New Year, new me! If you’re one of the many who set a New Year resolution to start a fitness program, you most likely researched and found that personal trainers are expensive. The good ones are sometimes worth their weight in gold, and you won’t afford to pay a gym subscription and the trainer’s fee.
This doesn’t mean you should give up your goal to get fitter in 2023. You can still benefit from a well-designed workout plan that suits your needs, one that costs 0 bucks and enables you to get the desired results. This article is supposed to teach you how to create a customized workout plan that matches your needs. You must learn to think like a trainer and be objective when you evaluate your fitness condition, and the measures you must take to reach your goal.
Here is a list of factors to consider when designing your fitness workout plan.
Your fitness level
You most likely know how fit you are, but it’s best to evaluate yourself as objectively as possible. Assessing your baseline fitness scores helps you measure your progress. Here are some recommendations on how to assess your fitness level.
– Calculate your body mass index
– Measure your waist circumference (above your hip bones)
– Check your pulse rate before and after walking 1 mile
– Find out how long it takes you to walk 1 mile and run 1 mile
– Count how many pushups you can do at a time
Availability
Now that you have a clear idea about how fit you are, check your schedule to figure out how much time you can commit to exercise weekly. Most fitness specialists recommend exercising from 3 to 6 times a week. Unfortunately, if you have a full-time job and have several family commitments, you might only be able to work out 3 times weekly. It’s best to commit to fewer days than you think your schedule allows to squeeze in. If you schedule too many workouts and miss them, you’ll feel disappointed and set yourself up for failure.
It’s also important to set the actual days because if you have kids you must take to and from school, you might be able to exercise only during the weekend.
Goals
Once you decide how many times a week you can exercise and pick the days you work out, it’s time to write down your goals for a determined period. Do you want to lose weight? Do you want to gain weight? Do you want to build muscles? Do you want to improve your health? To understand what each workout session should contain, you must decide your goals. Your aim decides the type of workout, intensity, number of sets, number of reps, and amount of cardio you do. Setting goals is the foundation of an effective workout.
Preferences
Regardless of your goals, you must enjoy your workout plan, or you won’t stick to it and fail to reach your purpose. You might want to drop some weight and add only cardio exercises to your routine, but if you hate anything related to running and walking on the treadmill, you’ll most likely skip several workout sessions. There are alternatives to almost any exercise and fitness program, so if you hate doing some of them, search for alternatives and create a workout routine based on the exercises you like. Of course, you should stay flexible when picking exercises and ensure your preferences align with your goals. But there are small alterations you can make to enjoy your fitness plan.
Health issues
Considering your health issues is something you have to do before selecting the exercises for your workout routine. It’s pretty obvious that you won’t create a back-focused fitness routine if you experience back injuries. Or maybe you hurt one of your shoulders a couple of years ago, and you need to perform exercises that put no pressure on your shoulder joints. Don’t add any exercise to your plan that could aggravate your injuries. During the first weeks of working out, you might want to add cannabis edibles to your diet to help you alleviate inflammation. Many fitness enthusiasts use Seeds Cannabis to deal with post-workout side effects like muscle soreness and inflammation.
Suppose you’re recovering from an injury; you might even have to create a program that helps you rehab. If this is the case, your workout will most likely consist of mobility and stretching exercises. Ask your doctor if you can use cannabis products like those from https://www.seedsman.com/ to deal with the pain associated with the injury, as it’s a natural treatment that can improve your state.
Health issues are a show-stopper if you don’t modify your workout routine to accommodate them. Instead of ignoring them, look for ways to improve them through fitness.
Equipment
Have a look at your belongings to figure out if you have the necessary equipment to start exercising. You might have to order some of the items online and wait for a couple of weeks to arrive, so make a list of essentials.
- You need athletic shoes, but before adding a pair to the cart, decide what kinds of activities you’ll perform. Pick shoes designed for the specific fitness activity you want to perform to support your feet and make it comfortable to run, walk, jump rope, or lift weights.
- In case you want to buy fitness equipment to create a home gym, pick practical pieces you can use for multiple exercises. You could try some types of equipment at a local fitness center before buying anything.
- Using a fitness app to create your workout and track your progress is also a great idea. Some online fitness programs are quite affordable and help beginners start their fitness journey safely and enjoyably.
- You should also invest in a smart device that allows you to monitor your heart rate, track calories burned, and measure the distance you walk or run.
Improving your fitness level is the best decision you have made lately. Don’t let it overwhelm you, and plan your program carefully.
