TRAINING GUIDE
LEARN THE BASICS • TRAIN WITH PURPOSE • SEE RESULTS
FitOnBoard makes training at sea simple. Choose the equipment available on your vessel, select a muscle group and follow the exercise videos in the Workout Library. Or use the Workout Generator — choose your equipment, goal, level and available time, and FitOnBoard will build a complete workout for you. Use the Training Guide for advice on sets, reps, recovery and progression. Train anywhere, with whatever equipment you have, and keep progressing.
Start simple. Choose the equipment available on your vessel and select the muscle group you want to train. If you're a beginner, start with 2–3 workouts per week and focus on learning proper technique. Use weights you can control and gradually increase the weight or reps as you get stronger. If you're unsure what to train, use the Workout Generator — choose your equipment, goal, level and available time, and FitOnBoard will build the workout for you. Consistency is more important than doing everything perfectly from day one.
A classic split is Chest + Triceps, Back + Biceps, and Legs + Shoulders. Full Body works well for 2–3 workouts per week. If you train 6 days, you can focus on one muscle group each day: Chest, Back, Legs, Shoulders, Biceps and Triceps. Choose the split that fits your schedule and recovery.
Yes. A proper warm-up prepares your muscles, joints and nervous system for training and can improve your performance. Start with 5–10 minutes of light movement to raise your body temperature. Then warm up the muscles and joints you are going to use. Before heavy exercises, perform 1–3 lighter warm-up sets, gradually increasing the weight. You don't need to exhaust yourself — the goal is to feel warm, mobile and ready to train.
Most workouts should last between 20 and 90 minutes. A short 20–30 minute session can be very effective if you train with good intensity and keep rest periods controlled. For most strength and muscle-building workouts, 45–60 minutes is a good target. Longer sessions of 60–90 minutes can work when you have more exercises, heavier training or longer rest periods. More time does not automatically mean better results. Focus on training quality, progression and recovery. Choose the workout length that fits your schedule on board and allows you to train consistently.
For most exercises, 3–4 working sets is a good target. Beginners can start with 2–3 sets, while experienced lifters may use 4–5 sets for key exercises. For muscle growth, aim for roughly 10–20 challenging sets per muscle group per week. Choose a weight that allows you to maintain good technique, but makes the last few reps of each set difficult. The final 1–3 reps should require real effort. Focus on quality, intensity and proper form rather than simply doing more sets.
The number of reps depends on your training goal. For strength, focus on 4–6 reps with heavier weights and longer rest periods. To build muscle, 8–12 reps is a great range — choose a weight that makes the final reps challenging while maintaining good technique. For fat-loss and cutting workouts, 12–15 reps with shorter rest periods can help increase training intensity and energy expenditure. Whatever range you choose, the last few reps should feel difficult. If you can easily perform more reps than planned, increase the weight.
For most people, 3–5 workouts per week is a great target. Beginners can make excellent progress training 2–3 times per week, while experienced athletes may train 5–6 days if recovery is good. Avoid training the same muscle group hard every day — give it enough time to recover before training it again. Your ideal frequency depends on your goals, workload on board, sleep and recovery. Consistency matters more than training every day. Choose a schedule you can realistically maintain week after week.
Building muscle requires progressive resistance training, enough protein, sufficient calories and good recovery. Train each muscle consistently and gradually increase the weight, reps or training volume over time. For most muscle-building exercises, 8–12 challenging reps and 3–4 working sets are a good target. The last few reps should be difficult while your technique remains controlled. Eat enough protein, sleep as much as your schedule allows, and give trained muscles time to recover. Muscle growth takes time — consistency and progression are more important than constantly changing your workouts.
To get stronger, focus on heavy resistance training and progressive overload. For your main exercises, work mostly in the 4–6 rep range with a weight that makes the final reps challenging while maintaining good technique. Use 3–5 working sets and allow longer rest periods between heavy sets — usually 2–4 minutes. Gradually increase the weight as you become stronger, but never sacrifice proper form just to lift more. Track your lifts so you can see your progress. Strength is built over time through consistent training, progressive overload and proper recovery.
Fat loss happens when you consistently burn more calories than you consume. Create a moderate calorie deficit while keeping protein intake high to help preserve muscle. Reduce sweets, pastries, white bread, sugary drinks, fast food, alcohol and other high-calorie processed foods. Base most of your diet on lean protein, vegetables, fruit, whole grains and minimally processed foods. Continue strength training 3–5 times per week and stay active throughout the day. Cardio and higher-rep workouts can increase calorie expenditure, but nutrition remains the main driver of fat loss. Avoid extreme diets — aim for steady progress while preserving as much muscle and strength as possible.
Choose a weight that matches your goal and allows you to maintain proper technique. For strength, use heavier weights for about 4–6 reps. For muscle growth, choose a weight that makes 8–12 reps challenging. For higher-rep or fat-burning workouts, aim for around 12–15 reps. The last 2–3 reps should feel difficult, but your technique must remain controlled. Try to progress whenever possible — from set to set and from workout to workout, gradually increase the weight, reps or training volume. Even small improvements add up over time. If you can easily exceed your target reps, increase the weight. Never sacrifice proper form just to lift heavier.
Recovery time depends on the muscle group and training intensity. As a practical guideline: Abs — 24–48 hours; Biceps and Triceps — about 48 hours; Shoulders — 48–72 hours; Chest — 48–72 hours; Back — 48–72 hours; Legs — 48–72 hours, and sometimes longer after a very heavy session. These are guidelines, not strict rules — hard training may require additional recovery. Aim for 7–9 hours of quality sleep every night. Eat enough protein, stay hydrated and include rest days when needed. If a muscle is still very sore, your strength is noticeably reduced or you feel exhausted, give it more time before training it hard again.
Rest time depends on your training goal and how demanding the exercise is. For strength training with heavy weights, rest about 2–4 minutes between sets so you can recover and maintain performance. For muscle growth, 60–120 seconds is a good practical range for most exercises, with longer rests after heavy compound movements. For higher-rep and fat-burning workouts, 30–60 seconds keeps the intensity and heart rate higher. If you are still breathing heavily or your strength has not recovered enough to perform the next set with good technique, take a little more time. The goal is to recover enough to make every working set effective.
Progress comes from gradually asking your body to do more. Try to improve something from workout to workout — increase the weight, perform more reps with the same weight, add a set, improve your technique or control the movement better. When you can complete all planned reps with good form and the last reps no longer feel challenging, increase the weight slightly. Keep track of your exercises, weights and reps so you know exactly when you are improving. Don't rush big jumps — small increases repeated consistently create major results over time. Train, recover, repeat and keep moving forward.
Missing one workout will not ruin your progress. Don't try to compensate by doing two hard workouts in one day or adding excessive volume to your next session. Simply continue with your training plan from where you stopped. If your schedule on board changes and you miss several sessions, adjust your training week and prioritize the most important workouts. Even a short 20–30 minute session is better than skipping training completely when time is limited. What matters is consistency over weeks and months — not one missed workout. Get back to training as soon as your schedule allows and keep moving forward.