blog_The 38-Minute-a-Week Routine That Transformed a Strength & Conditioning Coach’s Health

12 Feb 2025

What if you could dramatically improve your health and fitness in just 38 minutes a week? Strength & Conditioning Coach Jing Zhi Chua put this idea to the test—and the results were surprising.

At the start of 2024, Jing Zhi told his friend, Viktor Kyosev, that his health resolution was to work out every day—even if it was just a one-minute stretch when he couldn’t fit in a full session. But the plan failed.

However, through this experience, Jing Zhi learned a powerful truth: "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." – James Clear, Atomic Habits.

In hindsight, he realised he had been both preaching and practising a simple three-step system:

Physical performance testing
Time-optimised training
Retest and re-optimisation

One of Jing Zhi’s key optimisations was launching the Healthy CEO Club, where members followed this system asynchronously. It worked. Despite his failed resolution, he became healthier in 2024—improving his blood pressure, strength, and cardiorespiratory fitness—all while averaging just 38 minutes of exercise per week. Jing Zhi elaborates on his journey and insights in this blog.

1. Strength Testing – Why It Came First

There are three key reasons why I prioritised strength testing before anything else:

1. Identifying the Most Effective Exercises
Strength testing helps me determine which exercises to focus on and which ones I can cut out. My goal was to identify the 20% of exercises that deliver 80% of the results for my specific needs. By testing the strength of different muscle groups, I could pinpoint the key areas that needed the most attention. (Skip to my results below for a real-life example.)

2. Unlocking a More Time-Efficient Training Method
Strength testing introduced me to a new way of training that reduced my workout time by over 90%. The exercises are safe, simple, and quick to perform, making them ideal for a time-efficient training protocol. Even better, the same movements used for testing can double as training exercises.

These tests—similar to those conducted by elite athletes in the EPL, NBA, and NFL for pre-season fitness assessments and rehabilitation—include:

Pushing or pulling against immovable objects
Bodyweight exercises

The best part? These exercises can be done anywhere, anytime—without gym equipment. You only need specific testing tools to reassess progress every three to six months.

3. Minimal Equipment, Maximum Impact
To implement this system, all you need is:

A resistance band for maximum strength workouts (a yoga band works, but I use a patented version designed for this method).
Steps or a flat surface for hop/jump exercises.

blog_The 38-Minute-a-Week Routine That Transformed a Strength & Conditioning Coach’s Health (2)

Isometric mid-thigh pulls can be done in the gym (with or without testing equipment) or at home.

I've compiled a list of the exact products I use, along with additional details and, if available, a partner discount. You can check them out [here]. If you're interested in learning more about this approach, I discussed it in depth with Dr. Danny Lum, PhD, Head of Strength & Conditioning at the Singapore Sports Institute, in a podcast recorded earlier this year. He shared insights from nearly a decade of research on the topic—definitely worth a listen! Danny and I are also organising half-day workshops on isometric training. If you're interested, let us know.

The Time-Efficiency Advantage of Isometric Workouts

One of the biggest benefits of this approach is how much time it saves. Since I can perform maximum strength workouts using just a resistance band, I eliminate travel time, gym setup, and lengthy cool downs. More importantly, I can fit in ultra-short exercises—as brief as four seconds a day—and still see strength gains. I first tested this in January last year, and it aligns perfectly with Danny’s research, which he discusses in this video. To make it even better, a recent study found that isometric workouts allow for faster recovery, meaning you can achieve greater progress in shorter training sessions.

Why Strength Testing Comes First

Strength is the foundation of nearly every physical activity, from sports to daily movement. Whether you lead an active lifestyle or not, maintaining strength is key to staying injury-free. For women, strength training is even more crucial—research suggests it has a stronger influence on mortality rates in women compared to men. (More on this later) Overall, starting with strength testing makes the most sense—it provides a smooth entry point into the training protocol. One thing’s for sure: it’s far more beginner-friendly than the next step—VO2 Max testing.

2. Why VO2 Max Testing Was My Next Step

I prioritised VO2 Max testing next because according to many scientists—and in my opinion—it’s the strongest predictor of long-term health. I’ve covered this in detail in a deep-dive video, but here’s a quick breakdown.

What is VO2 Max?

VO2 Max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen your body can utilise during exercise. The test involves performing an endurance activity—such as running, cycling, or swimming—until exhaustion. The better your body uses oxygen, the higher your VO2 Max score.

How I Applied VO2 Max Testing to My Training

I chose running as my primary method for testing and improving my VO2 Max for three key reasons:

Efficiency – Running is one of the most effective ways to improve VO2 Max in a short amount of time. Plus, research suggests that, unlike cycling, running promotes bone health since it’s a weight-bearing activity. Given my goal of time-efficient health optimisation, running was the best fit.
Sport-Specific Training—The VO2 Max and heart rate training zones are specific to the activity tested. Since I planned to train using these results, it made sense to use the same sport for both testing and training.
Practicality – I was already preparing for my annual military fitness test, which includes a run segment. Using running to improve my VO2 Max aligned with that goal as well.

3. My 2024 Workouts & Health Results

Strength Training Results

In January, I committed to daily isometric mid-thigh pulls for 22 days, increasing my strength ranking from the 50th percentile to above the 80th percentile.
Between March and May, I expanded my testing beyond the mid-thigh pull. You can view an overview of my results here.

While my strength results showed overall improvement, I noticed weaknesses—especially in grip strength and upper body maximum strength—that I needed to address.

Run-Specific Strength Adjustments

Since I had just returned to running after a decade, I prioritised conditioning to prevent injuries. I identified weaknesses in my left calf and left quadriceps through Dr. Alex Natera's strength tests for running. Instead of following a generic strength routine for runners, I focused only on strengthening these areas. The result?

✅ Reduced injury-related anxiety
✅ Optimised training time
✅ Niggles and discomfort disappeared

Unexpected Health Benefits

Between March and May, I also spent 30 minutes per week on maximum strength isometrics. Interestingly, this improved my strength and significantly lowered my blood pressure. Later in the year, I learned that research supports this—isometric exercises provide greater blood pressure benefits than aerobic, resistance, or interval training.

The linked blood pressure file shows more details on my findings and results. Hence, continuing with isometric exercises became even more beneficial for me. To wrap up the year on a strength-focused note, my training block from September to November was centred around optimising for my annual military fitness test. During this period, my strength training was minimal but targeted. I performed one minute of push-ups or sit-ups on training days, which were two to three times per week. As I’ve shared my full training protocol for the test in previous videos, here’s the link to the playlist.

VO2 Max Component

Now, let’s dive into my VO2 Max results from last year. The lowest VO2 Max I recorded was 46.2 ml/kg/min in March. After increasing my running to about 90 minutes per week, including a mix of zone two runs and two 10-to-15-minute all-out runs per month, my VO2 Max improved to 50.9 ml/kg/min in April.

In my second training block, which focused more on specific intervals for the military test, my VO2 Max increased again to 52.7 ml/kg/min in November. This was achieved through about an hour of running weekly, combining zone two runs with 4-6 sets of 400m intervals designed for my fitness test.

These results reflected a progression from the 70th percentile to 88th percentile in April, and ultimately to the 92nd percentile in November. Looking back, my early workouts included a lot of jog-walk routines, with significant walking. However, by mid-year, these sessions were almost exclusively running. With my most recent test, I felt tempted to increase my zone two work, as I noticed my heart rate range was at its highest yet. Staying within zone two is now less challenging, and I thought it might inspire those struggling with it to see the effort pay off.

Health Screening Results

While physical performance tests like VO2 Max can offer actionable insights, health screening should never be neglected, even for those actively optimising their health.

Before I share my health and performance outcomes for 2024, I want to mention that I completed only one round of health screening last year—in February. I’ll be doing my next one this year.

While physical performance tests like VO2 Max can offer actionable insights, health screening should never be neglected, even for those actively optimising their health. I went with MITO Health for a fuss-free house-call health screening, which provided:

A dashboard to track health results
Longevity-related biomarkers not found in typical basic screenings
A discount on services is available through the trusted partners list on my company’s site

I’ll be sharing a full review of their services soon—stay tuned! For now, I have no updates on further health screenings.

Summary

In 2024:

I achieved my goal of earning an IPPT gold, which was a significant milestone for me.
I lowered my blood pressure to healthy levels and feel more in control of my health.
I increased my strength from the 50th percentile to the 75th percentile, which made daily activities like carrying and playing with my two-year-old much easier.
My VO2 Max improved from the 70th percentile to the 92nd percentile, effectively moving from the second quartile to the top quartile, which research suggests has a similar effect on mortality risk as quitting smoking.

You can check out my VO2 Max reports if you’re interested in the details. They also show the heart rate zones that correspond to my zone two range. Training in zone two is, to simplify it, the most time-efficient method to improve VO2 Max, and I’ll dive deeper into this topic in future videos, as there’s plenty more to cover.

Plans for 2025

This year, I plan to incorporate more physical performance tests, which should help refine my training protocol. Given that I averaged 38 minutes of exercise per week, with only about 3 minutes at high intensity (above 80% effort), I consider this a solid baseline to build upon.

Those 38 minutes significantly enhanced the other 10,000 minutes of my week, which, when you think about it, is a 264x ROI.

Lesson Learned: Time-Efficiency in Workouts Becomes Critical as You Age

One key lesson I learned last year is that time efficiency in workouts becomes increasingly vital as one ages. This might seem obvious in hindsight, but the deeper layers of the lesson were clearer to me now than ever before. For instance, I now have a greater understanding that:

Strength development peaks early. Research shows that girls experience the greatest strength gains at 12 and boys at 14 years old. At these ages, adolescents can gain in three weeks what would take a typical adult a year to achieve.
Health gains become harder to achieve as we age, requiring more effort for the same, or sometimes even lesser, results.
In the later stages of life, time optimisation goes from being a luxury to a necessity. The rate of physical decline accelerates, and even if you put in the work, staying mobile can still be a challenge.

These realisations have shifted my perspective on ageing. The takeaway?

A few minutes of exercise today could yield health benefits that would otherwise take years later in life.
Your days are not the same. What you achieve today in your workout may not be repeatable tomorrow.

I hope this insight motivates you to prioritise time-efficient exercise with health as your main goal, starting today. If you have any questions or thoughts on this, feel free to reach out. Also, if you'd like to learn more about my company’s services, including personal training, the tests I mentioned, physiotherapy, and our Healthy CEO Club, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

If not, here’s to a successful 2025!

Featured Contributor:

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ALLSET

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The 38-Minute-a-Week Routine That Transformed a Strength & Conditioning Coach’s Health