For many men, staying fit is not a question of motivation, but of finding time between work, family and other daily demands. But staying fit doesn’t always require hours at the gym or an elaborate workout routine.
With a few targeted exercises, the right technique and consistency, even a busy man can build strength, improve his posture and boost his endurance.
Raju Michael, 26, a fitness trainer at Adus Fit Club in Mwiki, Kasarani, shares five exercises men can incorporate into their routines without letting a packed schedule get in the way.
“I have been a trainer for five years,” he says. He did not start behind the desk. “I started as a client, but I knew I could be a trainer too,” he says.
Because he once stood where his clients stand, he keeps his advice plain. Warm up, work on the key moves, then go home. That path gives him a clear view of what a newcomer needs. The plan must be short, clear and easy to repeat on a tired day.
100 push ups
The warm-up comes first, and it needs no machine. “100 push-ups. That is a warm-up for men,” he says. “That number sounds big, so cut it into small sets.”
He drops to the mat, places his hands just wider than his shoulders and holds his body in one straight line.
“Keep your body straight from head to heels,” he says. “Lower your chest to the floor and press up.”
Back on his feet, he taps his chest, his shoulders and the backs of his arms. “The pushup wakes all of these, and it raises the heart rate, so the weights feel lighter when you reach them,” he explains.
“Keep your stomach tight and your neck relaxed. If the floor is too hard, place your hands on a bench to lower the slope. By the third week, the sets will feel smaller.”
One-arm dumbbell row
Next he walks to a flat bench with a dumbbell in his hand. “With the body warm, start on the back,” he says. “A strong back gives a man his posture. You can do one-arm rows.”
This is the first main move, the one-arm dumbbell row. “Place one hand and one knee on a flat bench and let the other arm hang straight down with the dumbbell,” he explains.
He pulls the weight to his hip in one smooth motion. “Pull the weight toward your hip, like you are starting a lawn mower,” he says. “Squeeze your shoulder blade at the top and lower the weight slowly.”
He sets the dumbbell down. “This move builds the wide muscles of the back and the arm that pulls,” he says. “It also pulls the shoulders back, so the slouch from long hours at a desk begins to fade.”
Raju Michael performs a leg press during his routine workout at Adus Fit Club Gym in Nairobi on October 15, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
Then he holds up three fingers.
“Every workout, you have to do three sets,” he says. “Do all your reps on one side, then switch. Start with a weight you can pull 10 times with a still body.”
He adds the rest rule. “Before you move, you have to rest for one minute, and then you rest between the sets.”
Biceps curl
Now he turns to the arms, for the man who wants his biceps to push against his shirt sleeves. The second move is the biceps curl. “You can use a dumbbell or a barbell,” he says.
He stands tall and pins his elbows to his ribs. “Curl the weight up until your forearms touch your biceps, then lower it for a slow count of three,” he says, lifting the dumbbell in slow motion.
“Do not swing your back to cheat the weight up. The curl builds the front of the upper arm, the muscle people notice first.” He turns his palms to face each other. “There are hammer curls; you can use a dumbbell,” he says. “That one adds thickness to the forearm and the upper arm.”
He explains the reps next. “You can do 12 reps, 10 reps, or more,” he says. “When the last two reps feel hard, you are in the right zone.” He lifts a heavier pair of dumbbells and shows how his reps slow down. “When you talk about weight, you reduce reps,” he says.
Chest exercises
Next comes the chest, and a broad chest makes a shirt hang well. He walks to the incline bench and taps the bar on its rack.
“There are not many chest exercises. You can choose four exercises,” he says. “This one earns its place.”
The move is the incline chest press with a barbell. He sets the bench at a gentle slope and lies back with his feet flat on the floor. “Lift the bar off the rack and lower it to your upper chest,” he says. “Press it up until your arms are straight.”
He sits up and points to the top of his chest. “The slope shifts the work to the upper chest and the front of the shoulders, the part that fills the top of a shirt,” he says.
“Ask a friend to stand behind the bench, because heavy bars need a spotter. Breathe in as the bar comes down and out as it goes up. Start with the empty bar if you are new, and add small plates each week. Three sets of 10 is a fair start.”
He stays on the same slope and swaps the bar for two dumbbells. This is the fourth move, the inclined dumbbell press. “There is an incline, you can use a dumbbell,” he says. He holds a dumbbell in each hand over his chest. “Lower them to the sides of your chest, then drive them up and bring them close at the top,” he says.
“Dumbbells make each arm work on its own, so the weaker side cannot hide. The bar lets you lift heavy, and the dumbbells let you lift smart,” he says.
Raju Michael performs a triceps pushdown using a cable machine during his routine workout at Adus Fit Club Gym in Nairobi on October 15, 2026.
Photo credit: Bonface Bogita | Nation Media Group
“Choose a pair you can lift ten times without shaking. Breathe out as you press and keep your back resting on the bench.” After his last rep, he lets the weights rest on his knees. “Rest one minute between sets, and then move on,” he says.
Leg exercises
Now he looks down at the legs, because a strong man should walk like one. The fourth move is the leg extension on the machine. He sits with his back flat against the pad and hooks his ankles under the roller.
“Straighten your knees until your legs are level, hold for one second, then lower slowly,” he says.
“This move works the front of the thighs, the quadriceps. Strong thighs hold the knees steady, help you climb stairs, and give your walk a firm rhythm.”
He taps the weight pin. “Keep the weight light enough to control, and aim for twelve slow reps,” he says. “Never kick the weight up with force, because that stresses the joint.”
Rope skipping
Rope skipping closes the session, and it fits into any bag. Raju pulls a rope from his gym bag and loops it over his hands.
“After the last leg set, skip for three rounds of one minute each,” he says. He bounces lightly on the balls of his feet. “Land softly and keep your elbows close. The rope burns fat, lifts the heart rate and teaches the legs to stay light. It also takes no space, so you can skip in a car park or a small room.”
Then he says, “Everyone has their own programme.” He adds, “For a man with a tight schedule, the rope is a fast and cheap finisher. In week one, skip in short bursts of 30 seconds and rest. Add time each week.”
Raju then draws out the week.
“Train three days in a week,” he says. “Make Monday a chest and shoulder day, Wednesday a back and biceps day, and Friday a leg day with deadlifts.”
He writes the push-up warm-up at the top of each day and the rope at the bottom. “Do not train hard on back-to-back days, because muscles need a day to heal,” he says. “Use the days between for a short walk.”
A short session is a real session. “45 minutes is enough when you do not chat between sets. You can train before work and still reach the office on time.” He adds a last reminder.
“When you finish your workouts, you stretch, go home, make sure you eat well, and get enough rest,” he says. “Eat a real meal, drink water and sleep well. Muscles grow when you rest, not only when you lift.”
When asked how long it takes to see results, Raju says they arrive sooner than most men expect.
“It starts in the third week,” he says. Ninety days, about three months. “You have changed,” he says.
The back stands tall. The legs walk with weight and purpose. Small wins show early, like getting up from the floor with ease. “That is the first improvement,” he says.
A busy schedule does not block fitness. It only asks for a smart plan, and now every man has one.