Before we dive into these steps I want to recognize something.
I want to recognize that there are no perfect workouts. There is no right or wrong way of doing things. What I am going to lay out in this article may be completely different than what you are doing right now or what your coach does with you and that is 100% okay.
The goal with any workout program is to see results, if you are seeing the results you want and feel good doing It then you’re doing something right!
Although I hope this can help people make their own workout programs, don’t let these things deter you from what you enjoy or what has been working for you.
Well that is enough beating around the bush, let’s get into this!
I want to lay out my steps I go through when creating a workout program. Whether that be for myself or for one of my clients, both have some similarities.
Now going through these steps I am assuming you have a goal in mind, a place to train, and don’t have any major injuries. If you don’t have these things figured out, well get going on that first.
Step #1: Plan and Create Your Workout Template
Your template is going to be your roadmap for not just this workout but most workouts that follow. I say most because not every single session you do has to fall under your template. The other day I was feeling run down and tired, I went into the gym and did an arm/core workout. What was planned on my template was squats, lunges, and farmers walks.
When I am making a template the first thing I am looking at is the weekly schedule. Are we looking to do 2 days per week or 5? Another BIG aspect to this is your ability and your goal, but for the purpose of this article being generalized we won’t be diving into that too much.
If I have someone coming in 2-3 days per week, we are doing full body sessions. Now, if someone is looking for 4+ days per week we do one of these three options:
Option #1: Full Body
Option #2: Upper-Lower
Days 1 and 3- upper body
Days 2 and 4- lower body
Option #3: Push-Pull-Lower-Full body
Day 1: Push
Day 2: Pull
Day 3: Lower
Day 4: Full body
The template I use for full body workouts stems a lot from Ben Bruno and Joe DeFranco’s style of training, and myself and my clients have seen some great results from this.
2-3 Days Per Week-Full Body Template:
Day 1: Full Body
1a. Pulling exercise (rows, pulldowns, chin-ups)
1b. Squat/SL Squat
2a. Pushing exercise (bench press, push-up, overhead press)
2b. Hip hinge/Hamstring (RDL, glute ham raise, leg curls)
3a. Core/loaded carry
3b. Upper back/Arms (whichever is prioritize at the time)
Day 2: Full body
1a. Hinge/Hamstring (Trap bar deadlift, glute ham raise, hip thrust)
1b. Pulling exercise
2a. Squat/SL squat
2b. Pushing exercise
3a. Conditioning 5-15 minutes
Day 3 is the same template as Day 1 but with different exercises plugged in. In just about all 3-day per week programs I add in a conditioning component to that weekly plan.
4+ Days Per Week Template
If I am doing a full body style with 4+ days per week the template will look identical to the ones above. Days 1/3 will be the same template and days 2/4 will be the same and now with 2 conditioning pieces during the week. Sometimes I will even do that 4th day a full conditioning day in some cases, that is up to you.
Upper-Lower Template
Days 1 & 3: Upper Body
1a. Pressing exercise
2a. Pulling exercise
3a. press (different angle/style than 1a)
3b. Pull (different angle/style than 2a)
4a. Core
4b. Upper Back
4c. Bicep/Tricep (triceps more often than biceps)
Days 2 & 4: Lower Body
1a. Squat/SL squat
2a. Hinge/Hamstring exercise
3a. Squat/SL squat or hinge/hamstring
3b. Core/Upper back
4a. Carry/Conditioning
With all these templates above you just need to figure out your schedule, the template that fits your needs, and plug in the exercises that work best for you.
Step #2: Warm-up
I wish I were saying this for the last time (although I know It won’t be), don’t skip your warm-up. This is your preparation for the work you are going to be doing. Without that preparation you are going to be putting yourself at risk of injury and leaving some progress on the table.
Your warm-ups do not have to take much time at all. 6-12 minutes right when you walk in the gym. Everyone is in a time crunch so the main idea of these warm-ups is going to be PLANNING. Plan what you are going to do to warm-up before you walk in the gym.
When we plan warm-ups we look at a few different things.
- The individual– Do they have any pain, joints that need mobilizing, weak points, posture, exercises for that day. All these things will help build a better idea of what is NEEDED in that particular warm-up.
- Time– How much time do you have to train? Your warm-up might look a-lot different if you have over an hour compared to someone who only has 30 minutes.
- Equipment available– Sometimes equipment can be a big help, although It is not needed, it’s good to have an idea what you have at your disposal.
Here is how I like to plan out a warm-up:
- Pressure/foam roll
Whatever the studies or tiktok may say about foam rolling, if It makes you feel better do It, if not, then don’t. I find soft tissue work and foam rolling to be helpful for my self and a handful of my clients.
We focus on target areas such as bottom of the feet, adductors, pecs, lats, and muscles around the shoulder.
- Mobilize
This is where we need to know what joint need some work. If your shoulders are tight and you are doing push-ups for you first exercise, mobilize that joint!
- Activate
In the simplest form, this is the time before your workout that you can activate muscles, crack a sweat, and work on weak points. One variation I like using from time to time is a high volume warm-up (like a Wenning Warm-up) where you have 2-4 exercises and you do those exercises in a circuit for 10-25 reps. I like to choose exercises that won’t fatigue me too much but will still work on my weak points.
To be even more specific, I will plan the activation exercises that will work my weak points in the particular motion of my first exercise. So for an example, if I had squats for my first exercise I may choose a face pull, hamstring curl, and side planks as my activation exercises.
My upper back and hamstrings are weak points for that exercise and activating my core before squatting is not a bad idea!
Step #3: Block Out Distractions
The gym time is a very small part of your day, but we still tend to use that time to be on instagram, or taking a call, sending email, or whatever else we do.
It’s 1 hour, devote this small portion of your day to this one task.
Ditch your phone, tune out the T.V, cut off the emails.
Give yourself one hour where all your focus is directed toward that one thing. You will be surprised not only how focused you can really be but how efficient your sessions will become.
Not only do I love the focus and efficiency but I really enjoy cutting out the distractions for the sake of learning more about your own body. How do things feel, how are you moving, what is working, what might work better?
All these things will be questions you ask yourself during your sessions and the more you can answer them the better your sessions will be.
Those are my 3 steps to creating a great workout. Plan/Make a template, warm-up effectively, and eliminate the ddistractions. If you have any other things that help you get a great workout email me and let me know, I love hearing others people’s views on these topics!
In good health,
Jeff
