People sometimes ask me how I workout. Sometimes they ask how I design exercise programs for other people. For some, there is a misconception that everything is resistance training related. That is not the truth, especially when it comes to clients, but I will start with me first. The primary goal when designing programs for anyone else or myself is to make/keep them fit and healthy while reaching other goals they may have.
Grace and I engage in mobility/flexibility work, cardio, resistance training, and martial arts. Every workout starts with mobility/flexibility, then cardio, our workout for the day, and then more mobility/flexibility. For example, on Monday I engage in 10-15 minutes of mobility/flexibility work as a warm-up, followed by 15 minutes on the treadmill, my squat workout that lasts 1 – 1.25 hours, and then 10 – 20 minutes of mobility/flexibility work as a cool down. Concerning my week overall, it breaks down something like this:
Mobility/Flexibility work – 2 hours weekly
Cardio – 1.25 hours weekly
Resistance training – 4 hours weekly
Gymnastics – 2 hours weekly
So, as you can see, resistance training is not all I engage in during the course of my week of workouts. Indeed, it accounts for less than 50 % of the overall time spent in the gym every week. Honestly, if I could get it done quicker with the same results, I would. Less time in the gym equals more time for other things. But growth in resistance training takes time, more than any other form of working out.
When it comes to clients, the design for a workout varies. It is based on their goals, abilities, and other factors. Here are a few examples though. Again, the overall goal is to make/keep them fit and healthy while helping them attain their other goals. The following examples are from actual clients:
Client 1: 10 minutes mobility/flexibility work, 20 minutes
cardio, 60 minutes resistance training, 20 minutes cardio.
Client 2: 10 minutes mobility/flexibility work, 20 minutes
cardio, 15 minutes resistance training, 20 minutes cardio.
Client 3: 10 minutes mobility/flexibility work, 10-20 minutes
cardio, 45-60 minutes resistance training, 10-20 minutes of mobility flexibility
work.
Client 4: 10 minutes mobility/flexibility work, 60-90 minutes
resistance training, 15 minutes cardio, 10 minutes of mobility/flexibility work
Now these are just examples from four clients and not indicative of the training any other clients may receive. Again, the course taken will vary from one client to the next. However, this offers a simple overview of how I approach designing workout programs across the board. There are far more details that go into it, but this gives you an idea.
Comments