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Originally Posted On: https://fitnesscfgyms.com/exercise/the-complete-guide-to-creating-a-workout-plan-for-beginners/

 

51.6% of people work out regularly for a variety of reasons. Working out is about getting in the best shape of their lives for some people. For others, it’s because it makes them feel good. Regardless, before people begin working out, it’s understood they will need a workout plan that meets their needs and helps them achieve their workout goals. When creating a workout plan, there’s more that goes into it besides picking out a couple of exercises.

Read on below for a comprehensive guide on workout plan phases and types of workouts that you can work into your plan. These can change as you get stronger and build your endurance.

Determine What Days to Workout

The first step in creating a workout plan is determining what days you will work out. Before you set these dates, remember that they can be changed based on your schedule.

However, if you want to reap the benefits of working out, you will need to remain consistent, which means going to the gym regularly. The more consistent you remain, the further along you will get when achieving your exercise goals.

Some assume that a few days of working out is enough to get the desired results. However, you have to have a long-term plan in use that you can follow.

Of course, there will be times when remaining consistent can be challenging whether it’s because you’ve lost motivation or have become injured. However, the overall point is to choose days that make it possible for you to get a workout in a while, also considering your daily schedule.

When deciding on the days you want to work out, it’s best to use a calendar or write them out on a piece of paper. It helps if you have your calendar that details daily activities on it to refer to as you build your workout program.

If you’re a beginner, start by working out a few days a week. As you continue to get stronger, you can add more days in the future as you see fit. Each day you work out won’t be filled with intense training programs; there will be days of light stretching to aid in the recovery of your muscles and body.

After picking the days you want to work out, consider the time of day to ensure that you will be alert and ready to get in the gym and get the job done.

Don’t Skimp On Rest Days

We’ve all seen influencers that spend multiple hours working out in the gym every day. It seems as if they never take time to rest their bodies, but this isn’t the way to get what you want out of your workouts.

It’s crucial to allow your body time to rest; otherwise, you can increase your chances of being injured, which would prolong your results because you’d have to sit on the sidelines. Recovery days don’t mean you have to sit down and do nothing. There are ways to consider scheduling rest days into your workout schedule.

If you’re unsure of what active recovery means, there are several things you can do to promote this. For instance, you can partake in an aerobics class which is easier on your joints and can aid in relieving some muscle soreness.

Another option is to spend time stretching and using a foam roller on your body. This, again, can aid in quicker muscle recovery and help with soreness that could keep you from putting your all into your next workout.

The recovery days you have should typically follow your more intense workout days. This is because on those days, you’re giving it all you’ve got, which means your body is spent and tired afterward.

When you write these active workout days into your schedule it helps to write in the activities you plan to participate in on those days. After you write down the days you’re going to work out and your active recovery days, you can start choosing the workout exercises you plan to follow each day.

Go With Variety

There is nothing wrong with performing the same exercises, but at a certain point, your body isn’t going to get anything out of these repetitive motions. You should avoid choosing exercises that follow the same things, such as the number of reps, activity, and times.

When you’re following the same workout, it’s easy to get bored and can cause you to lose your motivation to continue working out. It can also lead to an increased chance of getting injured from overuse of the same muscles.

The injury is caused by the overuse of the same joints, creating more stress in these areas. The beauty of working out and implementing a variety of workouts is that it keeps your workout plan fresh, and you gain different benefits with each workout.

The best example of workout differentiation is the schedule of a runner. Instead of running three miles every day, the best thing to do is for the runner to run a mile or two on the first day.

Then on the second day, participate in various sprints or track work. Each of these workout train different muscles and don’t cause the body more stress than it needs.

It also would help if the runnier built-in active recovery days and other days where they can work on lifting and building their strength through lifting days. As the runners continue to work out, they will see a difference in their quick twitch muscles, endurance, and overall running form improvement.

Continue to Track Your Progress Overtime

Tracking workout progress is a huge part of working out and determining if you’re on track to accomplish your goals. There has to be a way to track the progress, but the best rule of thumb is to avoid using the scale as a measurement for progress tracking.

Instead, you should do things like keeping track of the time or amount of weight you’ve lifted from the beginning of your training program to now when you’re noting your progress. Tracking your progress will make it easier to determine if your actions are working.

Or if you need to change some aspects of your workout to get better results. When you look at your tracked progress, don’t be discouraged if you see times when you seemingly went backward instead of forward.

There will be times when you’re not training as hard, or something happens that causes you to lose the progress you’ve made. Instead of allowing that to set you back, ensure you use these moments to propel you forward to work harder during your next workout.

We recommend keeping a chart that you can use to track progress, and when you look at it, you’ll feel even more motivated to keep going. However, don’t obsess over the progress because that can mess with your motivation instead of helping you to continue moving forward.

Increase Your Intensity

You’ve taken the time to further build your workout schedule, and now that you’re in the heat of your program, you begin to wonder how to increase your intensity. There are several ways to do so, but if you’re not careful, you could end up taking on intense workouts before you’re ready to do so.

If you want to continue becoming stronger you will need to increase the intensity of your workouts over the course of time. When you’re increasing your intensity, you’ve got to slowly increase the load you take on.

You will also need to increase the number of reps you’re completing and not go overboard. We warn you against making things too intense too quickly because this can set you back and lead to an injury.

If there are specific changes you want to make to your workout schedule, implement them slowly. This could mean increasing your intensity level over the course of a few weeks to a month to truly reap all the benefits.

No matter what level you’re training at, you should listen to your body at every step in the process. If your body is telling you to stop, you need to listen to it and pull back on the amount of work you’re doing.

Do the Work

Once you’ve completed forming your workout plan, the only thing left to do is to get to it and put in the work. Nothing will be accomplished if you don’t uphold the commitment you’ve made to yourself to continue moving forward and consistently working out.

At the beginning of your workout program, building the first thing that was stressful is you have to remain consistent. This means showing up now every day for yourself to continue pushing towards your goal.

Without work, you’re going to gain nothing, but now that you’ve got your workout plan, we don’t want to leave you high and drive. We have some mistakes you’ll want to avoid at all costs as you start working out.

Forgetting to Warm Up

Some people claim they can jump into a workout and be okay with no repercussions. But, if you’ve never worked out before, you’ve got to focus on preparing your muscles for what’s to come.

If not, you could injure yourself, and to be honest, you’re not going to be ready for the rest of your workout. We recommend performing an active warmup that’s dynamic and aids in getting your blood pumping and heart rate up as you progress through each workout stage.

Your warmup doesn’t have to be long; it just needs to be long enough that you begin to feel warm and your muscles feel looser than when you began the warmup.

Doing a Lot Too Soon

Your workout should follow a progressive pattern. You shouldn’t start doing too much too soon because it’s not something your body is used to doing.

We’ve made it clear you need to work out a certain amount of days throughout the week to start with. But, during the days you are working out ensure you’re not taking on too much.

Just like the warm-up, you’ll want your body to become adjusted to working out and making it a part of your daily routine. This isn’t something you want to drastically shock your body because in doing you’re not going to get the results you’re looking for.

Not Changing Your Diet

What is the point of working out if you’re not changing your diet to support your new healthy way of living? What you put in your body is just as important as what you do to change the outside.

Besides, you’ve got to ensure you’re eating a healthy diet because you will need your body to convert what you eat into energy and fuel for your body to use. Ensure you’re filling your diet with fresh fruits, vegetables, and proteins to help you get the most out of each workout.

Creating a Workout Plan & What Works For You

When you’re creating a workout plan, there are several things you have to consider before you can begin the workout. You’ve got to decide which days will work best for you and learn to track your progress.

The more consistent you are about working out, the better off you’re going to be. Are you still unsure where to turn as you begin your workout journey?

Let the experts at Fitness CF help you get started. We offer several locations, classes, and personal trainers that know what it takes to help you achieve the fitness goals you’ve always dreamed of.

Join our club today, or begin your free trial today.