Six programs. One year. Built for dads 35–55 who want strength, durability, and enough energy left for the people who matter most.
AI Program Matching
Tell CoachZilla what you've got and how much time you have. It'll match you to the right program and build your week. No guesswork.
Select your muscle groups, available equipment, and weekly time commitment. CoachZilla does the rest.
All Programs
Each program builds on the last. Run them in sequence for the full 52-week transformation, or jump into the phase that matches where you are right now.
Reboot is where every dad starts — or restarts. If you haven't trained in months (or years), your body needs to learn to move again before it learns to be strong. This 6-week phase reduces cortisol, improves sleep quality, restores joint mobility, and builds the training habit without burning you out. No ego. No grinders. Just reset and rebuild from the floor up.
Chassis is where you build the frame. After Reboot restored your movement and dropped your inflammation, Chassis loads it intelligently — prioritizing structural integrity over raw weight. You'll learn to brace, carry, and stabilize before you're asked to move heavy loads through full ranges. Think of it as engineering the chassis of a truck before you drop in the engine.
Forge is the engine room. This is the longest and hardest phase in the Dadzilla ecosystem — 14 weeks of progressive barbell strength work built around the big lifts. The goal isn't bodybuilder volume; it's the kind of strength that makes you feel capable, durable, and dangerous well into your 50s. Low reps, heavy weight, enough accessory work to keep you bulletproof. Where Winter Warrior lives at its core.
| Lift | Sets × Reps | Load Target |
|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 4×4 | 75–85% 1RM |
| Deadlift | 3×3 | 80–90% 1RM |
| Bench Press | 4×5 | 70–80% 1RM |
| Hang Clean | 4×3 | 70–75% 1RM |
| Power Clean | 3×3 | 75–80% 1RM |
After 28 weeks of progressive loading, your body needs a strategic reset before the final push. Rebuild drops volume by 50–60% and shifts focus to aerobic capacity, joint health, and nervous system recovery. This is not a vacation — it's maintenance at a lower frequency. Dads who skip this phase get hurt in the back half of the year. The ones who run it arrive at Fit Fall and Winter Warrior fresher and stronger.
Fit Fall bridges Rebuild and Winter Warrior with a conditioning-first approach. Two strength sessions per week maintain your hard-won muscle while three interchangeable Zone 2 options — ruck, bike, row, or incline walk — keep the engine running. The goal is simple: arrive at the winter holidays lean, mobile, and ready to attack the final strength phase of the year. No one gains fat during Fit Fall.
Winter Warrior is the final phase of the Dadzilla year and the hardest. 12 weeks of maximum strength focus built around five foundational barbell lifts — squat, deadlift, bench, hang clean, and power clean. No fluff. No filler. Low rep, high intensity, structured progression. You entered January as a dad who wanted to get back in shape. You leave December as the strongest version of yourself in years. That's Winter Warrior.
| Lift | Sets × Reps | Load Target |
|---|---|---|
| Back Squat | 5×3 | 82–92% 1RM |
| Deadlift | 4×3 | 85–95% 1RM |
| Bench Press | 5×3 | 78–88% 1RM |
| Hang Clean | 4×3 | 75–82% 1RM |
| Power Clean | 4×2 | 80–85% 1RM |
Training Standards
Every program in the ecosystem is built on these three pillars. Non-negotiable, regardless of which phase you're in.
Conversational-pace aerobic work 2–3× per week. If you can't hold a sentence, you're going too hard. Zone 2 is the base layer of all dad fitness — fat burning, heart health, recovery.
High-intensity interval protocol proven to raise VO2 max faster than any other training method. One session per week replaces a Zone 2 day in Forge and Winter Warrior phases.
~2,000 kcal high-protein baseline. Adjust up or down by 200–400 kcal based on bodyweight, activity level, and phase. No tracking required — just hit the protein number and eat real food.