Now this; this is a loaded question.
And It comes up ALOT.
We see different styles of workouts from all different types of people. Some are strength focused, machines, cardio, lower body, upper body, body part splits. Sometimes It just gets confusing.
I may not know what will work for every single person, but I will share what I have seen work the most often.
Step #1: Schedule
When we are talking schedule we need to know how many days per week and what the plan is for those days. We see some programs do full body, different body parts, upper or lower body, so we are going to figure that out now.
For the most part the people I work with are coming in 3-4 days per week and doing a full body workout each session. There are a few exceptions to the rule, but the vast majority is doing full body 3-4 days per week.
This gives us enough frequency of each body part AND does not wear down the joints/body as much as if we hammered one body part each workout.
Step #2: Style
Now what style are we going to follow for these full body workouts? Crossfit, cardio, strength, muscle building?
Looking at most of the programs that I put together there are aspects of many different styles of training added into one plan. The main THREE things I want to see each week is
-Strength work
-Muscle building work
-Movement work
Not saying that other things are not important, these are just my three most important things. We don’t just focus on one thing at a time, we make sure multiple things are improving each and every session.
Step #3: Duration
We also need to know how much time you can give to each session. If you have 30 minutes compared to an hour and a half, things will look quite different.
So figure out how much time you can commit to and plan accordingly. If the workouts are going to have to be 30 minutes then less exercises will most likely be part of the plan. If you have much more time then a longer warm-up and some extra exercises might find their way into the plan.
Step #4: Change
How often are you going to change up your plan? I have most people change things up every 3-6 weeks. And this really depends on the person. Beginner, experienced, ex-athlete all will adapt and change differently so they will all require different lengths before change is needed.
I do think people need to stick to a certain plan or phase of training longer than they do already. It gives you more time to get stronger at those exercises, but if you stay too long things will get stale, boring, and in most cases not very challenging.
So figure out a timeline that works for you where you can practice, get good, adapt, and change things in a timely manner.
This is how I plan just about every program I write. Jot It down and give It a shot for yourself.
In good health,
Jeff
