How To Design Your Own Exercise Programme From The Ground Up

Before we get into the finer details, let’s get the most common exercise programme mistakes out of the way. This way you can ensure you don't make them. You won’t have to look too far next time you’re in the gym to see that these are all too common.

#1 Programme hopping

People are always looking for the secret ingredient in the hope that they’ll unlock a whole host of benefits and quickly achieve their goals. This mindset opens the door for programme hopping. That is, they start some type of exercise routine, something else comes out that looks different and quirky and they gravitate towards that. There has got to be time dedicated to a programme for it to be effective. Consistent programme hopping never allows any adaption to occur.

#2 Programme copying

Next on the list, you have those copying someone else’s workout. You would?think following another workout that’s been designed for “someone else” would be an obviously bad move but nevertheless, it still happens. I’ve lost count of the number of times people have told me I’m doing Usain Bolt's speed drills or Arnold Schwarzenegger's leg day. Of course, there will naturally be similar exercises and crossover from programme to programme but programmes are much more than just a bunch of exercises. Reps, sets, intensities, tempo and are all dependent on the goals and the ability of the person. I don’t know about you but last time I checked there were very few in the world who has the credentials of Arnold and Bolt.

#3 Only training muscles you can see

If you only train the muscles you can see in the mirror then you’ll be forgetting that the body moves as one. Too much training in one area and not enough in our is not only going to create a disproportionate look for promoting imbalances at the same time. The more imbalances within the body the higher risk of injury. When you’re injured your ability to make progress towards your goals is limited.

#4. Poor technique

Technique denotes how much tension is put on the muscle, poor technique simply results in the targeted muscle not receiving the appropriate stimulus. Done consistently means you’re only wasting time and effort as well as risking injury. Therefore, do not ever skip the “learning” period of a new exercise.

#5 Using too many machines

Machines have their uses, but they pale in comparison to free weight exercises (barbell squats, bench press, rows). Using too many is not only time restrictive but movement restrictive too. In addition, the movement patterns you do on the machines do not often transfer to movement in daily life. Take the lying leg curl for example, when is the last you lay down face down on the ground and brought your two legs up to meet ninety degrees? Using predominantly free weights provides you with many advantages from a time standpoint and movement one.

#6 Too much rest

If your sessions are taking longer than sixty minutes, you’re not working out you’re mingling. You should easily put the body under enough stress within an hour to leave you feeling you have done something worthwhile.

#7 Inconsistency

Simply showing up is part of the equation for a successful outcome when it comes to exercise programmes. There will be some days (if not every day) where you feel like not going. That is a reality but managing to get yourself through the door consistently is ultimately what yields the greatest rewards.

The three most important variables for success

Now that we’ve got the mistakes out of the way, let’s take about the stuff that’s actually going to help you stay consistent.

?#1 Practicality

How practical the programme is for your personal needs and your lifestyle is something you should consider early. A mistake many make is picking an approach that’s not really feasible for them to stick to. For example, if you’re a parent, time is going to be of the essence so thinking you can train for two hours a day and still get in all parent duties is unrealistic. In short, you need to take into account “real life” and consider what you can see yourself practically doing week in and week out all things considered.

#2 Enjoyable

The fun factor is another important variable, looking forward to the weekly workouts will increase the likelihood of you showing up. Therefore, picking exercises and a format that will keep the fun factor on board is vital. Thankfully, there are many adaptations, alternatives and routines when it comes to programming which you can choose from to make sure you set up something you’re likely to enjoy.

#3 Flexibility

Life will ultimately throw some stuff at you along the way. Kids get sick, work gets busier and whatever else. When this happens, you need to have the mindset and the ability to move things around or pick up where you left off. A missed session here and there isn’t the end of the world, how you react to it is the most important aspect. Without a doubt, you will have to use your flexibility muscle along the way, therefore, having a plan for when the unexpected happens before you start in other important tools in your arsenal.?

Design a programme unique to you

Workout programmes are typically designed to enhance goals within the 5 components of fitness:

·???????Muscular strength

·???????Muscular endurance

·???????Body Composition (Fat loss or muscle gain)

·???????Cardiovascular

·???????Flexibility

The exercise programme design table below summarises the primary fitness-related goals and provides guidance on what approaches should be used to meet those goals.

Starting along the top row you will see the workout variables you will want to consider before creating a programme suited for your goals. The definitions of the common workout terms are explained below.

Exercise per session – This is the total number of exercises completed in each workout.

Reps – The number of repetitions completed of a given exercise e.g. 12 reps.

Sets - Number of repetitions per work sets, e.g. 2 sets of 12 would be 24 reps in total.

% Rep Max – This is the amount of weight compared to your 1 rep max, e.g. if the maximum you could lift doing bicep curls was 30 kg, 30kg is your 1 rep max for bicep curls.

Rest: Time in seconds/minutes between sets.

Frequency: The recommended times you should work out over the course of a week based on the goal.

Strength – You want to build overall strength or specifically in certain areas or on certain exercises (squat, bench press etc.)

Muscle Endurance – You want to have to ability to perform the same action over and over again before stopping, therefore, improving your “endurance” will allow you to perform more repetitions in less time.

Weight loss – You want to burn as many calories as possible during the workout. Typically, this is done by taking minimal rest and doing a mixture of cardiovascular and resistance exercises. Keep in that diet will play a key role also.

Beginner – You are new to exercise or have not performed consistent workouts in several months.

Choosing exercises unique to you and your experience level

Your body moves in pretty much the same way as any other human through seven basic movement patterns. Naturally, if you want to be a strong, lean healthy and independent human, you need to learn all of these foundational patterns. They perfectly carry over to everyday tasks helping you lead a better quality of life all around. See patterns below along with “carryover” examples:

1.????Squat: Think sitting down and up off a chair.

2.????Hinge: Bending at the hips to get up out of bed.

3.????Lunge: Getting down to tie your shoelaces.

4.????Push: Opening a heavy door to walk through.?

5.????Pull: Starting the lawnmower.

6.????Carry: Carrying shopping bags to the car.

7.????Rotation: Reaching across your body to get something off the counter.

It’s important that you start with the right variation for your skill level, if you don’t you’re asking for trouble. While there are advanced testing procedures out there, these procedures are not usually needed to get in a good rhythm if you can generally do exercise without being in serious discomfort. Pick the variation that you feel is both comfortable and the right challenge. If you’re unsure, always start with the easiest and work your way up from there.

In the below table you’ll see variations of each movement pattern. The fundamentals start from the left and move to more advanced from there. A quick search on Youtube and you'll get plenty of demonstrations.

Putting it all together

I appreciate this is a lot of information to take but the devil is in the details. Follow the steps below to build your unique programme from the ground up.

Step 1: Determine your goal. Consider what you would like to achieve from participating in an exercise programme.?Improve strength? Put on muscle? Get crystal clear on your "why".

Step 2: Pick an exercise from each pattern. The trick is to find?the most challenging variation that you can do with excellent technique and work up the chain from there.

Step 3: Pick your starting reps/sets/weight. Use the programme design chart for guidance on what the correct approaches are for a variety of goals. Start at the lower end of the ranges if you are unsure where to begin and progress from there.

Step 4: Pick Warm up/Cool down routine. Always begin a workout with a 5-minute dynamic warm-up. After your workout is complete do a 5-minute cool-down and stretch. Use static stretches for 10 -15 seconds each and stretch out all the major muscles you’ve worked during the workout.?

Step 5: Schedule it in your diary. This might well be the most important step. Often if it doesn't get scheduled it doesn't get done! Ensure you set your week up in such a way that makes it easy for you to show up to the gym.

Summary

Exercise programme design doesn't need to be rocket science. The truth is the best exercise programmes are ones that embed the fundamentals of movement and allow for progression over time. Everything should start with mastering the fundamental movement patterns and adding progressions accordingly. Now don't just read this post and not do anything. I've given you all the bells and whistles. Pay me back by taking action!