The “RSP” Workout Plan for 2026…?

Here are the exact resources I recommend to make 2026 your best year ever: What I personally use for restoration work to keep my joints healthy and full ranges of motion in my muscles. https://go.chasingstrength.com/sore-joint-solution-e/
For simultaneous max strength and power training, use this.
https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-maximorum-e/
For pure power training, use these:
Swing: https://salutis.kartra.com/page/SWING-HARD-2
Snatch: https://cart.chasingstrength.com/ksk4
Clean + Jerk:
https://go.chasingstrength.com/kettlebell-rmf-2022-full-aging/
And as I film this we’re just over two full weeks into 2026.
How’s it going?
On track?
If not, no worries.
Here’s a “plan” – or an “outline” if you prefer – to follow to make 2026 your best year to date.
I call it “RSP.”
R = Restoration
S = Strength
P = Power
Here’s how you implement it:
Restoration:
If you have “weaknesses” – ahem – or you have a “friend” who has them…
Things like a “bad back”... a “trick knee”... a “pinch-y hip”... a “bum shoulder”...
Those types of things…
FIX them either first, or concurrently along with your strength training.
Why?
Simple – they limit your ability to move and produce force.
And THAT limits your ability to gain / express your strength.
For example: It’s hard to squat with a bad knee.
And that means your legs aren’t going to get a whole lot stronger or muscular.
Address the following areas:
Neck
T-Spine
Shoulder
Deep abdominals
Hips
Ankles
Feet
Next, train for Strength – specifically Maximum Strength.
The stronger you are, the more work you can do.
And that means the greater the changes you’ll see in the mirror and your ability to do generally useful things in life.
Training for Maximum Strength also usually means you’ll put on more muscle, and burn off unwanted body fat – almost “automagically.”
Here’s how –
Pick 2 to 5 “Big Bang For Your Buck” Exercises:
Front Squats
Military Presses
Chins
Pull Ups
Deadlifts
Parallel Dips
And train using 1 to 6 reps, and between 3 and 10 sets, 2 to 3 times per week.
Plus, you need strength so you can produce and train for –
Power.
Or moving explosively – quickly.
This matters more than most people realize – especially in the “anti-aging” crowd.
In my opinion, they’re so busy obsessing over VO₂ max and bodybuilding-style training that they miss this critical component.
And worse – they’re often training the wrong muscle fibers.
Most traditional bodybuilding workouts emphasize slow, controlled reps, long time-under-tension, and constant load.
That primarily targets your slow-twitch muscle fibers. (Your endurance-based muscle fibers.)
The problem?
Power comes from fast-twitch muscle fibers.
And those are the exact fibers we start losing early – and steadily.
Research shows we lose roughly 1% of fast-twitch muscle per year, or about 10% per decade**, starting around age 30.

Those fibers are mission-critical for:

• Producing force quickly
• Reacting before you fall
• Catching yourself when something goes wrong

Lose them, and no amount of “slow and controlled” training will save you.
Now layer that on top of this…
In a large, long-term study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, researchers followed nearly 4,000 adults, ages 46 to 75, for over 10 years.

They compared:

• Strength (how strong people were)
• Power (how fast and forcefully they could move)

The result?
People with low muscle power had a dramatically higher risk of death –
even when they were reasonably strong.
Once power was accounted for, strength alone wasn’t enough.
Which explains why traditional bodybuilding-style training misses the mark.
It focuses on “slow & controlled” reps, which builds a lot of slow-twitch endurance based muscle fibers…
It builds “bulk” you can’t use (“show” and no “go”)...
It rarely challenges those fast-twitch fibers that keep you athletic, reactive, and upright.
And this is where kettlebells become mission-critical.
Swings. Cleans. Snatches. Push Presses. Jerks.

They demand:

• Speed
• Acceleration
• Deceleration
• Force produced – on purpose

They train your fast-twitch fibers you’re losing – and need – while still building strength.
Strength is your foundation.
Power is your safeguard.
So, if you’re thinking about what really matters in 2026, keep this simple.
Don’t just chase "the pump."
Don’t just chase "getting a great workout in."
And don’t try to "channel" your favorite 1970s bodybuilder.
Instead:
Get rid of your limitations.
Build real-world strength.
And make sure you’re training the ability to use that strength fast.
Because power isn’t about showing off or being cool.
(Although being powerful does feel great!)
It’s about staying capable.
Staying confident.
And staying on your feet.