How To Design A Workout Program

Knowing how to set up a workout program can be the difference between success and failure in your weight loss efforts.

I'm going to give you some sample routines that you can use. Unfortunately, I can't give you an individual workout program because I don't know what kind of condition you're in.

You should supplement what you learn here with other resources.

Make sure you consult with your doctor before you start an exercise program if you have any health conditions.

Cardio

Do at least 3 days of cardio. If your goal is maximum fat loss, do cardio 5 to 7 days a week for 30 to 45 minutes.

If you’re a beginner, 3 to 4 days a week for 20 to 30 minutes is a decent starting point.

You can increase the frequency and duration based on your results.

Make sure you build up slowly. Beginners should gradually increase workout time to 30 minutes or more.

The tricky thing is some people can lose fat easily with 4 or even 3 days a week for 30 minutes. Others may need upwards of 45 minutes, 6 or 7 days a week!

Weight Training

Unless you’re a serious athlete or competitive bodybuilder, 3 or 4 days a week of weight training is plenty to begin with. An advanced program is usually four or five days a week at most.

Beginners:
Do a full body workout 2 to 3 days per week on nonconsecutive days.

Do one exercise per muscle group.

Pretty simple.

Intermediate:
Do 3 workouts per week on a two day split routine: half your body one workout, half the next.

Do two exercises per muscle group.

Work each muscle group no more than twice a week.

Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps for each exercise. Calves and abs are an exception - they can be trained with higher reps in the 12 to 20 range.

Sample 3 day routine:

Mon: chest, shoulders, triceps, abs

Tue: Off

Wed: legs, back, biceps, calves

Thurs: Off

Fri: chest, shoulders, triceps, abs

Sat: Off

Sun: Off

The following week would look like this:

Mon: legs, back, biceps, calves

Tue: Off

Wed: chest, shoulders, triceps, abs

Thurs: Off

Fri: legs, back, biceps, calves

Sat: Off

Sun: Off

You can stick with this “intermediate” type of routine indefinitely and you should be able to get good results with it.

If you decide you want to build more muscle or strength, go on to an advanced routine.

This is a weight loss/fat loss site, so most of my readers won’t be too concerned with doing an advanced muscle building routine.

An advanced weight training routine is 4 days per week or more.

I don’t recommend training more than two days in a row without taking a day off.

If you work the same muscles hard for two days in a row or you don't allow sufficient rest between body parts, your musclescan’t repair the fiber damage.

This can lead to overtraining or injury. You also won't see much if any progress.

Before you choose your exercises, make sure you know the difference between compound exercises and isolation exercises.


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