Here is a guide to a balanced, challenging, and beneficial workout routine, so you can structure your own weekly workouts.
In a recent study, almost 50% of all Americans are intimidated at the thought of going to gym and working out. And of the people that go to the gym, 22% don’t know effective exercises and routines to get a good workout.
Being able to confidently walk into the gym, know what you are doing, and squash those goals is such a valuable and mood-boosting feeling. Once you have a plan in place, some of those uneasy feelings go away.
Not only that, but going to the gym without a plan can result in so much wasted time deciding on what exercises to do and doing movements that aren’t beneficial. It will result in much lower quality workouts.
I know this because I use to show up at the gym not knowing what to do or how to structure a good workout. And for that reason, I was definitely intimidated. I used leave the gym not satisfied and unhappy with my experience.
However, after researching a bunch of different exercises and plans, and figuring out what works for me, I am more confident in the gym and walk in there ready to crush my workout and get some gains! And now I have compiled a full workout plan and the exercises that will help you achieve that toned body.
Strive for maximum effort!
Leaving the gym with that feeling of satisfaction, that you pushed through each set and felt yourself get stronger and leaner, is what to strive for. I wanted to feel that, therefore, I started researching a bunch of workouts and over-time found the best ways to get the most out of each gym visit and how to properly structure a balanced and efficient weekly workout routine.
An efficient weekly plan all comes down to stringing together nicely structured workouts based on goals and including variation. Creating a workout plan can get overwhelming and messy. There are so many questions such as, what exercises and workout routine should I do and will that benefit me? How long should my workouts last? How do I burn the most calories?
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What is your goal?
Before you dive into creating your weekly workout plan and routine, you need to ask yourself a couple questions.
- What is my goal?
- How many days a week am I going to work out?
- What is my fitness level right now?
Everybody’s fitness goal is different, and your goal depends on how you train and how many days a week you work out. Your starting fitness level will also be a factor in deciding your weekly workout plan. Someone who is currently training 6 days a week, is going to have a different workout plan then someone who hasn’t been working out at all.
There is no perfect formula for everybody. Those questions above will help you decide what is best for you, your goal, and your lifestyle.
For starters…
If you want to work out 5 days a week and your goal is to get toned, I recommend doing 3 days of strength, 2 days of cardio with 2 rest days. If you want to work out 4 days a week, try 3 days of strength and only 1 cardio day.
Whatever the case may be, strength training and weightlifting will be your friend.
Start lifting!
In order to get toned, you must build strength and lose fat. The most efficient way to do this is by weightlifting.
Weight training increases muscle and muscle burns more calories at rest than any other tissue. Therefore, even after you finish a workout, your body will burn more calories because your resting metabolism is increased.
Instead of spending 30+ minutes a day on the treadmill, use that time weightlifting and get the benefits post workout as well.
Now that you got an idea of what you will be doing, and how many times a week you want to work out, lets get into what type of exercises and workouts to do in order to be the most beneficial. Keep reading and learn how to structure your own effective weekly workouts.
The Structure of Strength Workouts
I love to break my strength workouts into 3 categories. Each day has a warm-up, main exercise, and finisher. Constructing a workout like this will help burn the most calories. The first half of the main workout won’t be spent on getting warm and the finisher will ensure a beneficial and satisfying workout so each day you leave it all in the gym.
The Warm-up
The warm-up is meant to stretch out your muscle to avoid injury, get your heart rate up, and prepare yourself for your main workout. There are so many options when it comes to warming up.
I like to do a variation of high knees, jumping jacks, and body weight jump squats at the beginning to increase my heart rate. Then, add some stretches like deep lunges and arm circles.
Another option would be to warmup on a treadmill or walking outside for 10 minutes.
Whatever you choose, your warm up should take about 5-10 minutes.
The Main Workout
The main workout is the majority of your workout. There are a ton of different strength workouts out there that can all be very beneficial. This is one of the reasons why it can be overwhelming when you are trying to structure your own weekly workouts.
Lets keep it simple!
I recommend picking 6 different weightlifting exercises and using that as your foundation.
The exercises performed in the main workout for each day should have some structure to it as well. How ever many days a week do you want to train will depend on how you structure it. If you are strength training 3 days per week, break it up into a leg day, an arm day, and a total body day.
This means that the 6 exercises you pick on day 1 of the week, will mostly be leg exercises. Day 2 of strength will be arms and the final strength day of the week will be total body, including both legs and arms. This ensures you hit both arms and legs twice a week.
Number of Sets and Rep Count
For each of the 6 exercises, aim for around 3 sets of 10 reps each. That is a good starting point, but, it can vary. The heavier you go with your weight, the lower your rep count will be.
For example, if you are 150 pounds and using a 15-pound dumbbell for squats, your rep count might be 12 because the weight is lighter then if you were using a barbell with 25-pound plates on it. In that case, your rep count might only be 5. Be aware of how your body is feeling and add weight accordingly. However, don’t be afraid to challenge your body with heavier weight.
The exercises you pick can be a mixture of machines, dumbbells, body weight, and barbells, but have a plan and stick to it.
Need some inspiration and ideas?
Click here for some of the best dumbbell leg exercises.
You can also sign up to my email list and receive a FREE 7-day workout plan which includes example of exercises for both arms, legs, and total body. Don’t miss out! Sign up below.
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The Finisher
The finisher is mostly cardio based and high intensity. It can range from 2-10 minutes and intended for you to push through the last part of the workout and increase the calories burned. It also helps with burning more calories after the workout is complete.
A common finisher would be a Tabata style workout. 8 sets of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds rest for a total of 4 minutes.
By the end of each workout, you will feel so satisfied and fatigued. You will have gotten the most at of your time and energy. The finisher is the “final push or last lap” of the race. Sweat it out!
Want some more examples of finishers? Sign up to my email list above a get a FREE 7-day workout plan. You can also stay up to date on all the latest posts and updates.
The Structure of Cardio Workouts
Including 1-2 cardiovascular workouts in your weekly workout plan is really good for your health. It reduces the risk of many conditions such as high blood pressure, heart disease and type-2 diabetes. There are a variety of different workouts and high-intensity exercises to choose from.
Find exercises you like!
I used to think of cardio as running on a treadmill which made me dread cardio days. However, I found a lot of cardio workouts that I really love that don’t include the treadmill.
The key to keeping up with your workout plan and finishing cardio days, is to include some exercises that you like. If you hate running, do jump lunges or mountain climber instead. The good news is, there is a ton of variety, and one size doesn’t have to fit all. When you structure your own weekly workouts, you can incorporate whatever you like to do.
For example, I’m a collegiate artistic swimmer so needless to say, I spend a lot of time in the water. Swimming is an amazing form of cardio for anyone. It forms those long and toned muscles and it is really good for your joints. The average calories burned for 30 minutes of swimming is around 250 calories which makes it one of the best cardiovascular exercises to do.
Some other really good workouts include hiking, if you live near mountains, cycling, and even walking. Starting your day with a 2-3-mile walk as a form of cardio feels amazing.
HITT Workout
The other option would be doing a HITT workout. That stands for high intensity interval training. For workouts like this, I use an app to act as a timer. The one I use is call Interval Timer. It’s free, easy to use, and allows you to completely customize the workout.
One example is setting it for 8 exercises with 45 seconds working and 15 seconds resting and then repeat the 8 exercises 2-4 more times. You could also do 20 seconds of working, 10 seconds of rest and repeat for 3-5 cycles.
The type of exercises you should include in HITT workouts are more explosive and faster paced. Some examples include, jump squats, high knees, mountain climber, jacking jacks, jumping lunges, burpees, frog jumps, speed skates, and inch worms.
During this type of workout, body weight exercises or light weights are standard, nothing too heavy. You want to work for speed and high rep count.
Rest and recovery
Rest and recovery are also a big part of structuring good weekly workouts. You need to make sure your body is getting proper rest and recovery which will ensure the work you put in, is actually paying off. Excessive soreness, moodiness, constant fatigue, and the inability to push yourself during workouts are all signs that you need more rest and recovery.
- Include at least 1 rest day a week – you can still be active during this rest day but nothing intense. Give your body the time it needs to recover and refuel.
- Get enough sleep – an average of 7-8 hours a night
- Eat after each workout – your body needs food to fuel your muscles so they can grow and recover
- Stretching – doing a few stretches after each workout will help decrease soreness and avoid tight muscle
There you have it! Now you can structure your own weekly workouts and get the most of out each time you go to the gym. Be confident and feel the sweat!
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