One of the biggest mistakes people make in trying to get stronger or meet specific goals is changing things too often. Today I want to show you how to put together your own program from the vast array of workouts here on the site 🙂 By doing this, you will see more progress in your training goals and be able to set more realistic goals in the future.
:::: Remember that different coaches will have different styles, but each coach should take the things I am listing into consideration ::::
If you chop and change the exercises too frequently, you will never get stronger at them, so keep doing the same workouts for 4-6 weeks at a time. Don’t give up before you give them a chance!
The good thing is that most of my workouts provide you with the means to reach most general fitness goals at home. While the real heavy lifting can mostly only be performed in the gym environment, I personally feel that major progress (or at least maintenance) can be achieved with your body weight and some Kettlebells/Dumbbells etc. Progress for beginners; maintenance for experienced lifters. However, I would argue to experienced lifters that a period of “maintenance training” can aid in much needed recovery/mobility work that can then carry forward into the next phase of your more intense training – it provides a boost, so to speak.
Much in the same way as you would Create a Balanced Workout, I advise you to first select the important movement patterns (in various directions of movement) to help cover all bases, and then simply chose the exercises/or ready-made balanced workouts from my archives that fit the bill and make sure that you cover each movement throughout the week.
Simple, right??
If it was, I don’t think there would be so many trainers out there designing imbalanced workouts and imbalanced programs. But that’s a whole other article/rant!
In order to try to keep things as simply as possible, I have included what I consider to be the most basic/essential elements to cover. More specialised/specific elements can be added down the road, or you can request a more detailed and personalised program by emailing me at: mvk_82@hotmail.com
Basic Movements to try and include throughout the week –> with consideration given to bilateral, unilateral variations and the direction of the movement ( eg forward and backward; up and down; side to side, rotation etc)
Upper Body Pull –> Single Arm Rows, Renegade Row, Pull/Chin Ups etc
Front Core –> Front Plank (stabilise), hanging leg raises (mobilise) etc
Side (rotary) Core –> Side Plank (stabilise), Side Bend (mobilise) etc
As you can see, there is quite a lot to think over, but on top of that you need to consider the following:
Changing the direction
Often, we get stuck moving one direction and even more so, we get stuck standing in one spot while exercising. This is good for many strength exercises, but not good for overall movement quality, agility, balance, co-ordination and … even FUN! So we must move in all directions to get the full benefit of our training. This is something I learned the hard way :-/
You might be thinking “when will I ever get the time to include all this stuff?” well, many of these things can be included in your warm up and even as part of a conditioning “finisher” after your strength section
:::: Remember that just because you don’t use a lot of weight in some directions, does not mean you are not getting stronger –> because strength should be build on strong movements ::::
Some ideas to add in (maybe once per week for variety):
– Side Lunges, Monkey Hustle,Moon Walking(as demonstrated by the lovely Nia Shanks *Teehee*)
– Rotational exercises (Russian Twists, Figure of 8, Chops, Band Rotations etc)
Activate, Mobilise, Strengthen, Stretch and Stabilise
Again, a lot to consider. But have a think about what your training AND lifestyle are doing to your body or, indeed, not doing. For example: do you have tight ankles, tight hips, poor core or shoulder stability, shortened hamstrings or dormant glutes??
You may not even know if you have any existing problems, so I recommend trying to cover most of these by:
Adding Glute Activation and Mobility drills to your warm-up – if you know you have an “issue” with Hip Mobility (for example), this is when you should spend a little extra time on it.
Or – you can activate or mobilise areas right before a specific exercise or between sets eg: Bird-Dogs and Hip Mobility work between sets of Hip Thrusts or KB Swings.
Strength being the focus of the workout … strengthen your body as a unit working together (which is why I love full body training)
Work on Stability at the end of the workout – save your planks, overhead carries etc until you have done the bulk of your training, so as not to fatigue those smaller muscles
Stretch as part of your cool-down.
This way you will cover most things in a more time-efficient manor.
In my workout archives, I may not cover everything above (btw I am planning on bringing a little more organisation and variety to the options), but every workout will have good balance between many elements discussed. Variety in the direction of movements and your own activation, mobility, stretching work will need to added in places.
Putting it all together
While it might seem super complicated, all you need to do is decide how many times per week you want to / are able to train and then design (or take) those workouts which include complementary elements. For example, Day 1 you choose a Goblet Squat, Day 2 you choose Lateral Lunges and Day 3 you choose Weighted Step Ups. Each is a Quad Dominant exercise, yet you have included bilateral movements, lateral movement and unilateral throughout the week. You try to include different variations of the movement patterns in each workout and then repeat said workouts each week for 4-6 weeks. Each time you perform them you want to improve in any of these ways:
– Better form (increased range of movement etc)
– More reps with the same weight
– More weight with same reps
– More advanced variation of exercises ( eg: progressing from shoulder-elevated push ups to full push ups)
You might not cover everything in any one program, so don’t get too obsessed all the extra considerations – the most important thing is that exercises are balanced in the most basic ways (upper lower/push and pull). So remember that each 4-week-phase is a chance to work on something that you didn’t focus on before. For example, in Month 1, you might have included more rotational exercises for the core, so in Month 2, this is a chance to change it up and maybe work on rotary stability. You simply cannot work on everything at once but you can choose what you want/need to work on, based on your current progress and your short-term goals.
Free Sample Program
Because I am a very nice person 🙂 I have built a sample program for you, using some of my pre-made workouts and a few extra elements to help you see what it all looks like as a finished piece.
And there we have a series of workouts that you are free to do every week for the next 4 weeks. You can do them in any order and decide on the recovery style you like/need between each day. When it comes to how to “live out” your program, there will be a little trial and error: some people might cope well training 4 days in a row, other may not.
EXTRA NOTE:
If you are someone who prefers upper/lower body splits, then you still should apply the same considerations to movement patterns and the directions above, however you could add in 2 of each movement, or mix some compound exercises (at the start of the workout) with some isolation exercises (at the end).
Example:
1) Pull Ups: 3×5-7
2a) Single-Arm Row: 2×8-12
2b) Double Military Press: 3×5-7
3a) Dynamic Push-Ups: 3×8-12
3b) KB Windmill: 3×8
Finish with 3 round of the following sequence:
– Bicep Curls: x 15 reps
– Lateral Raises x 15 reps
– Tricep extensions x 15 reps
You can also add in “Finishers” that focus on the other body parts – so, you might have an upper body strength session followed by a lower body Tabata, or Sprints etc.
And that’s a wrap, folks 🙂
This article is meant to help you understand that designing an effective program takes a little bit of time and planning, but is worth the extra effort and organisation because it helps you commit more to your goals and it will be easier to measure your progress.
Hopefully it is helpful for you and that you will provide feedback below –> feel free to add to the content by leaving suggestions for your fellow readers 🙂
Today, I decided to do my first Kettlebell workout in over 2 weeks! There are times I like to change things up, so this last while I decided to start walking EVERYWHERE. Last week, I walked a total of about 30 miles. This week will be over 20 🙂 When the weather is clear and dry, I just love walking in the crisp air.
Over the next while, I plan to do 2-3 gym workouts, 1 KB workout and a LOT of walking. Keep things fresh!
The workout ended up being quite a long one in comparison to the usual - however it was fun and challenging, so I hardly saw the time go in.
The Workout
Set your Gymboss Classic Interval Timer for 10 cycles of 20 seconds rest and 40 seconds effort. Complete 3 rounds in total of the 10 exercises and complete one set of the "Bridging Combination" after rounds 1 and 2.
My reps per exercise and weights used are recorded in brackets below:
Stand-Kneel-Stand (right) (16kg) (13, 13, 12)
Stand-Kneel-Stand (left) (16kg) (13, 13, 13)
Renegade Row (2x16kg) (17, 16, 16)
Two-Handed KB Swing (20kg then 24kg) (30, 30, 29)
Side to Side Step Ups (42, 40, 40)
Push Press (right) (14kg then 16kg) (15, 10, 9) 16kg was tough!
Push Press (left) (same) (15, 11, 11) - better this side
Single Leg RDL (left) (20kg then 2 x 16kg) (8, 7, 7) - balance was my main issue
SL RDL (right) (same) (10, 8, 7)
Burpees (10, 9, 9)
Bridging Combination
Seated Band Abductions x 20 reps
Pull Ups x 6 reps (or do a row)
I just loved this workout - it was the perfect mix of exercises 🙂
Hope you enjoy it too! Please let me know about the Comment section --> vote yes or no for the new set-up!
Lately, I have been confessing a lot of my short-falls and I am very sorry to be focusing on what may seem like negativity. But there is a purpose to taking a route through the dark woods – the purpose becomes clear when you take a moment to look up and see the light between the trees.
Basically, I had a bit of a realisation about my September Pledge that I think I need to share.
The last thing I want to do is waffle on about this, the video below says it all!
Here is the wonderful post by Kellie Davis over on Bret’s blog.
Final thoughts:
Without thinking about anything in the past or future, try honestly to think of something right NOW that is wrong with your life?
Back in Feb/March time, I remember writing about how I was living like I was 58kg (or something) and not feeling like it was a future goal – within 2 weeks I was 58kg!! I felt no stress about it, and lived each day as if I had everything I could ever want. You really do attract what you think about most. For example, If I had been feeling like 58kg was a future goal everyday, then it would remain a future goal.
I also felt pretty damn good about how I looked and SO grateful about many things each day. I remember keeping a journal to write these things down. Guess what? I didn’t find as many things to complain about or be dissatisfied with – and how I looked wasn’t even a concern.
There may be things that I would like to happen in my life; future stuff like get married, have babies, build my business more etc, but I shouldn’t let not having these things affect my feelings now. Because “now” is all it will ever be and unless I am present and accept that, I will constantly live in the past or the future, and I will never be happy – because happiness exists nowhere else, but in the PRESENT. Oh boy, this stuff is hard to explain!
So, what about fitness goals, are these not based on the future or the past? Yes, they are based on it, but how you live out the process is what defines success or failure. For one thing, if you never learn how to be happy NOW, then how will you ever appreciate that moment that you reach the end goal? That moment is easy to imagine way off in the future (that’s not real), but if you can’t deal with NOW, NOW, then when that time comes you won’t have learned that important skill! Confusing? YES!
Ok, but I have to make a plan to attain that goal – is that not avoiding “now” too? Nope! Again, you need to learn how to fully live in the moment – like you can only make good choices to follow your daily plan moment to moment. The biggest mistake you can make is feeling dissatisfied after 2 weeks of following your plan because you don’t notice any changes. This means you have attached your happiness to the future, which doesn’t exist! You may indeed achieve your goal one day, but at that point it is no longer the future. If you always live in the future (imaginary world), your moment of success will fade into failure because you simply aren’t happy now. Make sense? You need to appreciate each step along the way.
My “motivational” photo was only helping me to not be happy now. Instead of making me feel I was on a journey, I was feeling stuck, feeling a failure and feeling a massive sense of pressure to get back on track. But what track? I can only be on the track I choose to be on right now. You can only see one step at a time; you can’t see the road ahead – it doesn’t exist yet.
This stuff is enough to explode my brain at times, but I am sure on some level it makes sense – or I wouldn’t have realised that my September Pledge was flawed. I made a mistake and now I am making it right.
As I type this, I can accept my body is amazing! Whether it looks the same as 8 months ago or not, it squatted 60kg x 2 reps yesterday and that was a moment to celebrate!
What about the September Challenge?
I still want to try and do 2 strength sessions and 3 conditioning sessions, along with my daily walks each week.
I will still be fasting and trying to make the best choices each day.
I will still try and get good sleep.
I will still drink more water and less coffee.
I will not expect to look any different to how I am right now. Because how I look right now, is all that is ever real. This is where it gets confusing. Even if I change over time, the point is that I learn to accept that in any given moment I am powerless to change anything.
I live in a state of gratitude – tough one, but essential!
Although I initially felt really stupid for letting myself fall into this trap again, I am glad it happened, because I have now reset my mind 🙂 Whatever the mind is set on, the body follows!
Have a great Day everyone! Hopefully this makes some sense.
Today I have another guest workout for you! Roger Lawson has fast become a great friend in the last couple of months and I know you will all instantly fall in love with his energy, enthusiasm and humour! He is also one of the most generous and selfless people I know, so give him a very warm welcome here!
Actually, a few weeks back I set Rog a challenge as part of his “I Must Break You” Series – to complete my Super Variety Kettlebell Workout that I posted here at the end of June. Rog’s attempt can be seen here. It should be noted that they did it totally backward and had intervals of 15 secs effort and 45 rest, instead of the other way around (cheaters! haha). In October, Rog is visiting Ireland for a week and will hanging out with me here in Belfast. So justice will be served, I have challenged him to a rematch … and he graciously accepted! Well, he can hardly come to the myomytv studio and NOT do a workout for you all 😉
Now, I will hand over to Rog and I’ll let him introduce today’s workout: AND CHECK OUT MY STUPID ATTEMPT TO BE COOL AT THE END! LOL – Rog dared me to say swagger … and it flopped 🙁
The Workout (Rated: Advanced)
A1) Explosive Glute Bridge (thrust so hard that the bar leaves your hips) – 1 x 5
A2) Glute Bridge Booty Pump (lockout, drop an inch or two, lock out, repeat) – 1 x 20
A3) Standing Band Hip Thrust – 1 x 30
B1) Rack Assisted 1 Arm Chin Up (the higher your arm on the rack, the more help you’ll get when you pull) – 1 x 3-5 each arm
B2) Eccentric Focused Chin Ups (minimum 5 seconds lowering on each rep; explode up)- 1 x 5-10
B3) Explosive Chin Ups (minimize the lowering; explode up) – 1 x 5-10
C1) Band Glute Rotations – 1 to 2 x 10 each cheek
C2) Push Up Lean/Push Up/Push Back Combo – 2 x 1/3/3
(1 push up lean each arm, 3 push ups & 3 push backs – repeat 2x for one set)
D) Deadlift + Pendlay Row Combo – 2 x 10/5
10 reps on the deadlift, and 5 reps on the row – choosing a heavy enough weight for the row to be a challenge. Return the bar to the floor with each rep.
E1) Kneeling Ab Wheel Rollout – 2 x 8-10
E2) 1 ½ Dumbbell Hammer Curl – 2 x 8-10
F1) Dragon Flag (straight legs = harder; bent knees = easier) – 2 x 3-5
Go down only as far as you can keep a neutral spine – KEEP YOUR BUTT SQUEEZED!
F2) Tire Slams (slam as if you were trying to break the world in half) – 2 x 5
As many of you will know, about a month ago I came to a decision about my career as a nurse … as in, I decided I was going to apply for a career break to allow me more time to properly explore my Fitness projects. After the initial excitement from all the amazing responses to my post “My Big Decision”, I realised that this transition won’t be immediate and I must have patience. To act rashly, with emotional frustration, would likely see me in a worse position… so I must continue my nursing for a few more months to allow me to save money like a crazy person in order support myself once I leave. I have had a few comments about why I am still talking about my work “if” I have left! When the time is right, it will be right. For now, I am learning how to delay my gratification (so to speak), and put up with a less desirable situation with the knowledge that it will allow me to be better prepared for when I do leave and can focus on more of what I love… Now that I am 30, I must start showing some wisdom 😉
That being said, I will have an announcement in the next few days about a VERY exciting NEW project (yes another project), that I think you will LOVE!! 😀 In fact, quite a few exciting things will be coming to a head very soon … *mysterious music plays*
After nearly a whole week of rest from training (I did promise myself last week I would rest more) I was excited to have very little pain and nice enough weather to train outside on Friday. This is what I did:
The Workout
I took my time through the following 3 couplets. It was great actually … just to enjoy focusing on the movements and my breathing (a little more than usual), and as I mentioned in the video … I foam rolled before the workout, which also helped a lot.
Foam rolling is something I see a lot of other trainers teach to their clients, and many of the GGS co-founders use this as part of their warm up and recovery … perhaps it was ignorance, a little “what do I need with that?” attitude; maybe even a little laziness on my part that caused me to resist implementing it sooner, but I am hearing more and more about the benefits of soft tissue therapy, trigger points, and self myofacial release … so I thought it was about time I quit being judgmental about it and JUST TRY IT. So try it I have – and it does help!
Oh boy, do I have a lot to learn!
I was so glad to train again: Lately my diet has gone off the rails a little and I was feeling rather “squishy” that particular day, though I think it was more hormone-related … ah, the joys of estrogen :/
A.N.Y.W.A.Y.
I was talking about the 3 couplets before I went off on a tangent about foam rolling and estrogen … basically, I set the reps lowish for most of the exercises (couplets 1 and 2) and did 3 rounds of each couplet. The intensity changes throughout the workout, ending on a high heart rate (couplet 3 has set times). However, that doesn’t mean that each couplet doesn’t comes with its own challenge. As you will see in the first couplet, the main challenge for me was keeping a hold on the Kettlebell LOL! 😉
Please feel free to increase or decrease the reps or time depending on your own ability. Even change the exercise, if you feel the one listed is too advanced.
Couplet 1
Goblet Squat x 10 reps (20kg)
Snatch (left then right) x 5 reps (started with 20kg and down-graded to 16kg after the mishap)
Couplet 2
Pull Up x max reps (for me, on that day, this was 5 reps)
Burpees x 10 reps
Couplet 3 – rest enough after the first exercise to allow a good fall in heart rate.
Two-Handed KB Swing (20kg) (more relaxed swing) x 1 min
RKC Plank x max time (for me I managed 56 secs, 58 secs, 1min 9 secs) – this should be very challenging
For those who want to see my Kettlebell Snatch Mishap again … here is a video I posted on Facebook the other day! Can’t believe 2 people disliked this on YouTube!! Clearly they need to grow a sense of humour … someone even told me to start wearing straps LOL – silliness! Just laugh and like it 😛
Have a great day everyone! SEE YOU ALL soooon 😉 *this is a hint*
