MATT LISTER
Putting some careful thought into how and when you exercise will help to maximise results
Fitness in focus
What’s your fitness schedule? By this, I don’t simply mean, how many days do you go to the gym per week, but do you have a training programme that’s based around what you want to achieve? Do you know how much you should be improving each week? Which days should you dedicate to which body parts? Planning is the key to most workout success stories.
For instance, if I know I want to look like the next Arnold Schwarzenegger (clearly, a mammoth task), I must work backwards from when I want to achieve that target and divide that training timeframe into six to eight-week blocks. I then need to break those down into weeks, so that each day I can see what I need to do to work towards my objective.
Putting an exercise programme in place also has the added bonus of boosting motivation — especially as we move into the darker, colder months and it becomes harder to stay on track.
HERE ARE SOME TIPS FOR PLANNING YOUR TRAINING REGIME:
Make it look cute so you won’t mind having it on your wall and paying attention to it each day. Putting together a spreadsheet for each cycle of training will enable you to see more clearly how to stagger your gym sessions. It will also help you pin down when you are working hard enough or if you might be doing too much. Take into account any holidays or social events, so you can avoid any heavy training around these.
that’s beneficial, but looking back at the progress you’ve made, as this allows you to set better-informed goals. Recording the amount of weight you have managed to increase when lifting, or how far you’ve run or cycled each day can help you better judge where you will be by the end of the next training phase.
Plan rest weeks sensibly. I’ve touched on this already, but we should allow our bodies and minds to recuperate and become hungry for more training after we put them through hell at the gym. Our bodies aren’t built to deliver maximum effort for every workout. It makes sense to schedule rest weeks for when you know you will be travelling for work, or attending a friend’s wedding, for example.
“How often do you review your fitness programme?”
Cluttering it with excessive minor information could detract from your target, while too little could mean you lose sight of each day’s objectives and what you need to do to achieve them.
Consider including a column for nutrition advice for each week,
so you know when you should be carb-loading or cutting, or whether the activities you’re doing will require a higher intake of specific nutrients to give you the edge.
If this looks too complicated, consult a reputable personal trainer who can do this fancy work for you. Then, once your plan is in place, all you have to do is take a look each day and follow along. No sweat.