Back-to-Strength: My Simple 7-Day Performance Reset (Evidence-Backed)
By Roan Heming | Updated: 19 August 2025 | Reading time: ~8 minutes
When routines wobble (holidays, heat, late nights), performance drops in predictable ways: sleep gets messy, protein dips, hydration slips, joints grumble. The fix isn’t a 12-week overhaul; it’s one focused week that resets your baselines and reminds your body what “good” feels like. Below is the exact 7-day reset I use with clients—and myself—plus the why behind each lever and how to stack supplements intelligently (not excessively).
What you’ll do for 7 days
- Protein baseline: 25–35 g per meal, 3 meals/day (top up with HPH PaleoBeef Bone Broth Protein if short).
- Hydration: 2–3 L water daily; add a pinch of salt pre-training or use an electrolyte if you’re a salty sweater.
- Training cadence: 2 strength, 1 conditioning, 1 long walk (60–90 min).
- Sleep anchor: Lights out 22:30; screens off 60 min before bed.
- Meal rhythm: 3 meals + 2 fruit snacks; pack veg into meals 2 & 3.
- Move more: 8–10k steps; 10 min mobility post-session.
These six behaviours cover 90% of what drives energy, body comp, and training quality in a normal week.
Why it works (the evidence, simply)
1) Protein: hit the per-meal trigger, not just daily totals
Muscle protein synthesis is dose-responsive per meal and plateaus once you hit roughly 0.4 g/kg/meal (that’s ~30–40 g for most). Spread across the day, that lands you in the sweet spot of ~1.6 g/kg/day for strength and hypertrophy when you’re training. If you’re under on a meal, plug the gap with a clean protein source—bone broth protein is an easy, low-lactose option. (PMC, PubMed)
Coach note: If you’re 75 kg, target ~30 g per meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner). On heavy days, add a shake or bone broth with breakfast or post-training.
2) Hydration & sodium: not just water
Hydration needs jump with heat, intensity, sweat rate, and duration. Starting euhydrated and including sodium around longer/hot sessions improves fluid retention and reduces hyponatraemia risk—particularly for heavy sweaters or sessions >60–90 minutes. Practical guide: weigh in/out on a hot day; replace ~150% of losses over the next 2–4 hours and include electrolytes. (PubMed, PMC)
Coach note: A simple pinch of salt in pre-training water works. If you see salt rings on your kit, you’re likely a salty sweater.
3) Sleep: cheap performance gains
Extending sleep (even by 45–60 minutes/night) can improve sprint performance, accuracy, reaction time, mood and daytime alertness. In athletes, sleep extension improved on-court measures after several weeks—small, real improvements that compound across training blocks. (PMC)
Coach note: Protect the last hour of the day: dim lights, phone away, magnesium (see below), same lights-out time.
4) Collagen support for tissues that take a beating
If you’ve had cranky tendons/ligaments, consider 15 g collagen/gelatin + 50 mg vitamin C ~45–60 min pre-loading (skips, jumps, light plyos). This protocol increased markers of collagen synthesis in a controlled trial—useful during return-to-run/lift phases. (PubMed)
Coach note: This is in addition to your daily protein, not a replacement.
Smart supplementation (keep it tight)
I’m not a “more is better” coach. Start with food, then add 2–3 targeted products that match your goals and bloods. The stack below pairs with the reset and has decent evidence behind it.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): recovery and soreness
Doses around 2–3 g EPA+DHA/day in studies can help reduce post-exercise muscle soreness and markers of muscle damage, with some improvements in recovery. Nice to have during higher training loads or if your fish intake is low. (PMC, PubMed)
HPH pick: Omega-3 Ultra with your largest meal.
Magnesium (bisglycinate): sleep quality & wind-down
In populations with poor sleep, magnesium has improved sleep efficiency and latency. I like bisglycinate for tolerance; typical 200–400 mg elemental 60–90 min before bed. If you already sleep well, treat it as optional. (PMC)
HPH pick: Magnesium Bisglycinate as part of the bedtime ritual.
Multivitamin (insurance when intakes are patchy)
Athletes can develop micronutrient gaps during high-load or low-energy availability phases (iron, D, calcium risk, especially in some groups). A broad-spectrum multi with meals can cover the bases while you fix diet quality. This aligns with consensus guidance: assess needs first; supplement where there’s a rationale. (PMC, British Journal of Sports Medicine)
HPH pick: Bio-Avail Multivitamin at breakfast.
Vitamin D3 (+K): winter primer, check bloods
Vitamin D status matters for bone and muscle. For immunity, older IPD meta-analyses suggested a small protective effect against acute respiratory infections with daily/weekly dosing, especially if deficient; newer analyses are mixed. Bottom line: test, correct deficiency, and avoid mega-boluses. (PubMed, Frontiers)
HPH pick: Vitamin D3 + K Complex with food (dose guided by bloods).
Protein (PaleoBeef Bone Broth)
Use bone broth protein to reliably hit 25–35 g/meal without adding lactose or gums. Protein supplementation enhances strength and hypertrophy when total daily intake is otherwise low. (PubMed)
HPH pick: HPH PaleoBeef Bone Broth Protein post-training or with breakfast.
The 7-Day Plan
Training (choose simple, repeatable work):
- Day 1 – Strength A: Lower-body hinge + push + accessories (40–50 min)
- Day 2 – Long walk: 60–90 min easy pace (Easy breathing)
- Day 3 – Strength B: Lower-body squat + pull + accessories (40–50 min)
- Day 4 – Conditioning: 8–12 × 45 s work / 75 s easy (bike/row/run)
If you’d like a more personal training plan, feel free to let me know. Email me at info@humanhubltd.co.uk
Nutrition anchors every day:
- Breakfast: 30–35 g protein (eggs/meat + fruit/berries). If short, add bone broth.
- Lunch & Dinner: palm-sized protein, two fistfuls of veg, olive oil/butter; carbs to match training.
- Snacks: 2 pieces of fruit; optional yoghurt (sheep/goat) or a small handful of nuts.
Sleep & recovery:
Lights out at 22:30, phone away after 21:30, 10 min mobility post-session.
If tendons are niggly: 15 g collagen/gelatin + 50 mg vitamin C 45–60 min before easy jumping/skipping on 3 of the days. (PubMed)
FAQs
Do I need all the supplements?
No. Pick 2–3 that solve a real problem (sleep, soreness, low fish intake, tested vitamin D insufficiency). This mirrors the IOC consensus: target use with evidence, avoid kitchen-sink stacks. (British Journal of Sports Medicine)
How much salt is “a pinch”?
Start with a small pinch (⅛–¼ tsp) in 500–750 ml water pre-training if you’re a salty sweater or training hot/long. Endurance events may need measured sodium strategies—evidence supports including sodium to aid fluid retention and reduce hyponatraemia risk. (PubMed, PMC)
What if I miss a day?
You didn’t break the reset. Resume the very next meal/sleep block.
Recommended HPH products (hand-picked)
HPH PaleoBeef Bone Broth Protein – hit that 25–40 g/meal target.
HPH Omega-3 Ultra – cover EPA/DHA if fish intake is low.
- HPH Magnesium Bisglycinate – bedtime wind-down.
- HPH Bio-Avail Multivitamin – short-term cover while you improve diet quality.
- HPH Vitamin D3 + K Complex – dose to bloods, especially in darker months.
References
- Protein distribution & totals: Schoenfeld et al. 2018; Morton et al. 2018; Hudson et al. 2020. (PMC, PubMed)
- Hydration & sodium: ACSM Position Stand 2007; Review on sodium in athletes 2022. (PubMed, PMC)
- Sleep extension & performance: Mah et al. 2011. (PMC)
- Collagen/gelatin + vitamin C for connective tissue: Shaw et al. 2017. (PubMed)
- Omega-3 & recovery: Fernández-Lázaro et al. 2024; Makaje et al. 2024. (PMC, PubMed)
- Micronutrients in athletes (context) & supplement prudence: Peeling et al. 2023; IOC Consensus 2018. (PMC, British Journal of Sports Medicine)
- Vitamin D (performance/immunity nuance): Wyatt et al. 2024; Martineau et al. 2017; mixed newer findings. (PubMed)