Having given this little speech several times, I figured it’s worth writing down.

Creating your own workout is very simple.

Step 1 – Decide on your goals – what is it that you want to do? Do you need to lose fat? Do you need better cardiovascular conditioning? More strength? Mass/size? Get ripped? Decide on your SPECIFIC goal. Be as specific as possible. Don’t just say “I want to lose some weight.” Say “I want to lose EXACTLY 20 pounds.”

Step 2 – Assess your current level of fitness – Are you just starting? What is your “training age” – i.e., have you been training consistently between 0 and 1 year (beginner), 1-2 years (intermediate), 2+ years (advanced)? At what level (frequency of workouts per week, duration per workouts, intensity level of workouts) have you been training? Do you have any pre-existing conditions that need to be considered? It is a good idea, at a minimum, to schedule 1 hour with a qualified trainer to have them assess you from a musculoskeletal perspective to determine any imbalances and recommend exercise prescriptions to correct those.

Step 3 – Design a program to accomplish your specific goals – This is where it gets tricky. In order to design your program, you need to consider quite a few things. The average person (regardless of training age) needs to do a full-body strength/cardio workout three times per week (minimum).
However, specific goals will determine what acute variables you select, and how you manipulate them. I’ll cover that in the next post.

Step 4 – Execute your program – Find a way to motivate yourself to do what you’ve planned to do. Measure yourself to make sure your program is taking you closer to your goal state.

If you need more help, drop me a comment.  I’m happy to help!

That’s it!