I’m sitting here in my apartment outside Delhi (yes I know the date says January 2026 and yes I’m still recovering from that second butter chicken I swore was “my last one this week”) with sweat still drying on my neck from this morning’s workout, staring at a Google Doc titled “Fitness Program v9 – DON’T DELETE AGAIN”.
So yeah… I’m gonna try to tell you how to create a fitness program that works for your body from the perspective of someone whose body has actively fought every single program I’ve ever tried to force on it.
Why Most Fitness Programs Feel Like They Hate You
I’ve done the 75 Hard (lasted 9 days, cried on day 10 because I forgot to drink a gallon of water before 8 pm), I’ve done keto + HIIT (lost 4 kg and my will to live simultaneously), I’ve followed those Instagram “30-day shred” challenges where the girl is doing burpees on a beach at sunrise while I’m doing burpees into my coffee table at 6:42 a.m. in darkness.
None of them stuck.
Because none of them started with my body. They started with someone else’s highlight reel.
Step 1: Actually Figure Out What the Hell Your Body Even Likes
I had to get brutally honest.
- I hate running. Like viscerally. My knees file complaints.
- I love lifting heavy things once I’m warm.
- I crash hard after 5 pm – so morning workouts are non-negotiable.
- If I don’t walk 7–8k steps I turn into a gremlin.
- I will lie to myself about “just 10 more minutes on the treadmill”… every time.
So the very first thing I did when I tried to create a fitness program that works for my body was write down what I actually enjoy and what I hate. No moralizing. Just facts.
Step 2: Stop Calling It a “Program” – Call It Your Non-Negotiables
Here’s what eventually stuck for me in 2025–2026:
- 4 days of strength training (mostly compound lifts + 1–2 accessory movements)
- 2–3 days of 35–45 min brisk walks / very light rucking
- Minimum 7,000 steps daily no matter what
- One “fun” movement day (dance class, swimming, or literally just putting on old Punjabi songs and jumping around my flat like an idiot)
That’s it.
No 6-day split. No two-a-days. No “leg day so brutal you can’t walk for 72 hours”.
Because a fitness program that works for your body has to survive rainy days, deadlines, power cuts, and that random 11 p.m. craving for paratha.
Step 3: Start Stupidly Small and Then Betray Your Own Expectations
I began with literally 12 minutes.
12 minutes of bodyweight stuff in my bedroom.
Then I added one more minute the next week.
Sounds ridiculous until you realize I had failed at “45-minute home workouts” about twenty times before that.
The trick is momentum > perfection.
For more science-y backup on starting small, I really like what Dr. BJ Fogg talks about in his Tiny Habits book → https://tinyhabits.com/
Also the American College of Sports Medicine has a nice evidence-based starting point guide here → https://www.acsm.org/education-resources/trending-topics-resources/physical-activity-guidelines
Step 4: Track the Feels, Not Just the Numbers
I stopped weighing myself every day (because that’s a mental illness wearing athleisure).
Instead I track:
- How my low back feels the day after deadlifts
- Whether I can walk up the four flights to my flat without dying
- If I slept better this week
- Whether I’m still excited to train tomorrow
When those four things are trending up, I know the fitness program is working for my body.
Step 5: Build in the Chaos Buffer
Life in India (or honestly anywhere) is chaotic.
So every week has one “chaos day” where anything goes.
Missed workout? Fine. Ate like trash? Whatever. Just get the 7k steps and one protein shake and we move on.
That forgiveness is what keeps me from spiraling into “well I already messed up so might as well eat the whole pizza”.
Okay but for real – here’s my current weekly skeleton (January 2026 edition)
- Monday – Push (bench, overhead press, triceps) 45 min
- Tuesday – Walk + core 40 min
- Wednesday – Pull (deadlift variation, rows, biceps) 50 min
- Thursday – Legs (squats + lunges + calves) 45 min
- Friday – Fun cardio / dance / swim / suffer
- Saturday – Long walk 60–90 min
- Sunday – Rest or very gentle yoga
Final Ramble / Wrap-Up
Look… I’m not a fitness influencer. I’m a guy who spent three years hating his body and the next two years slowly figuring out how to stop punishing it.
If you want to create a fitness program that works for your body, start by listening to the body you actually have – not the one you think you should have.
Write down what you hate, what you secretly like, what your schedule actually allows, and then build the smallest version of that you can stick to.
Then add one stupid little thing every couple weeks.
That’s it.
That’s how I went from “I’ll start Monday” for 36 consecutive months to someone who just… trains now. Most days. Not perfectly. But consistently.
You got this. Even if you don’t believe me yet.
(And if you’re reading this at 2 a.m. while eating Maggi… same. We’ll both do better tomorrow.)
What’s the one thing your body keeps screaming it hates in every program you’ve tried? Drop it below – I’m nosy.
