The 8-Week Strength Program for Busy Professionals in London from a Personal Trainer

John Pierson
Sep 7, 2025
3 min read

By John Pierson, Personal Trainer at The Workout Network

If you're a busy professional working in the City of London, chances are your life is already packed. Between meetings, long hours, and a family waiting at home, finding time for a 90-minute gym session or worse, a two-hour bike ride, feels like a joke. At The Workout Network, I work with people just like you: people who want to lose weight, feel better, and get stronger but are completely exhausted by time and energy.

Sound familiar?

Let me show you a better way.

Why Most Workout Plans Don’t Work for You

The fitness industry is filled with "perfect" plans, ultra-detailed workouts, exact meal timings, and endless cardio. But if your life isn’t perfect (whose is?), you need a plan that doesn’t fight against your schedule. You need a system that’s:

Manageable
Repeatable
Aligned with your goals

That’s why I built this 8-week training program. It’s not about squeezing in more. It’s about getting more from less: more strength, more energy, better focus. Without dedicating your life to the gym.

The Program in a Nutshell

This plan takes just 2–2.5 hours per week and is centred around 5 principles:

1. Simplicity First

If you don’t have time, you need efficiency. Forget long warm-ups and endless accessory lifts. This program is built around compound movements that give you the most bang for your buck.

Focus on:

Pull-ups instead of bicep curls
Dips instead of tricep extensions
Squats
Deadlifts
Bench Press

Big moves = big results in less time.

2. Train with Purpose (Reps in Reserve)

Ever wonder how hard you should train? The answer lies in Reps in Reserve (RIR). A simple system that helps you train hard enough to get stronger without burning out.

Here's how it works:

Weeks 1–3: Train with 2 reps in reserve
Weeks 4–6: 1 rep in reserve
Weeks 7–8: Train to failure (except for squats and bench—leave 1 rep in the tank)

This keeps your workouts intense, but sustainable.

3. Progression = Results

You won’t get stronger doing the same thing every week.

This plan focuses on progressive overload, encouraging you to:

Add 1 extra rep
Add 1 more kilo
Push just a bit harder

Do that consistently over 8 weeks and the results add up—fast.

4. Adaptability = Long-Term Success

Life happens.

Whether it’s a work trip, a sick kid, or a surprise meeting, this program is built to adapt, not break.

It works because it’s flexible:

Short sessions
Minimal equipment
Built around your life

Even my clients who travel weekly still hit their sessions.

5. Enjoyment… Isn’t Always the Goal

Look, motivation comes and goes. Not every workout will be fun.

What matters? Showing up when it’s hard. Those are the sessions that make the biggest difference.

This plan isn't about loving every minute. It’s about making fitness a tool to live better—not a lifestyle that dominates your week.

Your Challenge: The 8-Week Commitment

✅ 2–2.5 hours per week ✅ Focused on strength & muscle ✅ Built for real people with real lives

Try it. Push yourself each week. Track your progress.

Let me know how it goes. I want to hear from you.

Struggling with something else at the gym? Drop it in the comments or get in touch. If I’ve cracked it, I’ll share what worked. And if not, we’ll figure it out together.

Final Thoughts: Fitness That Fits Your Life

This isn’t about chasing perfection or spending hours grinding in the gym. It’s about building a stronger body so you can show up better at work, at home, and in life.

That’s what strength really is.

John Pierson The Workout Network