Scott’s Age 35 Health and Fitness “Protocol”

I’ve been asked by a few BiggerPockets Money listeners about my Fitness and Health Plan.

I’ll start with a disclaimer here. I am no “Fitfluencer”, and have no intention of diving deeply into this space, beyond this blog post and maybe 1 more follow up. I am not an elite athlete, and I am very privileged to have the time, money, and space in my house to build a luxury home gym complete with a sauna to pursue my fitness goals with essentially no excuses.

My plan here is self-researched, and heavily influenced by Mike Matthews. A significant portion of the weightlifting, diet, and supplement portions of this plan are derived directly from his excellent work in Bigger, Leaner, Stronger, Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger (I consider myself beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger and also not realistically capable of implementing the optimized approach in Beyond Bigger Leaner Stronger) and his work over at Legion Athletics.

This is also heavily influenced by the work of Peter Attia, Andrew Huberman, and others. It is not a perfect application of the very best that science has to offer – it is my application that is realistic in my setting, with my resources, and tailored to my constraints.

The Goal: Build a Body that:

1. Looks Strong and Lean.
2. Meets Objectively High Strength and Aerobic Fitness Standards for my Age.
3. Keeps me looking and feeling young and energized.

Philosophy: 

• VO2 max is the number 1 correlate to longevity (or inversely, negatively correlated with all cause mortality)
• However, the marginal benefit beyond 55-60+ ml/kg/min is small
• Plan assumes I will maintain an “excellent” VO2 max, and focus incremental effort on strength training (estimate I am currently at 50-55)
• Advanced Strength/Muscle Mass has multiplicative benefits for men aging from 35-45, enhancing or dramatically slowing declines in:
  • Appearance
  • Bloodflow
  • Testosterone
  • Brain function
  • Self Confidence
• The plan should, after achieving these goals, also slow decline in aging/appearance of my face, slow my hairline from receding, and apply smart science to brain function.
• My only supplements will be Fish Oil, Multivitamin, Protein, and Creatine and topical facial/hair treatments.
• The plan allows for moderate alcohol (As my wife says, “Whiskey was invented Scotland, perfected in America… and the Irish really tried”) and 20% flexible dieting (junk food, wings, smoked meats, etc.). I accept this as a limitation in realizing “optimal” outcomes.
• My plan is constrained by the following:
  • I will commit to 45-60 minutes, 6 days per week of exercise. 
  • I will commit to 15 minutes, 3X per week as part of, or on top of this for dedicated recovery. 
  • All other components of my plan need to be no more than 1-2 minute extensions of basic routines (shower/morning routine, food prep, etc.)
• My unique advantages are:
  • Home gym and flexible schedule: This is a double bonus, because I can work out in any free hour in a given day, AND bring my work with me, completing emails while resting 3+ minutes between lifting sets. 
  • My active lifestyle – walks, bikes, hikes, skiing are fun family activities for me, and work naturally with this plan.
  • Meaningful initial and ongoing budget:
    • $15K+ all-in for home gym, home sauna, bikes, peloton bike and tread, and more.
    • $200+ per month supplement, subscription, and recreational budget (includes annual ski pass, equipment)

Components: 

1. Weightlifting (Goals by 36th birthday, September 2026 – 315X6 Bench, 375X6 Squat, 495X6 Deadlift)

• 4X Per week Powerlifting Program 
• Focuses on Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and Overhead Press
• Ancillary Exercises to bulk up and emphasize certain muscles
• 4 Week cycle: 4 movements, per workout, each movement receives 3X8 (setsXreps) week 1, 3X6 week 2, 3X4 week 3, deload/Yoga week 4, reset
• Emphasis on Squat as first exercise targeted with full energy (Worst Relative Current Lift) 
• Sets are hard – 1 RIR on keystone lifts, 0-1 for secondary / ancillary lifts
• 3 minutes recovery between sets for keystone lifts, 2 minutes+ for secondary. 

2. Cardio (Goal 22:30 5K Time at Sea Level – Bumping goal time up from 20:00 – my unrealistic start of year target – as training was incompatible with lifting goal for me after 6 weeks):

• 1X Intervals/Speed – All out, to failure, as hard as possible
• 1X Tempo Run – plenty of gas left in the tank
• 2-5 weekly 45-90 minute walks, bikes, hikes, rucks, or play (focus on strict nasal breathing)
• If squat does not progress, will abandon run goal, and switch to a bike goal (limiting strength training interference).

3. Diet (Goal 15% Body Fat)

• 2750 Calories when Maintaining
• 3000 Calories when Bulking
• 2500 Calories when Cutting
• Watermelon is my cheat food – I do not count towards calorie target, even if I gorge. Accept this will delay progress when cutting.
• 215g Protein, flexible balance of Carbs/Fat (leans carb)
• Generally healthy, diverse foods
• Often eat Superfoods
• Eat healthy, 2-4 meals per day
• 1 Scoop Protein supplement within 60 minutes of each workout. 
• Banana or apple prior to lift / run.
• Drink 1 Liquid IV packet in 1 liter of water every morning. 3-4 liters of water/day. Liquid IV is necessary due to high perspiration from Sauna/Intervals usage, and dry environment at 6,000 ft elevation near Denver.

4. Recovery (Goal: Stay Injury Free Year-Round)

• Supplement with 2X Scoops protein Powder daily
• 5-10g Creatine per day
• High quality Fish Oil with high Omega 3 concentration.
• Well-Researched Multivitamin (includes magnesium 200 mg and Vitamin D 2000 iu)
• 7-8 hours of sleep or more (aspirational at the moment – very difficult with two young kids)
• 1+ Full recovery day per week
• 1 Deload week every 6 weeks or less (target every 4 weeks)
• 1 Easy Run (3x) only week every 6 weeks or less
• Sauna 3X per week or more

5. Skincare and Haircare (Goal: Delay Aging and keep my hair)

• Haircare routine daily (Scandinavian Biolabs: shampoo, conditioner, topical, brush)
• Skincare routine:
  • SPF 30 Daily
  • Rinse face in Shower
  • CE Ferulic topical
  • Moisturizer
  • Eye repair cream
  • Considering adding red light to routine.

6. Prevention and Screening (Goal: Detect health problems early and correct pre-emptively)

• Annual Dermatology Scan
• Colonoscopy at 45
• 2X per year dentist visit, once every 2.5 year vision screen
• Annual Bloodwork:
  • Full Metabolic Panel (Fasting Glucose, A1C, Liver/Kidney Enzymes
  • Lipid Panel: LDL, HDL, triglycerides
  • hs-CRP: inflammation – scrap this.
  • Hormones: testosterone, SHBG (sec hormone binding globule), estradiol, TSH, free T3/T4
  • Vitamin D + B12
  • CBC (complete blood count)
• Annual (may switch to quarterly) DEXA Scan

Current Estimates: 

– Squat 315 X 5

– Bench 275 X 6

– Deadlift 425 X 6

– 5K 24 minutes

– Body Fat estimate 19% (Visual estimate, no DEXA Scan)

– Waist – 34 Inches

– Weight 220 lbs

– Height 6’1 Inch

– Resting Heart Rate 49

– No blood work Data yet

– HR, HRV, and other metrics tracked daily with Garmin Watch

Targets by 9/1/2026 (36 Birthday)

– Squat 375 X 6 

– Bench 315 X 6

– Deadlift 495 X 6

– Sub 22:30 5K

– Body Fat 15%