Structure your workout

How often do you find yourself walking into the gym without a plan in mind?

You look around to see which machines are free and usually end up on the ones you find easiest or are comfortable with. Without making a note I’m sure you probably don’t remember all of your personal bests or the weight you lifted during the exercise the week before. If this sounds familiar and you aren’t seeing the results you are hoping for it’s likely you aren’t optimising the time you are spending in the gym, therefore, slowing down your progress. Structuring your gym workout is one of the best ways to stay on track to reach those all-important fitness goals. Maybe you are new to planning a workout or your current schedule needs a little tweaking to maximise effectiveness.

To keep it simple there are three crucial components to a gym-based session:

• The warm-up

• The main session

• The cool-down 

No component is more important than the other and each component complements the other to create a recipe for the perfect workout.

The warm-up (3-5 minutes)

Warming up prior to the main workout is important for improving performance as it prepares the mind and body for the challenge of the main workout. Warming up the muscles by taking them through a gradually increasing range of motion helps reduce the risk of injury. 

There are many different ways of warming up, which should vary depending on what is planned for the main workout. For example, if you are performing an upper-body workout of a split routine, it would be no use warming up on an upright bike as this will only work the lower body muscles and using a rower would be more suited to the workout.

Dynamic stretches should follow as they aim to move limbs to lengthen muscles to the end of their range of motion. Around 8-10 repetitions of each movement are performed under control, gradually taking the stretch further to increase the range of motion. 

The main workout

The main workout consists of training-specific fitness components: CV, muscular, and functional. 

CV (cardiovascular) fitness includes running, rowing, swimming, skipping and circuit training amongst many other exercises. Current guidelines stipulate that in order for adults aged 19-64 to remain healthy they should exercise daily and aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity or an equivalent combination of the two every week. There are many ways to perform CV exercises. Each way is a variation on one of the main three approaches: continuous, interval and fartlek training.

Muscular fitness is a collective term for muscular endurance, strength and power.

Muscular endurance refers to the ability of the muscles to work continuously under low-to-moderate resistance e.g. performing a set of burpees or cycling for a significant length of time (20 minutes). 

Muscular strength refers to the ability of muscles to exert maximal force against a high resistance e.g. performing dumbbell flyes or a bench press.

Muscular power refers to the ability of muscles to exert force per unit of time, in other words, the speed at which they can move multiplied by their strength e.g. throwing a javelin, performing a box jump or explosive press-up.

Functional fitness is best described as exercises that replicate real-life everyday tasks like bending, twisting, lifting, pushing, pulling and squatting. These exercises aim to improve balance, coordination, mobility and movement patterns. Functional training can be performed using a range of exercise equipment and bodyweight exercises.

The cool-down

The most frequently overlooked and undervalued component of an exercise session is the cool-down and flexibility element. 

After a workout, it is important to gradually return the body to its ‘pre-exercise’ state, in order to ensure oxygen debt is repaid and prevent blood pooling. Cool-downs are also needed to reduce any tension that has built up in the muscles over the course of the workout and disperse any lactic acid that has accumulated facilitating muscle recovery.

At the end of an exercise session, it is important to stretch all muscles that have been worked. This is to help reduce tension, return and maintain a normal range of motion in the muscles and take the opportunity to develop tight muscles and improve flexibility. 

Following a structure will improve your results as you are able to challenge your body consistently in the right ways to make progress and meet your goals, it’s a lot tougher to do so if you aren’t following anything. 

Want to find out more about how I can help you structure your workouts to achieve your personal fitness goals sign up here for a free strategy consultation and unleash the power of a healthier mind, body and soul.