Workout Routines Framework

INTRODUCTION

DEFINITION

Workout Routines are lists of activities (exercises, equipment etc) performed for some (possibly loosely specified) objective - health, fitness, strength, skill etc. The degree of planning undertaken ranges between 2 extremes:

1. Instinctive - the person does whatever feels right on that day.
2. Macro/Micro Management - every exercise training variable is considered. The variables of every workout are preplanned in advance. Often the period of future planning is for the next 12 months.

In the short term either path is ok. In the long term some amount of planning and review is necessary to maximise the return on the time and effort expended.  Before looking at specific types of workout routine it is useful to look at the theoretical aspects making up a training framework. This template can then be tailored for the individual. Please note that any skills etc of a specific sport are outside the scope of the information presented here and would be require specific preparation and practice.

COMPONENENTS OF A WORKOUT ROUTINE

ULTIMATE GOAL

1) Just do something

2) Specific

• Look and feel better
• Improve Health
• Fitness
• Strength
• Muscle etc
• Any combination of the above

3) Supporting a specific sport/hobby etc

STRATEGY

In varying degrees of detail

1. Characteristics and requirements of any specific goal
2. What activities are needed and why
3. When and how they will be carried out
4. Where will the training be done

The degree of planning will be higher for the short term and possibly reduce as the timeline extends outwards.

WORKOUT REGIMEN TRAINING VARIABLES

The following categories would be included in any workout schedule (in addition to possibly being goals in themselves):

1. Fitness (general and sport specific)
2. Mobility/Flexibility
3. Strength (muscular, joint, tendon, ligament)
4. Muscle
5. Nutrition
6. Rest/Recovery/Adaptation

The focus and allocation of time and effort on developing the above will depend on the ultimate objective.

Allround health, wellbeing, fitness etc would suggest a balanced approach.

Where the purpose of a workout routine is to support another activity there will likely be a bias towards 1 or more (with less attention given to the others). Tennis would place more emphasis on fitness, mobility and less on developing high levels of strength or muscle.

Regardless of the ultimate goal and bias, it would be wise to devote some focus and time/energy to all factors. This is because:

1) Ignoring a variable would be detrimental to

• performance - other things being equal the stronger player would have an advantage).
• overall health - strength and muscle imbalances between left/right and upper/lower often lead to injuries.

Some variables are important whatever the activity e.g. nutrition.

TACTICS

These would cover the workouts of the coming week - month. The level of detail would increase as the importance of the objective increased. Workout routines to assist in winning in an upcoming atheltics meet or football match would require greater planning than a general keep fit programme.

Training Variables

1) Modality - load

• internal (bodyweigt/calisthenics)
• external (weights)load

2) Degree of Instability

• high - bodyweight, free weights, element of balancing self/load
• medium - cables machines, resistance bands
• low/none - fixed machines

3) Constancy or variability of resistance -the amount of effort required to complete a movement/exercise changes throughout the range of motion of that movement/exercise. One example of this would be standing up from the floor or a chair. As the person approaches the vertical the effort required decreases.

This can be intentionally included:

• internally - leveraging the weight of the body
• externally - resistance bands or chains

4) Frequency of Training

5) Time of day

6) Duration of workout

7) No of sessions per day - workout routine completed in 1 session or split into 2 or more throughout the day.

8) Full Body Workout or Split - there are pros and cons of each approach. Also, splits can be based on:

• upper body workout /  lower body workout
• muscle groups (quadriceps, hamstrings, biceps, triceps etc)
• body parts (legs, back, chest, arms etc)

9) Location - gym, home, outdoors, work...workout routines can follow 3 paths:

• the type of workout routine influenced by the location
• a workout schedule which can be implemented regardless of location
• combination of the above 

10) Exercises Chosen and the Order Performed - factors influencing choices include:

• energy levels being highest at the outset
• focus of the workout routine
• hormones secreted (whole body, multii-joint movements e.g. deadlift result in the body releasing more growth hormone etc than isolating, single joint exercises e.g. leg extensions)
• Equipment & Location -  home gym exercises, outdoor fitness equipment

 11) Amount and Pattern of Work Performed

• load - level, increasing, decreasing, combination as sets per exercise progress
• repetitions per set - (level etc) and in total
• sets
• series
• speed of movement - fast/med/slow, constant/changing
• work/rest split

12) Training Profile - age, gender, experience and ability will influence the difficulty of the workout program. They should not however, limit the type of workout followed and potential benefits obtained. Exercises can be scaled down to match a person's profile. When commencing exercise for the first time or just changing programs, an individual should always have safety in mind and begin at a level below where they think themselves to be. Over time more progress will be made training this way.

13) Rest/Recovery - within and between workouts. Although mentioned above, this topic deserves highlighting separately. A break should be taken before the need for it is felt. The total amount of work performed overall will be greater than if rest is taken only when there is a need. There are occasions when limits can be pushed to an extreme degree but these should be the occasional exceptions. Safe and ongoing progress is possible by a nudge/back off/nudge/back off approach.

14) Progression Method(s)

MOTIVATION

The best workout results are obtained when work is performed

• Intensely (relative to the person's profile)
• Briefly
• Frequently

This will require the right kind of mental attitude. I can provide the information which has produced results but only you can supply the

• desire
• determination
• persistence

to "keep on keeping on" when progress seems stalled or the input required seems too much.

Results can vary between people in when they present themselves. It is not a 1:1 relationship. You cannot control the output 100% but you can control the inputs which are known to produce results e.g.

• your attitude
• implementing productive workout routine information
• following effective nutrition advice
• using the training log to review/analyse, making small adjustments as necessary

WORKOUTS FOR SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Detailed information will be included as the site continues to be developed.

CONCLUSION

As with the summaries on other pages I will repeat that the best workout which contributes to fast workout results involves :

1. avoiding injury
2. correct and safe progression
3. 80/20 rule - choosing workout programs which maximise return for time and effort. These are usually natural movements which use the body as it evolved to move (involving multi-joint actions).
4. the right amount and type of nutrtion.

This can be boiled down to working with your body rather than against it.

Information on workout routines which I have experienced to be efficient and effective will follow later.

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Site under construction - apologies for any gaps or apparent inconsistencies. In time as more information is added the whole site should "hang together".

Initially the focus will be on general information which should assist with achieving results regardless of the approach you take in working out.

Later I will provide more detailed information.