Starting your fitness journey and creating your workout routine, can seem like a very difficult task, especially for absolute beginners. Not only do you have to juggle the responsibilities in the day but now you have to figure out how to insert some kind of exercise into your day. Most people live very busy lives and the thought of adding one more thing can send anyone over the edge. This is why its important to make fitness a part of your lifestyle and enjoy the process of achieving your goals..

Creating a workout routine that fits your lifestyle and goals is the first step towards achieving better health and well-being. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essentials of building a sustainable and effective workout plan tailored to different fitness goals: weight loss, strength gain, cardiovascular fitness, and mobility.

Why Having a Workout Routine Matters

A well-structured workout routine provides numerous benefits:

• Consistency: Helps you stay on track and make exercise a regular part of your life. Without consistency, you will not be able to achieve your goals in the time desired or produce your desired outcome. Everyone has goals they want to achieve, a lack of consistency can lead to disappointment, frustration, and giving up entirely,

• Progress: Allows you to track improvements and adjust your plan as needed. As you see your progress, motivation will increase and you will be able to adjust the programming as necessary. You will begin to experience the fruit of your labor. Normal tasks that were previously difficult will become easier, you will start to feel more energy, and you will start noticing the changes in your body.

• Motivation and Discipline: Keeps you motivated by setting clear, achievable goals. In order to start seeing your desired results, you must have a plan to work off of. When you have a plan and are sticking to it, you will absolutely start seeing changes and be encouraged by them.

Setting Your Fitness Goals

Start by identifying what you want to achieve in your workout routine. Be very specific and setup the program for your desired goals. You need to start with the end in mind and think about your desired outcome will be after the allocated time for you to reach your goal. Be realistic and have mile markers so that you can experience small victories along the way. Do not be over zealous and think you will lose 15 pounds in one week and think that is going to be possible or healthy. For specific information about goal setting and how to establish fitness goals, read How to Set Achievable Fitness Goals. Here are some common fitness goals:

• Weight Loss: Focus on cardio exercises and high-intensity interval training (HIIT). Most of your weight loss is going to happen outside of the gym with what your eating. Physical exercise and proper eating go hand in hand and support one another.
  • Example goal: I will follow X program for 12 weeks and start implementing healthy eating principles in order to lose 1-3 pounds per week and 24 pounds in 12 weeks.
  • Key Tasks: Implement healthy eating principles without deviation for 12 weeks with few “cheat meals in between”; Chart and journal what is eaten each day and how nutrition changes are effecting my energy and mood; Follow exercise as closely as possible for 12 weeks; Speak to accountability partner at least weekly to talk about the weeks progression.

• Strength Gain: Incorporate strength training and resistance exercises. Strength training improves overall body function, increases bone density and improves overall wellness.
  • Example goal: I will follow X program for 12 weeks and start implementing healthy eating principles in order to increase my current overall strength by 30 percent for my Squat, Bench, and Deadlift.
  • Key Tasks: Implement healthy eating principles with a high caloric intake without deviation for 12 weeks with few “cheat meals in between”; Chart and journal what is eaten each day and how nutrition changes are effecting my energy and mood; Follow exercise as closely as possible for 12 weeks; Speak to accountability partner at least weekly to talk about the weeks progression.

• Cardiovascular Fitness: Emphasize cardio activities like running, cycling, or swimming. Start slow and don’t decide your going to run a marathon or half marathon tomorrow if you have never trained for it. Always work slowly and allow your body adequate time and training to progressively adapt to physical stressors.
  • Example goal: I will follow X program for 12 weeks and start implementing healthy eating principles in order to build cardiovascular capacity and run a 5-mile route under 50 minutes.
  • Key Tasks: Implement healthy eating principles with a high caloric intake without deviation for 12 weeks with few “cheat meals in between”; Chart and journal what is eaten each day and how nutrition changes are effecting my energy and mood; Follow cardio plan as closely as possible for 12 weeks; Speak to accountability partner at least weekly to talk about the weeks progression.

• Mobility and Flexibility: Include exercises that improve range of motion and reduce stiffness. Over time with exercise, your body will get sore and stiff. Create a simple to follow mobility routine that helps relieve stiffness and increases blood flow to all areas of the body.
  • Example goal: I will follow a daily mobility routine for 12 weeks and start implementing healthy eating principles in order to reduce inflammation in the body and increase range of motion in my joints.
  • Key Tasks: Implement healthy eating principles focusing on least inflammatory foods for 12 weeks with few “cheat meals in between”; Chart and journal what is eaten each day and how nutrition changes are effecting my energy and mood; Follow daily mobility plan for 12 weeks; Speak to accountability partner at least weekly to talk about the weeks progression.

Essential Components of a Workout Routine

A comprehensive workout routine and plan should include the following components:

Warm-Up

• Purpose: Prepares your body for exercise by increasing blood flow to muscles and reducing the risk of injury.

• Examples: Light jogging, jumping jacks, dynamic stretches.

Cardio

• Purpose: Improves heart health, burns calories, and boosts endurance. Increases heart rate and raises body temperature to prepare the body for exercise.

• Examples: Running, cycling, swimming, brisk walking.

• Tip: Start with 20-30 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, three times a week. You can achieve this simply by walking or jogging. The intent would be to monitor your heart rate and track how your body responds during the exercise.

Strength Training

• Purpose: Builds muscle, strengthens bones, and enhances metabolism. Strength training is absolutely essential to everyone. Most people live a very sedentary lifestyle and need to strengthen their muscles and bones.

• Examples: Weight lifting, bodyweight exercises (push-ups, squats, lunges). Compound lifts are the most beneficial and enhance muscle function very quickly. These exercises include Squat, Bench, Deadlift, and Military Press. These exercises allow the body to use a full range of motion and includes most of the major muscle groups working together to move a certain amount of weight.

• Tip: Focus on different muscle groups each session, aiming for two to three strength workouts per week. You will be sore at first, but your body will quickly adapt and the soreness will subside and lessen over time.

Flexibility and Mobility

• Purpose: Improves range of motion, reduces muscle stiffness, and prevents injuries. A great mobility routine can be easy to follow and enhance muscle recovery.

• Examples: Mobility routines and static stretching.

• Tip: Include a mobility and flexibility routine at the end of your workout or on rest days. You can add this to your evening or morning routine to help reduce soreness and calm tense muscles.

Cool-Down

• Purpose: Helps your body recover and return to a resting state gradually. This is the most neglected aspect of physical training. The cool down is necessary for the body temperature to regulate and for proper conditioning. Lack of cool downs in workouts increase risk of injury and prolongs time period of soreness post workout.

• Examples: Some cool down exercises include gentle stretching, walking, deep breathing exercises, and foam rolling.

Creating Your Personalized Workout Plan

Here’s how to create a balanced workout routine tailored to your goals:

Assess Your Fitness Level

Start with a self-assessment or consult a fitness professional to understand your current fitness level and identify any limitations. This is where you identify what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. Once you have clear and specific goals then you can identify limiting factors or roadblocks such as previous injuries or limitations that impede you from performing different exercises or workouts. Once that is complete, then you can move into choosing the right exercises and personalizing your plan.

Choose the Right Exercises

Select exercises that match your goals and fitness level. Ensure you enjoy them to stay motivated. There is nothing worse than being forced to do something you absolutely don’t want or like to do. You will need to exercise so identify something you enjoy and use that to build your program. If you don’t like anything, then purpose in your mind that this is for your health and there is no other option. Even if you just start walking 20 or 30 minutes a day, that is better than doing nothing.

Schedule Your Workouts

Plan your workouts for the week, balancing different types of exercises. Include rest days to allow your body to recover. Don’t wait until the day of to think about what you are going to do. Actually take the time and create a 8 to 12 week plan and execute. It’s been said that if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Start Slow

Begin with shorter, less intense workouts and gradually increase the duration and intensity as you become more comfortable. Don’t rush to failure or injury. Listen to your body and monitor how your body responds to different stressors, exercises or movements.

Track Your Progress

Keep a workout journal or use a fitness app to log your exercises, monitor progress, and make necessary adjustments. Look over your weekly workouts the weekend prior to the week starting so that you can review what you will be doing and adjust your weekly schedule to accommodate your exercise time.

Designing Workout Programs for Specific Goals

Weight Loss

Cardio Workouts: Engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of high-intensity cardio per week. Activities can include running, cycling, swimming, or HIIT sessions.

Strength Training: Incorporate strength training exercises at least two to three days per week to build muscle, which increases metabolism. Focus on compound movements like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.

HIIT: Add 1-2 HIIT sessions per week. These are short, intense bursts of exercise followed by brief recovery periods. HIIT is highly effective for burning calories and fat.

Example Week:

• Monday: 30 minutes running + strength training (upper body)
• Tuesday: 20-minute HIIT session
• Wednesday: 30 minutes cycling + strength training (lower body)
• Thursday: Rest or light activity (e.g., walking)
• Friday: 45 minutes brisk walking or hike with rucksack/backpack

Strength Gain

Strength Training: Focus on lifting weights 3-4 times per week. Alternate between different muscle groups to allow recovery. Aim for 3 sets of 8-12 repetitions per exercise or 3 sets of 5 repetitions for larger strength increases.

Progressive Overload: Gradually increase the weight or resistance as you get stronger to continue making progress.

Rest: Allow adequate rest between sessions for the same muscle group, typically 24-48 hours.

Example Week:

• Monday: Strength training (Full Body 1)
• Tuesday: Light activity (e.g., walking)
• Wednesday: Strength training (Full Body 2)
• Thursday: Light activity (e.g., walking)
• Friday: Strength training (Full Body 3)

Cardiovascular Fitness

Steady-State Cardio: Engage in 30-60 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio, such as jogging, swimming, or cycling, at least three times per week.

Interval Training: Incorporate interval training sessions where you alternate between high-intensity efforts and recovery periods. This can include sprint intervals during a run.

Cross-Training: Mix different forms of cardio to keep workouts interesting and work different muscle groups.

Example Week:

• Monday: 45 minutes jogging
• Tuesday: 30 minutes cycling
• Wednesday: 20 minutes interval training
• Thursday: Rest or light activity (e.g., walking)
• Friday: 45 minutes swimming

Mobility and Flexibility

Daily Stretching: Incorporate 10-15 minutes of stretching into your daily routine to improve flexibility.

Dynamic Warm-Ups: Use dynamic stretches as part of your warm-up routine to prepare muscles for exercise.

Mobility Workouts: Perform mobility exercises focusing on joints and muscles to improve range of motion.

Example Week:

• Monday: 15 minutes dynamic stretching + workout
• Tuesday: 30 minutes mobility exercises
• Wednesday: 15 minutes dynamic stretching + workout
• Thursday: 30 minutes mobility exercises
• Friday: 15 minutes dynamic stretching + workout

Staying Motivated and Disciplined

Maintaining motivation and discipline is key to sticking with your workout routine. Here are some tips to stay inspired:

Set Realistic Goals

Break down your goals into smaller, achievable milestones and celebrate your progress.

Find a Workout Buddy

Exercising with a friend can make workouts more enjoyable and hold you accountable. Figure out the best ways to incorporate your spouse or your children to maximize the physical health of the entire family.

Mix It Up

Keep your routine interesting by trying new exercises, classes, or outdoor activities. Don’t just stick to one activity that you do not enjoy but seek after a physical routine that gets you looking forward to getting out of the door.

Conclusion

Creating a workout routine is a powerful step towards preparing yourself to achieve success in your health and fitness. By setting clear goals, incorporating essential components, and staying motivated, you can build a sustainable fitness habit that fits your lifestyle. Remember, it’s about making gradual, consistent improvements and enjoying the journey along the way.