Your Fitness: How to build a gym program to learn the basics!
Where possible, we must always look to include exercises we enjoy in our gym program.
As we start to get more comfortable in a gym setting, we may start to adapt a desire to become more confident in designing our own workout, while understanding the purpose of exercises we have chosen and where in the session is best to place them in terms of order.
This may come down to preference or maybe we desire to be a little more optimal with how we set up our training with regards to particular goals we have set.
Maybe our goal is to improve our strength, or even simply to lose some weight and build some muscle.
The foundational approach we take will be quite similar.
In general, it is usually best practice to choose a selection of movements where we are collectively targeting each muscle group within the body. This should include lower body movements, such as a squat pattern, and hinging movement, such as a Romanian deadlift, where we are hitting the primary lower body muscle groups in various ranges of motion.
A similar approach being taken with the upper body where a selection of pressing and pulling movements are something we should look to include.
Where possible, we must always look to include exercises we enjoy. This is what drives sustainability and consistency in any plan.
Furthermore, we must consider the skill requirement of these movements and how beneficial they are in relation to our goals.
How we order exercises will also become more important as we become more experienced.
Keeping in mind that we fatigue throughout a gym session - it is usually advised that we prioritise bigger, more complex movements with a higher skill requirement towards the beginning of a session.
This helps to limit the risk of injury as we are more likely to be susceptible to a breakdown in technique as we get tired at the latter end of a session.
This method also allows us to prioritise becoming stronger at these movements as we are fresher going into these movements with more energy to drive intensity and overall effort! Smaller movements can be positioned throughout the session and more towards the latter end.
We must also take into consideration what aspects of our life we are looking to improve within our life as a result of training in a gym. If health is variable we are looking to maintain and improve - an element of cardiovascular training each week is something we should ensure is prioritised.
If performance for a given sport is something we are looking to improve - an element of sport specific training should be included - usually this refers to power, speed and plyometric work, which challenges us to work through sport specific ranges of motion in a gym environment.
“ ” - Bob Parsons
Lastly, I would also like to clarify that I am not a registered dietician. All advice disclosed here is simply advisory based on my qualifications as a fitness professional and personal experience and knowledge gained working with individuals and helping them reach their goals.
The advice given is not designed to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any health problem - nor is it intended to replace the advice of a physician. Always consult your physician or qualified health professional on any matters regarding your health.
I hope someone out there found some of this information useful here, just some food for thought.
