start your morning with a quick exercise and do this for 6 consecutive days, you’ve already won. Exercise is not all or nothing; doing a bit can help with energy levels, cognitive function, and attitude.
I invite you to join One Exercise a Day and start prioritizing your health. You deserve it!
