Free for your email
- The full 8-week plan as a PDF, from Kristina
- Gym and home versions of every exercise
Who this plan is for
You are new to lifting, new to running, or coming back after a long break, and you want one simple plan that does both without wrecking you.
Kristina Folcik wrote it for women in perimenopause and menopause, when the old way of training (lots of miles, tempo runs, light weights for high reps) tends to leave you tired, stalled, or hurt. It works with or without MHT (HRT).
- Two heavy strength days a week, 3 sets of 8
- One short sprint session instead of long hard runs
- Easy runs and walks that stay truly easy
- A reset week every fourth week
How it trains you differently
In Kristina's words, it takes a while to wrap your head around a new way to train. The plan follows her method for this stage of life:
- Skip the middle zones. One short sprint interval session a week replaces tempo runs, with one HIIT circuit on leg day, the day after the sprints.
- Easy runs are very easy. They are active recovery, not junk miles.
- Strength sessions are challenging. Lift heavy for you, 3 sets of 8.
- A reset week every fourth week. No intensity and lighter weights in weeks 4 and 8, so you absorb the work.
- One full rest day a week, physical and emotional, and more protein to support the muscle you are building.
Her advice is to give it a few weeks: in her experience, women on this method find they have more energy and fewer niggles. Read more about her method in a marathon build, sprint interval training, and why reset weeks matter.
Sample weeks, day by day
Here are three weeks exactly as they appear in the plan: the first week, the first reset week, and the hardest week. Tap a day to see its sessions.
How the 8 weeks are built
Three weeks of building, then a reset week, repeated. The long run peaks at about 45 minutes.
Show as a table
| Week | Type | Running | Long run |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Build | 1 h 8 min | 30 min |
| 2 | Build | 1 h 20 min | 35 min |
| 3 | Build | 1 h 27 min | 40 min |
| 4 | Reset | 1 h 10 min | 30 min |
| 5 | Build | 1 h 29 min | 40 min |
| 6 | Build | 1 h 39 min | 45 min |
| 7 | Build | 1 h 44 min | 50 min |
| 8 | Reset | 1 h 15 min | 35 min |
The strength sessions
3 sets of 8, 30 s rest between sets. Heavy for you, good form. Every session ends with core. Each exercise has a gym version and a home version.
Upper A
- Chest Dumbbell bench press or at home: Push-up
- Back One-arm dumbbell row or at home: Band row
- Shoulders Seated dumbbell shoulder press or at home: Pike push-up
- Core Plank or at home: Plank
Lower A
- Glutes Barbell or dumbbell hip thrust or at home: Single-leg glute bridge
- Hamstrings Romanian deadlift or at home: Single-leg Romanian deadlift
- Quads Goblet squat or at home: Split squat
- Core Dead bug or at home: Dead bug
Upper B
- Biceps Dumbbell curl or at home: Band curl
- Triceps Overhead dumbbell triceps extension or at home: Bench dip
- Core Side plank or at home: Side plank
Lower B
- Hips Dumbbell curtsy lunge or at home: Curtsy lunge
- Adductors Adductor machine or at home: Short-lever Copenhagen plank
- Abductors Abductor machine or at home: Banded clamshell
- Core Dead bug or at home: Dead bug
Lower C
- Lower back Back extension or at home: Superman hold
- Calves Standing calf raise or at home: Single-leg calf raise
- Core Plank or at home: Plank
HIIT: Once a week on leg day, before your leg strength. Warm up 5 min. Then 10 min: 2 moves, 5 sets each of 40 s work, 20 s rest. Moves include squat jumps, skater hops and single-leg hops, with a no-jump version (squats, lunges, calf raises) if your lower legs hurt.
Free for your email
- The full 8-week plan as a PDF, from Kristina
- Gym and home versions of every exercise
Frequently asked questions
Is this plan really free?
Yes. Enter your email and Kristina sends you the PDF. There is nothing to buy, and you can unsubscribe from the emails at any time.
Do I need to be a runner already?
No. Week 1 has 20 to 30 minute easy runs and walks, and the sprints start at two 15-second efforts. If you need to walk part of an easy run, walk.