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Jonathan Forstall training with a barbell in a dimly lit gym
The work is the program.

Built,
not bought.

Twenty years around the iron. Five or six days a week, two hours at a time. This isn’t a program I’m on — it’s how I live. Here’s the training, the food, and the mindset behind it.

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The rhythm, by the numbers
0+YEARS
In the gym
5–0X
Training days / week
0+HRS
Typical session
2018
The year I reset
0+LB
Lost along the way
Section 03 — My story

Twenty years in.
Still building.

My name is Jonathan Forstall. Fitness and athletics have been part of my life for more than twenty years — including about two years coaching CrossFit in California. Gyms have been the one constant across every city, every job, every version of me.

Training isn’t something I do. It’s part of who I am. That distinction is the whole thing.

Right now that looks like five to six days a week, with a lot of sessions running two to two and a half hours. Strength work and bodybuilding-style hypertrophy. HIIT and functional fitness. Gymnastics movements, Olympic lifting, agility work, sled pushes, conditioning. I use AI heavily to vary and refine my own programming — which is exactly what the workout builder on this site does for you.

I’m not chasing size. I’m chasing athleticism, definition, strength, conditioning and staying lean. I want to be able to do things, not just lift things — and I want to still be doing them in thirty years.

Yes, I lost more than a hundred pounds along the way. That started in 2018 and it matters — but it’s a chapter, not the book. What actually changed wasn’t a magic workout or a diet with a name. It was becoming consistent, and then becoming intentional. Programming. Nutrition. Recovery. Intensity. Discipline. Each one got a little sharper than the year before, and it never stopped.

This site exists because people keep asking what I do and how I train. So here it is. I’m sharing the system, not selling it.

Jonathan Forstall in 2018, before the transformation
Before — 2018
Jonathan Forstall training today
Today
Training since
2005
Reset
2018
Down
100+ lb

“The goal wasn’t to become perfect. It was to become better than yesterday often enough that eventually I became a completely different person.”

Jonathan Forstall
Section 04 — How I train

The Program

Structure creates intensity. Variety keeps the body adapting.

The exercises change constantly. The architecture almost never does. Nearly every session I run follows the same four-block framework — which is exactly why I can push hard inside it without having to think about what comes next.

Block 01 / ~20 Minutes

Warm-Up

Cardio + mobility + dynamic stretching

Raise body temperature, improve movement quality, prepare the joints and establish range of motion before anything gets loaded.

  • 10–12 min cardio, building not coasting
  • Joint-specific mobility for the day's pattern
  • Dynamic stretching, never static holds
  • Ramp sets into the first movement

The template stays familiar.
The movements don’t.

Rotating exercises on purpose is what keeps training from going stale — new stimulus, new angles, new weak points exposed — while the programming philosophy underneath stays exactly the same. You always know what the session is going to look like. You just don’t always know what’s in it.

Section 05 — The lifestyle

What It Actually Looks Like.

Not a challenge with an end date. A default setting — the same handful of decisions, made again and again, for years.

Train01

5–6 days

Two to two and a half hours, most days. It's on the calendar like anything else that matters.

Eat02

Protein first

Mostly whole foods, calories under control, room left for a real life. Nothing is off the table forever.

Recover03

Non-negotiable

Sleep, mobility, hydration, rest days. The training only works if the recovery does.

Repeat04

For years

Not a challenge with an end date. A default setting. That's the entire trick.

A representative week

5–6 Sessions
  1. MonPushChest, shoulders, triceps + conditioning
  2. TuePullBack, biceps, grip + engine work
  3. WedLegsQuad-dominant, long eccentrics, sled
  4. ThuConditioningHIIT, functional, agility, sprints
  5. FriFull BodyPower, Olympic movements, gymnastics
  6. SatOptionalWhatever the week was short on
  7. SunRecoverWalk, mobility, sleep, food prep

The split rotates constantly and the movements never repeat for long. What doesn’t change is that most days, something gets trained.

Recovery and lifestyle

Some days it’s two and a half hours and a sled. Some days it’s a walk and eight hours of sleep. Both count.

Section 06 — Philosophy

What I Train For

01

Definition Over Bulk

Build visible muscle while staying athletic and lean.

02

Time Under Tension

Controlled eccentrics, pauses, and intentional reps instead of mindlessly moving weight.

03

Functional Strength

Strength should carry over beyond a machine.

04

Conditioning

Strength without an engine is incomplete.

05

Athleticism

Agility, coordination, speed, mobility, balance.

06

Constant Variation

Avoid repeating identical workouts endlessly.

07

Intensity With Purpose

Hard does not mean reckless.

08

Progression

Improve load, volume, control, capacity, technique, or execution.

Sled push on turf

Your lungs should train too.

Section 07 — The library

Steal My Workouts.

These aren't theoretical workouts. This is how I actually train.

12 Workouts
  • 01Chest / Push

    Upper Chest Carver

    Incline-biased pressing with slow eccentrics. Built to fill in the shelf above the chest, not just move heavy weight.

    • Upper Chest
    • Front Delts
    • Triceps
    Time
    110 min
    Goal
    Hypertrophy
    Level
    Intermediate
  • 02Back / Pull

    Back Width & Biceps

    Vertical pulling for width, horizontal rowing for thickness, and controlled biceps work that doesn't turn into a swinging contest.

    • Lats
    • Mid-Back
    • Rear Delts
    Time
    120 min
    Goal
    Hypertrophy
    Level
    Intermediate
  • 03Quad-Dominant Legs

    Quad Separation

    Long ranges, slow eccentrics and a lot of time in the bottom. This one shows up in the mirror and in the stairs the next day.

    • Quads
    • Glutes
    • Adductors
    Time
    120 min
    Goal
    Hypertrophy
    Level
    Advanced
  • 04Arms

    Vein Buster

    Short rest, high quality, occlusion-style finishing work. Arms only — and they will know it.

    • Biceps
    • Triceps
    • Forearms
    Time
    75 min
    Goal
    Definition
    Level
    Intermediate
  • 05Power

    Drain the Tank

    Olympic-adjacent power work up front, then a conditioning piece that decides how honest you were about the warm-up.

    • Full Body
    • Posterior Chain
    • Shoulders
    Time
    105 min
    Goal
    Performance
    Level
    Advanced
  • 06Conditioning

    The Engine

    Thirty minutes of honest functional conditioning. No strength work, nowhere to hide, done before you can talk yourself out of it.

    • Full Body
    • Cardio
    Time
    45 min
    Goal
    Conditioning
    Level
    Intermediate
  • 07Posterior Chain

    Posterior Rebuild

    The back of the body is what makes you fast, keeps you upright and holds everything together. This day pays that bill.

    • Hamstrings
    • Glutes
    • Lower Back
    Time
    110 min
    Goal
    Strength
    Level
    Advanced
  • 08Chest / Push

    Shoulder Architecture

    Round delts are built with volume, angles and patience — not one heavy press. Lots of lateral work, controlled.

    • Delts
    • Traps
    • Triceps
    Time
    90 min
    Goal
    Definition
    Level
    Intermediate
  • 09Agility

    Feet Don't Lie

    Change of direction, foot speed and deceleration. The stuff that keeps you an athlete instead of just a guy who lifts.

    • Legs
    • Hips
    • Calves
    Time
    60 min
    Goal
    Athleticism
    Level
    Intermediate
  • 10Core

    Midline Tax

    Anti-extension, anti-rotation and real flexion work. Abs are trained, not just revealed — but you still have to eat like it.

    • Abs
    • Obliques
    • Deep Core
    Time
    45 min
    Goal
    Definition
    Level
    Beginner
  • 11Full Body

    Full Send

    One session that touches everything — push, pull, hinge, squat, carry, and an engine piece at the end. The travel day workout.

    • Full Body
    Time
    120 min
    Goal
    Athleticism
    Level
    Advanced
  • 12Conditioning

    Levee Sprints

    Hills, wind and no machines. The simplest hard workout there is — and the one most likely to get skipped.

    • Legs
    • Posterior Chain
    • Cardio
    Time
    50 min
    Goal
    Fat Loss
    Level
    Intermediate

More workouts get added over time. Every one of these is a session I’ve actually run — adjust the loads, the movements and the volume to your own body and equipment.

Section 08 — The generator

Your body. Your goal.
My framework.

I’ve built a custom GPT around the same programming principles I use to structure my own workouts. Tell it what you’re training, what equipment you have, how much time you have, and what you want to accomplish.

Workout Builder

BriefToday I'm training Back / Pull. My goal is Definition. I have 60 minutes. I'm intermediate. Build me a workout using your standard framework: ~20 min warm-up, 5 supersets of 2 exercises with tempo and cues, a conditioning block, and a finisher.

Build My Workout

Powered by ChatGPT. Programmed around the same principles I use myself.

Always modify workouts to your ability, experience, equipment, and physical limitations.

Section 09 — Programming, in full

See How I Program.

One complete session, exactly as it's written. This is the difference between a workout and a list of exercises.

01 — Warm-Up

20 min
  • 0110 min row, negative split
  • 02Scap pull-ups — 3 × 10
  • 03Band face pulls — 3 × 20
  • 04Cat/cow + thoracic openers — 2 min
  • 05Dead hang — 2 × 30 sec

02 — Strength

5 × 2 Supersets
Superset01
Vertical Pull + HingeRest 2 min
  1. A1

    Weighted Pull-Up

    4 × 6–8

    Tempo3-1-X-1Straight into A2

    Chest to the bar. Control the way down.

  2. A2

    Trap Bar Deadlift

    4 × 6

    Tempo2-0-X-1Rest2 min

    Push the floor away. Lats tight the whole pull.

Superset02
Lat Isolation + RowRest 90 sec
  1. B1

    Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown

    4 × 12

    Tempo3-1-2-1Straight into B2

    Elbows stay soft and locked. Drive to the hips.

  2. B2

    Chest-Supported Row

    4 × 10

    Tempo2-1-2-1Rest90 sec

    Pull to the low ribs. One-second squeeze.

Superset03
Single-Arm + WideRest 90 sec
  1. C1

    Single-Arm Dumbbell Row

    3 × 10 per side

    Tempo3-1-X-1Straight into C2

    Row to the hip, not the shoulder.

  2. C2

    Wide-Grip Seated Row

    3 × 14

    Tempo2-1-2-1Rest90 sec

    Elbows wide. This one is for the upper back.

Superset04
Rear Delt + Face PullRest 60 sec
  1. D1

    Reverse Pec Deck

    4 × 15

    Tempo2-1-2-1Straight into D2

    Light. Feel the rear delt, not the traps.

  2. D2

    Rope Face Pull

    4 × 20

    Tempo2-1-2-0Rest60 sec

    Pull to the forehead. External rotation at the end.

Superset05
Biceps — Stretch + PeakRest 60 sec
  1. E1

    Incline Dumbbell Curl

    4 × 10

    Tempo3-1-2-0Straight into E2

    Let the arm hang fully behind you at the bottom.

  2. E2

    Cable Hammer Curl

    4 × 15

    Tempo2-0-2-1Rest60 sec

    No hip drive. If it swings, drop the weight.

03 — Conditioning

25 min

Pull Capacity

5 rounds for time
  • 500 m row
  • 15 kettlebell swings (24 kg)
  • 10 ring rows
  • 10 burpees

Target consistent round times. Negative split if you can.

Then a finisher — grip, carries and midline work. The whole session runs about 120 minutes. Nothing in it is complicated. All of it is deliberate.

Section 10 — Nutrition

Eat Like You Have a Goal.

There is no perfect diet, and I’m not a nutritionist. What I have is a set of rules that survived years of real life — travel, holidays, bad weeks, good weeks, and a hundred pounds.

None of it is complicated. Most of it is boring. That’s the part that works.

High-protein meal prepared at home
  1. 01Build every meal around a protein source.
  2. 02Mostly whole foods. Not exclusively — mostly.
  3. 03Control calories. You can't out-train arithmetic.
  4. 04Eat foods you actually like or you won't keep eating them.
  5. 05Leave room for flexibility. Plan it in.
  6. 06Consistency matters more than any single meal.
  7. 07Adjust intake to your goal and your activity, then reassess.
  8. 08Never turn one bad meal into a bad week.

What I actually eat.

  • Breakfast10 minutes flat

    Cajun Egg White Scramble

    Protein
    46g
    Calories
    430
    Prep
    12m
  • BreakfastMade the night before

    Overnight Protein Oats

    Protein
    42g
    Calories
    520
    Prep
    5m
  • LunchThe default

    Blackened Chicken Rice Bowl

    Protein
    55g
    Calories
    640
    Prep
    20m
  • LunchNew Orleans staple

    Shrimp & Andouille Skillet

    Protein
    48g
    Calories
    560
    Prep
    18m
  • DinnerTraining day dinner

    Garlic Butter Steak & Sweet Potato

    Protein
    58g
    Calories
    700
    Prep
    25m
  • Dinner

    Salmon, Rice & Charred Broccolini

    Protein
    46g
    Calories
    610
    Prep
    22m
  • High-Protein SnacksThree minutes

    Cottage Cheese Bowl

    Protein
    30g
    Calories
    280
    Prep
    3m
  • High-Protein Snacks

    Greek Yogurt Protein Cup

    Protein
    34g
    Calories
    310
    Prep
    2m
  • Quick MealsFaster than delivery

    10-Minute Turkey Smash Burgers

    Protein
    50g
    Calories
    590
    Prep
    10m
  • Quick Meals

    Rotisserie Chicken Wrap

    Protein
    44g
    Calories
    480
    Prep
    6m
  • Meal PrepMakes 5 containers

    Sunday Chicken & Rice Batch

    Protein
    52g
    Calories
    620
    Prep
    45m
  • Meal PrepBetter on day three

    Beef & Bean Chili Batch

    Protein
    45g
    Calories
    540
    Prep
    60m

Macros and calories are estimates based on the ingredients listed and will vary with brands, portions and preparation. Dietary needs differ from person to person — treat these as ideas, not prescriptions.

Section 11 — The 80/20 mindset

You don’t
need perfect.

A transformation that depends on never missing a workout, never eating dessert, never traveling and never having a bad week isn’t a transformation. It’s a countdown.

What actually works is duller and far more durable: build a life where the overwhelming majority of your decisions point in the same direction. Not all of them. Most of them. Then let time do the part you can’t rush.

I missed workouts. I ate the king cake. I had months where nothing moved. The scoreboard didn’t care, because the other eighty percent kept showing up.

Recovery and lifestyle
01Consistency>Perfection
02Years>Weeks
03Systems>Motivation
04Discipline>Mood

You don’t need another fitness challenge. You need consistency.

Section 12 — Non-negotiables

My Rules.

  1. 01

    Show up first.

    You cannot optimize a workout you never start.

  2. 02

    Control the weight.

    If momentum is doing the work, the target muscle probably isn't.

  3. 03

    Earn intensity.

    Movement quality first. Then turn up the volume.

  4. 04

    Don't chase soreness.

    Chase progress.

  5. 05

    Conditioning matters.

    Being strong and being fit are not the same thing.

  6. 06

    Change the exercises. Keep the system.

    Variation prevents stagnation.

  7. 07

    Recovery is training.

    Sleep, mobility, hydration and rest matter.

  8. 08

    Better than yesterday.

    Small wins compound.

Section 13 — How it got here

It Was Never One Big Decision.

  1. Before 2018

    Twenty years around the iron.

    Athletics, coaching, gyms in three states. I always knew how to train. I just wasn't doing it consistently.

  2. 2018

    The reset.

    No perfect plan. No clean starting line. Just the decision to stop restarting.

  3. Year One

    Consistency beat the extremes.

    Every crash diet had worked for three weeks. Showing up on the average day is what actually moved the number.

  4. The Shift

    Training became identity.

    It stopped being something I made myself do and became something I am. That shift did more than any program.

  5. Getting Serious

    Programming got intentional.

    Tempo, structure, progression, recovery. The work got smarter, not just harder.

  6. 100+ Down

    The goal changed.

    Somewhere past a hundred pounds the scale stopped being interesting. Performance took over as the point.

  7. Today

    Stronger. Leaner. More athletic. Still working.

    The target keeps moving. That's the part nobody tells you, and the best part.

Dates, weights and photos get filled in as I dig them out of old phones.

Section 14 — What's next

The Target Keeps Moving.

Losing weight stopped being the objective a while ago. What I’m chasing now is capability — what the body can actually do, and how long it can keep doing it.

Current focus
  • Strength
  • Muscle definition
  • Gymnastics capacity
  • Pull-up capacity
  • Conditioning
  • Agility
  • Athletic longevity
  • Advanced functional fitness
  • Ninja-style obstacle skills
Conditioning work on an erg
BenchmarksTracking

  • Pull-Ups

    Strict, full hang

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    reps

  • Body Weight

    Tracked weekly average

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    lb

  • Major Lift

    Choose your benchmark

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    lb

  • Conditioning

    Repeatable test

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    5K / benchmark

  • Body Composition

    Same method each time

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    % / caliper

  • Mobility

    Overhead + hip screen

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    assessment

  • Grip

    Max hold, seconds

    Current

    —

    Target

    —

    dead hang

Values are intentionally blank until each benchmark is tested properly. A number you didn’t actually measure is just a story.

Barbell front squat in the rack

Now go
do the work.

You don’t need my exact workout. You need a system you can actually follow. Use mine as a starting point, change what needs changing, and start stacking days.

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