As we start the new year, many people will seek the assistance of a personal trainer to help them reach their goals. However, not everyone has the budget to accommodate the expense of personal training.
If you’re seeking advice about how to design your own workout plan, try the following suggestions to program a safe and effective routine .
The key components of a well-designed fitness program include strength training, cardiovascular training and core or abdominal training.
» It’s important to consider your fitness goals when selecting which specific exercise from each category you will incorporate in your workout routine.
For example, if one of your goals is to do five pushups on your toes, you’ll want to include several upper body strength training exercises that focus on the chest, shoulders and back muscles, as all are necessary to perform a pushup.
Or, if your goal is to decrease your mile time by 1 minute, I recommend including exercises that strengthen your legs and challenge your cardiovascular fitness, such as squats and incline walking.
» Properly ordering the exercises in your workout routine is also important. Begin your workout with your most physically strenuous, multi-joint exercises, such as lunges and deadlifts. Save single-joint movements, such as bicep curls and tricep extensions, for last.
The reason for this specific order is that smaller, accessory muscles, such as the biceps, triceps and calves, are used to support movements of larger muscles groups within the body. Therefore, if you target these muscles too early in your workout, you will experience decreased power output during more challenging, multi-joint exercises, such as bench press.
» It’s also important to maintain balance within your workout program. Having a fairly equal amount of upper and lower body exercises, as well as those that target both the anterior (front) and posterior (rear) of your body are essential to proper fitness programming.
» As you design your fitness regimen, be sure to make safety and proper movement your main priority.
I recommend walking or jogging on the treadmill for about five to 10 minutes to properly warm up your body. After your workout, take another five to 10 minutes to cool down and stretch.
When performing your exercises, focus on proper form and alignment before adding more weight or upping the intensity.
» The final touch to successfully designing your workout routine is to add your creative flair. To make sure you stick with your new routine, add at least one element that you do just for fun.
Brittany Baldwin is a certified personal trainer with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science from Creighton University. She writes regularly for livewellnebraska.com.
Gymgoers share what motivates them, pet peeves and their proudest accomplishments
You never know who you might run into at the gym.
There's the man who's exercising as he waits for a heart transplant. Or the woman who's made Jazzercise workouts part of her life for more than 30 years.
Some workouts see moms accompanied by babies. Elsewhere you'll find folks well into their 90s who stick with exercise.
Check out their stories.
After Joe Adams had a heart attack, he underwent numerous procedures to get his heart in working order. Just when it seemed things were on the right track, his heart started to fail again. Read more.
Tamara Mosby-Montegut started working out as a stress reliever. Now she wants to keep up with her husband when he tackles 50 pushups in a row. And she wants her daughter to follow their healthy examples. Read more.
Varun Narayanan wanted to shed the pounds he packed on during the holidays a few years ago. He dropped from 230 pounds down to 195. Now he treks up active volcanoes. Read more.
After giving birth to her fourth baby, Susan Sawyer wanted to drop the baby weight. She took up Jazzercise. Sawyer's stuck with the dance-based exercise for nearly 35 years. Read more.
Jessica Hawley thought her third pregnancy was different because she was having a girl. But baby number three was another boy. The pregnancy felt different because she was more fit this time around. Read more.
When Gary Gundy started having trouble getting up after squatting down for target practice, he knew it was time for a change. The La Vista man dropped 80 pounds in three years. Read more.
Valerie Heath started shedding pounds by using the family's Wii. Now she belongs to a CrossFit gym and works out six days a week. Read more.
To be around for her family, Ashlei Spivey needed to get in shape. She joined a boxing gym. Now her workouts leave her feeling like she stepped out of a movie. Read more.
Betty Watt survived a sometimes trying career as a middle school teacher. Then she beat cancer twice. And the whole time she was a regular at the gym. Watt and her husband Charlie workout at least five days a week. Read more.
Erika Hanna sometimes has a pint-sized workout buddy during her morning classes. Her son Henrik, 18 months, offered hugs as she held a plank position and occasionally chased a loose exercise ball around the room. The studio gives Hanna a chance to stick close to her kids while staying on top of her own health and fitness. Read more.
Gwen Leyden wound up spending a week in a wheelchair because of a chronic condition. Leyden gradually was able to walk without using a cane. Later she started using the treadmill and eventually worked up to weightlifting. Read more.
With high blood pressure — and the possibility of needing cholesterol meds — Rich Hazuka was headed down a dangerous path. He dropped 75 pounds thanks to diet changes. When he plateaued, he took up exercise. Now he's off his blood pressure meds and has no need for any cholesterol medication. Read more.
George Mach can't help but wake up well before dawn. With that free time, the early riser started a gym routine. He hits the gym three days a week. Read more.
As Gregg Learned aged, arthritis made physical activity a chore. He struggled to walk across the parking lot at work. But joining a gym has helped Learned to stay on his feet. Read more.
At one time, Laura Adams could barely finish a lap around the walking track. But the Bellevue woman, who weighed 300 pounds, stuck it out and dropped 115 pounds. Read more.
Vince Huerta has always tried to keep active. He decided to give powerlifting a shot and now, the Omaha South grad holds a number of records for the weight he's hoisted. Read more.
Paul Stultz takes swimming seriously. He joined a Masters Swimming club and is working on nailing strokes like the freestyle and butterfly. But one of his biggest accomplishments was hiking the Grand Canyon. Read more.
