At the conclusion of my last post, I mentioned providing some tips on designing a workout plan to help you accomplish your goal. Here are three quick tips to steer you in the right direction.
Tip #1. Before you even start your workout plan, list your goal or goals and try to be as specific as possible. Are you trying to lose 15lbs in 2 months? Write that down as your goal. If you’re hoping to increase your max bench press by 20lbs in six months, that should be listed. It doesn’t matter what the goal is. You should have a constant reminder of what you are trying to accomplish. Goals such “losing weight” and “getting stronger” are too general and may lead to some not putting the necessary effort. “Losing 20lbs” creates a sense of urgency that “losing weight” lacks. One of the first actions you should take when creating a workout plan is deciding and listing/writing your goal.
Tip #2. List/understand your barriers. Before designing the workout, understand what you’re up against. Do you have access to a gym? A track? How much time do you have per week? Do you have an accountability partner? Will your work schedule occasionally prevent you from working out? Every year, around New Year, you see droves of people decide to embark on this great goal of “losing weight for real this time”. Invariably, most don’t last past the first month. For many, it is one of those barriers that keep them from continuing. If you understand your challenges, the path to success and coming up with realistic goals become less challenging. For example, understanding that you will only work out in January will help you create a more realistic weight loss goal of 8lbs instead of a 50lb weight loss goal.
Tip #3. The third and final tip for today’s post is to design/select a workout that’s specific to your goal. All workouts are not created the same. Therefore, you should design one that will help you with your own goals and not copy one that your friends are using and definitely not the cool workout you saw on television that your favorite celebrity was using. If you are trying to tone up, lifting 5 reps of heavy weights with 2-minute breaks may not be as effective as a 12-15 reps of lighter (but challenging ) weights with 30-second breaks. If your goal is to sprint faster, running 5 miles daily may not help you reach that goal though it may still serve as a good cardio workout. Select a workout that is customized to help you reach your goal.
Workout plans are valuable! It keeps us on a clearer path to achieve a goal. While there are hundreds of tips to help with a workout plan, the three listed should only serve as a guide to get you started and avoid some early mistakes. Stay tune for my next post November 4th as I will list some of my fitness goals/barriers.