Starting your fitness journey can be exciting, but also intimidating. It may seem like there is a lot to learn. I am going to break down some of the basics and intermediate aspects to your program so you can confidently step into your workout!
How YOU play a role in your program:
Your goals, fitness experience, and movement assessment, will dictate your program to ensure it's working for your unique needs. It is highly important that you fully understand your workouts to get the most out of it.
The Warm Up:
The warm up is always at the beginning of the workout and gets your joints lubricated, the proper movement patterns and muscles prepped, and gets your blood flowing.
example:
3min bike
10 glute bridges
10 band pull aparts
30s side plank each side
repeat 3x
The Basics: Sets, Reps, and Rest
Repetitions: Is the single time you perform an exercise
example: if I say perform 10 repetitions of squat, you would do that movement 10 times
Sets: A group of repetitions
example: if I say perform 3x10 of the squat, that would be 3 sets of 10 repetitions
Rest: This is the time in which you recover after your exercise
example: Squat 3x10; 60s rest-this means that after your 10 reps, you take a 60s rest, then go again
Supersets
A superset is performing two different exercises back to back.
example:
A1 Squat 3x10; 30s rest
A2 Push-up 3x10; 60s rest (after 60s rest you go back to A1)
Circuits
Circuits have multiple exercises with rest usually allocated at the end. Circuits can be repeated for multiple sets.
example:
B1 Circuit 3x
- sled push 100ft
- 30s plank
- 10 banded hip hinges
- 2min bike
90s rest then repeat
Cool Down:
The cool down is after the workout and allows your heart beat and blood pressure to gradually release back to normal resting rate. It also can help with both muscle soreness and injury prevention. It is highly recommended that you don't skip the cool down! A cool down can be different stretches, foam rolling, or a cool down bike ride or walk.
All Together
Now lets put it together... A workout could look something like this (see picture below). Everything is laid out clearly from your repetitions to your rest. Many programs will also have demo videos along with it. A full body workout will include different movement patterns as seen here (hinge, squat, push, pull, lunge).
Thanks for reading and have fun with your next workout!
-Coach Amanda
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