07 Jan How to Build Your Own Workout Program
When it comes to working out, starting basic, building confidence, and growing within your body are all steps to your journey that you will take. And it is important to remember that fitness is exactly that, a journey. It is an ever growing, ever-changing process you put your body through. It is at times consistent, but constantly evolving. Building a training program that can grow and change as you do is a key element. I am going to explain how to best build the correct program for you.
Start by deciding how many days a week you want to be working out. Those who are newer to working out should aim to start with 3-4 days a week of workout with 3-4 days of rest. If you are somebody with a great deal of athletic ability, shoot for 5-6 days weekly. The number of days you work out should be determined by a realistic approach of how well your body will adapt and how easy it will be to adopt into your schedule.
Once you have decided how many days weekly you will be working out, decide how much time you can allow for your workout. Beginners should start at about 30-45 minutes of strenuous activity and will build up from there. Those more athletic should shoot for around 60-90 minutes or more, depending on the goals. The amount of time you have will allow you to decide how many workouts you can accomplish.
Ok, so we now know how long and for how many days we are working out. Let’s decide our “split.” A split is how we will break apart our different body parts to isolate. There are many options and truly, all workouts can be completely customized! Some people like to do multiple workouts in a day so they break it into even more isolations. Decide what you want your split to be based on your workout days and life schedule (back and biceps, chest and triceps, legs, shoulders). Maybe you know that you have to be on a long plane ride on Friday so, maybe you shouldn’t put your leg day on Tuesday to avoid discomfort, for example. Your split should fit your goals and your schedule.
Next, you want to determine which exercises will be performed for each day. If you are doing back and biceps, you want to do exercises that isolate the back and biceps. Bodybuilding.com has some great resources for researching area specific exercises. If you are a beginner, remember that it isn’t about having the most exciting exercises, but the ones that you feel good about and can gain confidence with. Graduate on to new challenges as you feel fit to.
Make sure you are giving yourself proper reps and rest time for your goals. If you are looking to gain strength, you want to stay around the rep range of 3-5 with a rest amount of 90 seconds to 3 minutes. To build size and muscle you want to work around 8-12 reps with rests between 30-60 seconds. To tone and lose fat, 15+ reps with rest sets as short as possible are ideal. You will want to try to do between 3-5 sets of the above rep ranges, increasing with your abilities.
Programming in cardio can be a bit tricky. You want to warm up, but not expend too much energy. You want to get shredded but not lose muscle, if possible. It can be an equation in itself. I personally suggest a 5-10 minute cardio warm-up specific to what you will be working out. If you are working out your back, a great warm-up would be some rowing machine sprints. I suggest doing the majority of your cardio once you have completed your major lifts, so as not to sacrifice power and strength.
Fitness is a learning process. Building your own programming is as well. Give yourself time, change things as you see fit and consult help if you need it. I can always be reached on Facebook, Instagram and by email!
Check out the form below that you can download, print, and plan your workouts with! This will help you to have more guidance and direction in your workouts, allowing you for more optimal improvements. Good luck!