“A failure to plan is a plan to fail”

Have you ever heard that quote before?  Could this be you when it comes to your fitness goals?

 

It’s no secret that having a plan is important for many things we do.  We would never wait until Thanksgiving Day to start thinking about what to have for dinner.  We wouldn’t just show up at the airport and then start thinking about where to go for the family vacation.  So many things we do on a weekly, monthly or even yearly basis we would never think about doing without having a plan.  But for some reason so many people show up at the gym and DON’T have a plan for their workout.  Often times they will just throw something together on the fly…hit a couple of machines, maybe the squat rack if it’s open, throw around some dumbbells for that standard 3 sets of 10 or just hang out on the elliptical for 30 mins and call it a day.  They don’t remember what they did the last time they were at the gym or worse, do the same thing each time, so can’t possibly be properly progressively overloading the muscles to actually see results.

 

We have all done it.  I have been guilty of this myself in my younger years.  It’s an easy mistake to make.  Sometimes it just feels like half the battle is GETTING to the gym.  Once you are there you just go with what “feels” like a good thing to do.  Well don’t worry.  I am here to help give you some focus and hopefully a little bit of that motivating yet loving swift kick in the rear end that you might need.

 

When it comes to planning for a successful workout at the gym I see two main areas that need attention.

 

1.   When do you plan to workout?

As I stated above, please don’t just show up to the gym and think the hard part is over.  This is not an activity you get points for attendance.  This also means don’t just show up randomly and sporadically.  Also, don’t wait until morning or when you’re done with work to decide if you are going to the gym.  This will, more often than not, completely backfire on you.  It is to easy to come up with a “good” excuse NOT to go to the gym when that alarm goes off early in the morning or after you have had a terribly long day at work.  You have to decide, before even going to bed, that you are heading to the gym the next day.  Have your clothes ready and your pre-workout meal made.  Remove any barriers for yourself mentally and physically that might prevent you from actually going to the gym.

The most important aspect to WHEN is actually taking a look at your schedule and finding the best days and times that are going to work in your schedule.  If you are someone like me who has a pretty consistent schedule each week then this is a bit easier.  Determine how many days a week you can legitimately go to the gym and what time that will be.  Knowing that some days and weeks you have to have some flexibility and shift some things around maybe going on a different day or time.  But the key is CONSISTENCY.  If you know that Monday’s, Wednesday’s, and Saturday’s are your gym days then you automatically consider that as part of your schedule and routine.  Essentially you are making an appointment with YOURSELF!  It’s important to treat it like that.  You wouldn’t want to consistently cancel or take a rain check for a lunch date with a friend.  So don’t do the same thing to yourself when it comes to getting to the gym.  If your schedule is consistently changing this can be a little bit more challenging.  Really, this just means that you have to be more proactive in looking ahead at your schedule on a weekly or monthly basis to make the gym “appointments”.  But I tell you, it is worth it.  Make the COMMITMENT to YOURSELF.  The last person you should quit on or cancel a meeting with is YOURSELF!

 

2.   What are you going to do once you get to the gym?

So now you have decided what days you plan to workout and feel confident about sticking to that routine.  You’ve prepared your pre-workout meal and have your gym clothes packed and ready to go.  The only thing left to do now is PLAN what you will do when you get there.  Again, showing up is only HALF the battle!  You will get very frustrated very fast if you have fitness goals but don’t have a progressive plan on how to get you to those goals.  I see so many people aimlessly wondering about the gym hitting one machine for upper body then grabbing some lightweight dumbbells to do another random upper body exercise with clearly no rhyme or reason to what they are doing.  Don’t be that person that thinks “I’ll just hit a little bit of everything while I am here”.  I guarantee this will NOT get you the results you are looking for.

To maximize time spent in the gym you’ve got to have a semi-structured plan that addresses your needs and goals.  Here are some basic elements to weight training that you should stick to for best results.

• Your plan should focus on starting with bigger compound movements that require heavier weights. These movements require multiple muscle groups working together.  They are not only more challenging, therefore should be done first, but ALSO burn the most calories (SCORE!)  Usually one or two big compound movements per lifting session.  For example, if it’s leg day then you can hit squats and deadlift.  But don’t overdo it and think you’ll hit bench and overhead press as well.  These are also usually done in lower rep ranges such as 5 sets of 5 or 3 sets of 8.
• After you have done your compound movements then you can perform accessory movements or individual muscle groups with higher repetitions. These might be biceps curls if you are doing upper body day or the leg extension machine if it is a lower body day.  Usually, these are done with 3-4 sets of 12-15 maybe even 20 repetitions.
• Your plan should be progressive and build from week to week. This basically means that the weight should be increasing each week as tolerated.  I guarantee doing the same weight week after week will get you nowhere and leave you frustrated.
• There are many different ways to split up your week regarding your workouts. Some like to do a mix of upper and lower body in one day.  Some want to focus more on specific body parts so will do a chest and back day for one workout.  In general, if you look at your week of workouts planned you should have an even distribution of upper body and lower body exercises to create a well-rounded shape and be more effective.  In addition, it should be varied.  If you do two leg days in a week then be sure that you are doing different exercises on each of those days.
• The body likes and responds best to varied workouts as well as heavyweight. Makes sure the weights you are selecting are heavy enough to make you feel challenged in those last couple repetition for each set.  This is important to overload those muscles and create that growth.
• Know what days you plan to do cardio (if you are doing cardio) and what type (steady state, HIIT, circuit, etc). If cardio is something you want to keep in your weekly regiment that is fine.  Just make sure you have a plan for the type of cardio you want to do and what days you plan to do it.

 

“IF IT DOESN’T CHALLENGE YOU, IT DOESN’T CHANGE YOU”

 

Planning is tough sometimes and it is much easier just to “wing it” for a lot of things.  Other times, NOT having a plan can be part of the fun and enjoyment of the experience.  However, if you are the aimless gym goer I described above and are currently frustrated with your progress towards your fitness goals it might be time to sit down and make a plan.  It takes extra time and effort but trust me it is WORTH IT.  Make sure you are honest with yourself and create a plan you are confident you can stick to.  Don’t get overzealous about doing the most killer workouts 6 days a week if, in your heart, you know that you only have 45 mins 3 days a week to commit to exercise.  If that’s what you have then that is perfect for you and that’s all that matters.

 

Making a plan for your workouts might be that one key piece you have been missing when it comes to seeing the strength results you are looking for.  Hopefully, now you feel like you have a good idea about how to create a plan for yourself to be successful in your fitness goals.

 

Sometimes you might not feel like you have the time or the knowledge to be able to create your own workout plan.  If you feel you’d like a little extra help with making a plan for your workouts that are effective and will help you meet your fitness goals then CLICK HERE to learn about what services I offer as well as how to connect with me.

 

Not all people are the same and nor should their workouts be the same.  This is what I love to do.  I love to create a customized workout plan based on YOUR goals as well as the time, equipment, and commitment you have to give to your fitness goals.  It’s all about finding what works best for you and your schedule.  You can have the best-written plan in the world but it does you no good if you don’t follow it because it takes too long or you don’t have all the equipment.  I am here to give you that extra boost you need to get you to your goals!

 

 

Until next time, stay happy, healthy and fit my friends!

 

XO

Allison