You can look up endless amounts of workout plans online, however none of them will be directly tailored to you. A proper exercise program should be developed around your biology, age, goals, diet, free time, and so much more. Since there are so many factors to consider, here's how to make your own workout routine.
Figure Out Your Situation
The first step is determining your current situation. How much time do you have to exercise each day? Where will you workout: your home, work, gym, outside? Once you determine where you want to train and how much time you have, you can start to use the equipment you have to build your routine. Your workout routine can last anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour, but just be sure you're dedicating at least 2-3 days per week in your schedule for this. Thus, think hard and establish this planning step first before moving onto making your actual workout routine.
Learn What Exercises To Do
The next step is learning what exercises to complete in your workout routine - without making it complicated. The best workout is the one that you actually stick with, so keep it simple with exercises you know and can easily remember. For the most efficient workout, pick 5 exercises that you can get strong movements with and can complete a full body workout with. Choose one from each category below, and try to complete your own workout routine 2-3 times per week.
- Quads: squats, lunges, box jumps.
- Butt & Hamstrings: deadlifts, hip raises, straight leg deadlifts, step ups.
- Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps: overhead press, bench press, dumbbell press, push ups, dips.
- Back, Biceps, & Forearms: chin ups, pull ups, body weight or dumbbell rows.
- Core (abs & lower back): planks, side planks, exercise ball crunches, mountain climbers, jumping knee tucks, hanging leg raises
Once you get confident in those movements, feel free to add some variety while still sticking to the same formula. Picking a different exercise will improve your muscles and keep you challenged, as long as you give your muscles 48 hours to rest and recover in between workouts.
Calculate Number Of Sets & Reps
The last step is making your own workout routine is determining the number of sets and reps you will complete. A “set” is a series of repetitions that you complete without stopping. You want to pick one, record it, and get stronger the next time you do that movement. A good number of sets to start with is 3-5 per exercise, keeping your total workout number of sets for all exercises in the 15-25 set range. The goal is to wait the least amount of time you need between sets, but the time is usually between 1-5 minutes. On the other hand, a rep (repetition) is one complete motion of an exercise. You typically want to do 8-12 reps for each movement. Nonetheless, you need to see how your body responds to it all first and then adjust the numbers as needed, so be sure to keep track of everything. Now write down your exercise schedule, exercises, and sets/reps for each, and you just made your own workout routine!
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-Gina