“Should I do ‘Workout X’ or ‘Program Y’...?” (The #1 Thing for 2026)
- Geoff Neupert
- 57 minutes ago
- 3 min read
Remember, if you want to lean out – because a lot of guys do this time of year – then train for strength, use “strategic conditioning,” and you’ll get both. If you use most of the popular “fitness methods” to lean out, you’ll lose muscle and get weaker.
So use this program:
And if you just want to get brutally strong and nail those ‘STRONG ENOUGH’ standards – or get close?
Use this program.
And, if you’re not 100% sure yet?
Man, I don’t know about you, but it’s hard to believe that today is the last day of 2025.
And like my daughter said to me in the car yesterday, “We’re almost closer to 2030 than we are 2020.”
Which of course means – at least for me – it’s time to assess this past year and calibrate for the upcoming one.
A lot of people are going to be doing that with “getting in shape” and “working out” with their New Year’s resolutions.
Which brings me to the point of this email and this question I got from YouTube viewer, “TheGhu123”:
If you’ve been reading this newsletter for any length of time, you might be able to guess what I told him.
That’s right.
“It depends on YOUR goals – specifically – your #1 goal.”
And that’s the thing to keep in mind as we exit 2025 and enter 2026 –
What is your #1 Goal?
The #1 reason you train / workout?
What is the outcome you want to see – the results you want to see – MOST?
What is it?
WRITE IT DOWN IN YOUR TRAINING JOURNAL ACROSS THE TOP OF EACH PAGE.
That way, you see it and it’s always in front of you – at least while you're training.
See, most guys who don’t see results, won’t narrow down their training focus to “just” one thing. “I wanna be jacked – ripped and strong – and run a 5K in 18 minutes – and set the Guinness Book of World Records record for most Pull Ups in 24 hours…”
Alright David Goggins…
Just pick one thing – one goal.
THEN pick the training program or programs to match your one thing.
And then get to work.
And then don’t stop until you reach your goal.
Unless of course you’re using the wrong program.
You’ll know that’s the case because you won’t see the results you’re looking for.
Me?
I ALWAYS choose strength.
ALWAYS.
ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS.
Why?
Because I can manipulate those variable for ANY outcome I choose –
Get leaner
Increase VO2Max
Increase GPP
Build muscle
Increase power output
All I do is change the sets, reps, and rest times – and maybe the exercises – and I’ll achieve the outcome I want.
(Yes, in case you’re wondering about nutrition – the foods you eat – you can change those too. But my nutrition is pretty much set in stone. So it’s just a matter of increasing or decreasing – incrementally – what I’m already eating.)
But being stronger makes any of those goals EASIER to achieve.
How so?
When you’re stronger, you can do more work.
And more work means more results sooner.
So my #1 suggestion for you amigo in 2026?
Make your #1 goal to get measureably STRONGER.
For example, review the ‘STRONG ENOUGH’ standards and shoot for those.
Clean + Press: 2x32kg x 10 sets of 5 reps in 20 minutes.
Front Squat: 2x32kg x 10 sets of 5 reps in 20 minutes.
Snatch: 32kg/ 100 reps in 10 minutes.
If you’re not there yet, if you just get after it, up your protein, cut out your junk food, and cut back your alcohol intake…
Your body can’t help but to change.
You’ll almost “automatically” –
Get leaner – looser waistbands, less belly fat, less chest fat…
Become more muscular – you’ll watch your shoulders, upper back, arms and legs “thicken up” – maybe even see your shirt sleeves get tighter…
Improve your conditioning – exploding up stairs with ease like you did when you were a kid, and having more than enough energy to knock out that “honey-do” list…
So, if you didn’t see the workout results in 2025 you were hoping for?
Don’t worry about it.
Double down in 2026 and remember to pick your #1 goal. (Remember – you can’t ever be “too strong.”)
And then pick the program that will get you there.
Looking forward to hearing all about your success this upcoming year.
Stay Strong,
Geoff Neupert.
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