The Ideal Workout Plan
Hi again, it’s your trusted fitness coach Brett Douglas, ready to talk about a topic that a few of my past clients have recently asked me about, which is what to do when you’ve reached your goal, meaning your fitness performance is ideal, you feel and look in shape and you just want to maintain. So I’ll give you my recommendations.
So all your hard work has paid off, you now are in a position that most of us strive to be in, maintenance mode and similar to an endurance athlete who’s finished his or her race, it’s now what? Well follow my guidelines and you should be on the right path.
Let’s talk about weights first; it’s important to do a bare minimum of 2-days of weight-bearing workouts per week. If possible I’d advise you to attempt to hit 3 days of strength training per week. This is important to maintain muscle mass, potentially add additional muscle, as well as keep your bones strong. Forms of this can include, machines, free weights, and group fitness classes where bodyweight exercises or weights are involved. Skip the weight training and there’s a strong chance you’ll see your muscle mass twindle year by year so make sure you put importance on this area of fitness.
When it comes to cardiovascular exercises it’s equally important to not slack in this area of your fitness as well. Doing consistent cardio not only helps your heart and lung health but it gives you energy throughout the day by keeping your pulmonary system strong! I believe 120-150 minutes per week of cardiovascular activity is sufficient for the majority of Americans. The more full-body cardio activities you can do, the better, for example, hiking vs walking, or swimming vs biking. Having said that, I still believe the best type of cardio for you is the cardio you enjoy, so don’t overlook that fact because in reality; the most important part is that you’re just moving!
An ideal sample maintenance weekly workout schedule would look like below:
Monday – 25 minutes of Weight Training | 25 minutes of Biking
Tuesday – 30 minutes of Walking
Wednesday – 25 minutes of Weight Training | 25 minutes of Rowing
Thursday – 30 minutes of Walking
Friday – 25 minutes of Weight Training | 25 minutes of Hiking
Remember, you have some flexibility within this schedule if you need to combine a day or two to fit it better within your specific schedule that’s fine.
So hopefully after reading my article, you’ll have a better idea of how you can put together an efficient and enjoyable workout routine where you are able to maintain good health. Thanks again, and we’ll see ya next time!
