An effective workout is individual to you; your wants, your needs, your experience and your general health and fitness on day one. Use these top tips to create a workout that is enjoyable, effective and personal to you.
Start Small, Aim High
When it comes to putting together an effective workout you need to first decide what you are trying to achieve. You need goals. “I want to lose 3 stone and run like the wind” is not a suitable goal. You need SMART goals (we’ll cover SMART goals setting in depth another time but basically it has to be a goal that is manageable, has a time frame attached to it and may be measured).
Set short-term, mid-term and long-term goals to ensure you stay motivated and measure your progress in a suitable way. Whether you use a chart, a notepad, an app or a fitness device is up to you.
Choose Your Exercise Wisely
What exercise and how you choose to work out will depend on what your goals are. If you want to run a half marathon eventually you might want to be looking at a mix up of cardio and endurance-boosting workouts. Want to lose weight? Perhaps HIIT is for you, mixed up with some regular sporting activity?
Variety is the Spice of Life
Workouts can become stagnant after a while. Not only may it become boring to do the same set of exercises / routine day after day, keeping it fresh is great for boosting motivation. Mixing up your routine will help boost your fitness levels and get you closer to your next goal.
The Social Aspect
Are you someone who desperately wants to boost their fitness but who struggles to remain motivated? Work out with friends, a partner or join a group. Working alongside others could be just what you need to keep yourself going and of course, a dose of healthy competition is never a bad thing. If you think you’d enjoy the social aspect of working out with others put that into your plan.
Make Time
If you are serious about succeeding at your goals then schedule your workout for a suitable time. If you know that however much you want to go to the gym or for a run that the chances of doing so after work is very slim don’t schedule workouts for straight after work. Similarly, if you want an early workout make sure you have plenty of time to exercise, cool down, shower, dress etc and then go to work. If you are rushed you won’t focus or may feel you’ll have to miss a session rather than run the risk of being late.
Set the Tone
Listening to music can be a great motivator and help you keep time. When putting together your workout think about what tunes will help you on your way and create a playlist or two (Spotify can be great for this).
Get Some Professional Advice
As a personal trainer myself you would be surprised how many people have come to me having been working out for a while but not making much progress. There’s an art to creating an effective workout and if you need help, ask for it. It’ll save wasted time and you’ll enjoy the reassurance that you’re on the right track.
Enjoy!