Does putting together an exercise workout routine baffle you?

Are you always wondering what you should be doing when you go to the gym?  Do you feel like you just wander around aimlessly going from machine to machine only to wind up on the elliptical??

If this is you….then you need to know how to make an exercise workout routine that’s effective and SMART.

I don’t know exactly where or when I learned to train.  I began going to the gym in my mid 20’s (now I am in my 40’s!!!!)but I did the usual step aerobics class and maybe I went to the weight section to do leg extensions and leg curls.  But it didn’t take me long to realize that there was a world way beyond what I was doing. 

I am a researcher by nature.  I research EVERYTHING.  I am one of those that just loves to read – sometimes to a fault (like I neglect my family at times because my head is often buried in a book of some sort.) But after my daughter was born, I wanted to get stronger.  I gained 75lbs. when I was pregnant with her but I lost it very fast…..too fast…..and lost a lot of muscle. 

Within that same year my mom passed away and I moved far from home to North Carolina. Some pretty big life changes!!!

In order to cope with the loss of my mom, the stress of moving and the stress of being a first time mom – I coped by working out.  After all, they had free childcare at the local YMCA  – so I took advantage of it sometimes TWICE A DAY.

Long story short…..I used this time to learn everything there was about training and learned how to do nearly every exercise and why I needed to do it. 

My coping method eventually turned into a desire for further education in fitness and wellness and eventually a career.

But many people don’t have that kind of time to figure this out all on their own…..and some people simply don’t have the desire to discover all this on their own.

But…..they want to do SOMETHING that is effective and worthwhile.

So I am going to show you a simple method for creating your own fat loss exercise workout routine whether you are at a gym or at home. 

BEGINNING EXERCISE WORKOUT ROUTINE TIPS

• ALWAYS LIFT WEIGHTS and LIFT HEAVY.
• HIT ALL MAJOR MUSCLES EVERY TIME YOU MAKE YOUR EXERCISE WORKOUT ROUTINE
• USE GOOD FORM AND KEEP INCREASING THE WEIGHT LOAD
• STAY ON THE SAME EXERCISE WORKOUT ROUTINE FOR 3-6 WEEKS BEFORE CHANGING THE PROGRAM
• DO YOUR CARDIO/METABOLIC TRAINNG FOR FAT LOSS AFTER YOU ARE DONE WITH YOUR WEIGHT ROUTINE

Steps to creating your own weight loss workout routine

Step 1.

Each workout for fat loss must target each major muscle.

Include all these exercises below:

• 1 Chest exercise
• 1 Back exercise
• 2 Lower Body exercises
• 2 Core

Train these body parts every time you work out.

STEP 2.

We will call this first workout “WORKOUT A”.

2 core exercises to start.  Alternate each exercise and perform each exercise for 3 sets.

EX:

• Elbow Plank
• Oblique Twist

STEP 3.

Then choose 2 exercises for other body parts that OPPOSE each other. 

We can label each exercise 1A and 1B

• 1A. Squats (for lower body)
• 1B. Chest Press (for Chest)

STEP 4.

Then choose another 2 exercises that OPPOSE each other and call it 2A and 2B

• 2A. Step Ups
• 2B. Double Bent Over Row

STEP 5.

Decide how many sets/reps you would like to do.

There are so many varieties in your rep/set scheme so I will give you the basics to get you started.

You can choose something like this:

• 2 sets of 12-15 reps (lighter weight load but heavy enough that by the end of your second set your muscles are fatigued).

OR

• 3 sets of 8-12 reps (mid-weight load but heavy enough that by the end of your third set your muscles are fatigued).

OR

• 4 sets of 4-8 reps (heavy weight load but heavy enough that by the end of your fourth set your muscles are fatigued).

I am sure that your next question is “which weight load is the best?”

The answer is – they are all important.  Without going into a fancy explanation about hypertrophy and periodization I can tell you in a simple manner that the heavy weight loads make your muscles more DENSE.  The higher reps and lighter weight loads help your muscles to gain SIZE. 

YOU WANT BOTH.

So for the first 2 weeks you can do the lighter weight load.

Then the next two weeks you can go to the mid weight load.

Then for the last 2 weeks you can go to the heavy weight load.

Or you can do all heavy loads or all mid loads.  Try not to overthink it too much – just get started.

Then when you finish those 6 weeks you would build a new exercise workout routine with new exercises.

Granted, this is a VERY SIMPLIFIED explanation but you can get the basic idea of where to begin.  If you are still confused and it’s still hard to wrap your head around feel free to contact me for a bit more info.

Now this is not the time to wimp out and do the bare minimum.

As a beginner I might choose 2 sets of everything with repetitions between 12 and 15 reps.

If I were a bit more active and accustomed to working out I might choose 3 sets of everything with 8-12 repetitions.

STEP 6.

CARDIO/METABOLIC WORKOUT

Post Strength Training is the time your cardio or metabolic work should be done.  You need the energy to get through your strength training PLUS you want to get rid of as much glucose in your system (a.k.a.. CARBS) and expose those fat cells so you can burn some serious fat AFTER your strength training.  Most people do it the opposite way.  It’s not ineffective the other way…..but it’s way more effective to do your strength training first.

You can choose to: 

• Jog on the treadmill for 30 minutes.
• Do a series of sprints on the track or treadmill (20 seconds of sprinting/40 seconds recovery/10 times total)
• Go cycling for 30 minutes
• Or perform a metabolic exercise like these below……

OPTIONAL SET AND REP SCHEME:

• DB Side Held Jump Squat – 15 reps
• Elbow Hand Plank – 6 each side
• Lower Body Burpee – 10 reps
• Rest 1 minute
• Repeat 2-3 more times

OPTIONAL SET AND REP SCHEME:

• Mountain Climbers – 20 reps
• Squat to Press – 15 reps
• Renegade Row with Push Up – 8 reps
• Rest 1 – 2 minutes
• Repeat 2-3 more times

Beginner Metabolic Workout

OPTIONAL REP AND SET SCHEME:

• Squats – 15
• Incline Squat Thrusts – 15
• Toe Taps – R+L=1 rep 20 total reps
• Rest 1-2 minutes
• Repeat 2-4 more times

These are just examples of possible cardio/metabolic workouts.   There are SO MANY you can choose from and can easily create your own.  

After creating Workout A I would repeat the above steps and choose completely different exercises and call it WORKOUT B.

Workout B can include (for example):

CORE: (always include core)

• Oblique Plank
• One leg Teasers

• 1A. Deadlifts (lower body)
• 1B. Push Ups (Chest)

• 2A. Rear Lunges (lower body)
• 2B. Pulldown (upper body)

Then you would include your CARDIO/METABOLIC workout after the strength portion.

Rinse and Repeat each week. 

Consistency in your diet and your commitment to your exercise workout routine is what is going to get you to reach your goal.  You can’t out-train a poor diet!! 

Stick with it and have fun creating your own exercise workout routine!!