A workout plan can help you achieve your fitness goals, whether building muscle or losing weight. It influences everything from exercise to how often you go to the gym.
Before you create your workout plan, it's essential to understand your goals. This will guide everything you do, from choosing the right exercises to setting realistic timelines.
Identify Your Goals
A well-thought-out plan can help ease gym intimidation and make it easier to start your workouts. Setting realistic goals and tracking progress will help maintain motivation.
Start by identifying your fitness goals and choosing how often you want to work out each week. Three, four, and five-day splits are common. Still, your goal may dictate how you break up your training days (for example, if you're trying to bolster strength, your split might be structured around the major compound movements, such as one day focused on bench presses, another on squats, and a third on deadlifts).
Then you'll need to decide how many sets and reps will be completed for each exercise - 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps is typically recommended for muscle hypertrophy.
Establish a Timeline
Once you clearly understand your goals and limitations, the next step is to establish a timeline. This will help you create an effective workout plan that is both attainable and sustainable over time.
This can be as simple as setting a goal to exercise three days per week or more detailed, like aiming to run one mile by the end of the first month. Providing you with minor milestones will keep you motivated and focused on your ultimate fitness goal.
You can also use a schedule to stay on track, like putting your workout clothes in the dryer at night to have them ready in the morning. A plan will help you avoid being sidelined by injuries or illness, which can quickly derail your fitness progress.
Consider Your Fitness Level
Whether you have been working with a personal trainer at Kirkland Gym for years or just starting, your fitness level determines how hard and often you can work out. You can assess your fitness level with several tests. A gym can help you with these or you can do them at home.
For example, a primary pushup count can measure your core strength. Generally, the numbers below indicate a good fitness level for your age and sex; counts above the targets can serve as goals to work toward.
The ideal workout volume for weight training is three to four sets of a few repetitions. Aim for a weight that tires the muscle or muscles by the last few reps but still allows you to maintain good form.
Know Your Limits
Regardless of your fitness goals, keeping your limits in mind and never pushing yourself too far is essential. You may injure yourself or become too tired to exercise if you are not careful.
For beginners, start with short 30-minute sessions and gradually work up to an hour or more. It is also a good idea to separate your workouts into muscle groups, such as strength and cardio.
Healthy adults should aim for 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, spread out over at least three days. Having a plan can help you stick to these goals and take advantage of the health benefits of exercise.
Be Flexible
When it comes to workout plans, flexibility is vital. If you can't achieve specific goals because they're too complicated or require more time than you have available, it is essential to adjust your plan accordingly.
For example, scheduling two-hour weight-lifting sessions is unrealistic if you only have 30 minutes to exercise. Instead, it would be best if you focused on circuit or HIIT workouts, which can burn lots of calories in a short amount of time.
It's also important to consider your "ultimate why" when creating a workout plan. This motivation will help you stay on track when things get tough. Use the SMART system to ensure your goals are specific (lose 20 pounds), measurable (weigh yourself regularly), achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
