At some point during your fitness and weight loss plan, you might feel that your workout just isn’t… working. Or, perhaps you’re just getting started and want to design a regimen that’s just right for you. Whether you’re a newbie or want better results from exercise, follow these tips to build a better workout.
Assess your current fitness level. Make an appointment with us, and we’ll screen you for underlying conditions that could make exercise difficult or dangerous for you. Then, we can make recommendations for exercise that is safe while helping you accomplish your goals. You need to understand your target heart rate, your weight, your body mass index, and so on.
Set your objectives. Do you want to lose weight? Tone up? Build strength? What are your weak areas? What are your strengths? After examining your goals, you can build a workout to address them. Remember, while seeking advice or inspiration is a good thing, your workout doesn’t need to be identical to your friend’s workout, and your favorite Instagram celebrity might have a different body type or different goals. We can help you decide which types of exercise will help you accomplish your personal objectives.
Warm up. Always include a warm-up period in your workout routine. This helps your muscles prepare for exercise, and can prevent injuries.
Structure your routine. Make a plan for your exercise circuits, and perform the harder moves first. This way you can put your maximum energy into the biggest challenges.
Vary your workouts. If you do the same thing every day, you’ll get bored. Plus, your body will become accustomed to the routine, and won’t work as hard. Alternate cardio days with strength training days, for example. Or, if you combine these exercises, choose different types of cardio and mix with “leg day” or “arm day” and so on.
Choose the right amount of weight and repetitions. With strength training, you should feel like you’re performing at a 7 or 8 on a 1-10 difficulty scale. If a weight feels like a 10, it’s too heavy and you’re risking injury. If it feels like a 4, you’re not challenging yourself enough.
Watch your form. Sloppy form not only sabotages your results, but also increases your risk of injury.
Include rest periods. Your rest periods between sets might range from just a few seconds, to a full minute, depending upon your health status and goals. We can help you determine your needs.
Track your progress and refine your workouts. Keep a journal of your progress, and remember to add time to cardio when your workout feels too easy. Add weights to your strength training regimen as you build strength.
Again, we strongly recommend that you come see us before starting or changing a workout routine. We can help you set goals, offer nutritional support if you need a weight loss plan, and monitor your progress.
