3 Ways to Make Your Workout Program Work for You

https://www.girlsgonestrong.com/

You know what sucks? Workouts that don’t work. That aren’t fun. That don’t make you excited to hit the gym, the trail, or the yoga mat.

I should know. I’ve totally been there. I’ve bounced around between figure competitions, dabbling in powerlifting, and grinding away doing hours of cardio every week, just trying to find something that worked for me.

And I know I’m not the only one. At Girls Gone Strong, we regularly get emails from women complaining about how much they hate their training and aren’t getting the results they want. It’s an absolute drag to do things in the gym that don’t bring you joy and don’t serve your health and your body. Trying to find something that meets these criteria can be a huge source of frustration.

It has taken me years to figure out how to design a training program that is all-encompassing: program that’s fun, that makes me smile, that keeps me healthy, and that gets me exactly where I want to be, goal-wise (granted goals change all of the time). But, even though it took a while, I did figure it out. I got there.

You can get there, too, and I want to help you. Here are three must-follow tips when it comes to crafting a program that will truly work for you:

1. Be Honest About Your Ability Level

First and foremost, you must choose both exercises and a workout protocol that match your ability level. If it’s your first day in the gym, you don’t need to be doing reverse band deficit speed deadlifts with chains, got it?

Even if it’s not your first day in the gym, you need to respect your individual capabilities and choose exercises accordingly. If you want to squat, there are countless squat variations from which to choose, and I promise you it’s possible to find one that you find both appropriately challenging and fun. You’ve got bodyweight squats, goblet squats, single-leg squats, barbell back squats, front squats.The options are endless.

It’s also important to keep in mind that every day will be slightly different for you depending on what’s going on in your life and with your body. There are some days that I can rock out 20 reps of the dumbbell bench press with the 50-pound dumbbells, and on other days I feel like I might get crushed after just six reps.

Some days your favorite exercise might not be right for you, even if it’s what is prescribed in that workout. For example, at our friends’ Jen Sinkler and David Dellanave’s gym, The Movement Minneapolis, they do a baseline range-of-motion (ROM) test followed by multiple ROM tests to find the movement, the tool, the load, and the position or variation for the exercises they are going to perform that day. They use biofeedback, as this approach is called, to customize their programming to not just a client’s overall ability level, but their ability level on a specific day, decreasing risk of injury while increasing their performance.

Whether you use an approach like biofeedback, or simply have a gut feeling as you’re warming up that this isn’t your day for a particular exercise, it’s OK. Give it a rest and choose something else. Live to fight (and get stronger) another day.

2. Pick a Goal

This one sounds pretty obvious, right? But you’d be surprised how often I see women who want to look better, feel better, and feel strong—and they are working themselves into the ground with two-a-day workouts every day, intense WODs six days a week, or ultramarathon training.

To be perfectly clear: If that is what you want to do for your training, then by all means, do not let me stop you.

However, if that’s you, be honest with yourself and acknowledge that your main priority is running that ultramarathon—not necessarily to looking and feeling your best and strongest. Different types of training lead to different performance and physical results.

I say this because the majority of women who come to us just want the three things I mentioned above: to look better, feel better, and feel strong and capable.

Guess what? We actually know the training formula that will help most women reach those goals. Wanna know what it is? Here you go:

• Strength training two to three times a week, generally lasting 45 to 50 minutes
• High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)/Metabolic Conditioning one to two times a week, generally lasting five to 10 minutes
• Moderate Intensity Cardio (MIC) one to two times a week, generally lasting about 30 minutes, with your heart rate at 120 to 150 bpm.

Keep in mind that some of these days can be combined to allow for two to three full days off each week. Of course, nutrition, sleep, and stress management also play a huge role.

Additionally, it’s important to remember that those strength workouts, HIIT workouts, and MIC workouts won’t look the same for everyone because you must take into account ability level ((see above!) as well as our next consideration, which is… you guessed it: fun!

3. Mix Things Up to Make It Fun

At GGS,we believe training should be fun. Seriously—how likely is it that you’ll keep training over a long period of time if you hate what you’re doing?

Not us!

While your training program should follow sound training principles with an intelligent exercise selection, set-and-rep schemes, and overall layout to help you get the best results, you should always have options to choose from to ensure that you enjoy what you’re doing. You can do this by having different exercises you can sub in and out of your strength training program in case you’re missing equipment, or are really not “feeling” a particular exercise that day. Have a lot of options for your HIIT and MIC cardio, too, to keep things fresh and fun. This will ensure that you’re consistent over months and years, which we all know is the key to long-term success.

What’s Next?

Obviously, you can see that I am extremely passionate about building training programs that fit a person’s ability level, matches her goals, and keeps her having fun in the gym—all while delivering the results she wants with minimal time and effort.

This passion is what spurred Girls Gone Strong to develop The Modern Woman’s Guide to Strength Training. We wanted to create a resource that could help any woman—from a beginner all the way to a high-level intermediate lifter—get leaner, healthier, and stronger. We wanted this resource to help women learn everything they need to know about strength training in a format that is easy to understand and implement.

Over the years we have received so many emails saying:

“I want to start working out, but I just don’t know how. I don’t know where to start, and I can’t afford a personal trainer.”

“I’ve been training for a couple of years, but I’m stuck in a rut and don’t know what to do next. Can you help?”

“I want to get leaner and stronger. I’m currently lifting six days per week, taking two spin classes, and one hot yoga class a week. Oh, and I run during my lunch break every day. What do you suggest?”

We wanted to be able to help each of these women by providing a valuable, yet affordable solution.

For one-third to one-sixth of what it would cost to hire a trainer for a month, The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training includes:

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Getting Started Guide:This program comes with a LOT of information, but the it will walk you through everything step-by-step.

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Manual:This guide explains what strength training is, why it’s important, a glossary of strength training terms, and need-to-know information about recovery, sleep, and stress management.

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Programs: Three 16-week training programs for beginners, intermediates, and high-level intermediates (with multiple options for every single exercise in case you want to make a substitution).

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Video Library: 90 minutes of high-definition video with me coaching fellow GGS co-founder Alli McKee through 70 different exercises. I will discuss proper form as well as common mistakes and how to correct them.

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Exercise Glossary:A written version of The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Video Library for quick reference, in case you forget how a particular exercise is performed while you’re at the gym.

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training Progress Tracker:A progress-tracking guide where you can track measurements, weight (if desired), mood, sleep, stress level, strength level, energy level, etc., so that you can get a comprehensive picture of what’s going on with your body.

If you’re interested, we also offer The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Package, written by GGS Advisory Board Member Dr. Cassandra Forsythe, PhD, RD. The nutrition upgrade package includes:

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition Manual: This is an 18-chapter manual with everything you need to know about nutrition, from caloric requirements and ideal macronutrient ratios to recommended food sources and beverages to medications that could interfere with your progress.

• The Modern Woman’s Guide To Good Nutrition—Meal Plans: Cassandra recognizes that every woman is different and needs a unique nutrition structure to be successful. Here, she has put together ready-to-go meal plans for fat loss and maintenance at various calorie levels; a FODMAP plan for women with digestive issues; and a Paleo meal plan at multiple calorie levels. She has also outlined multiple “If It Fits Your Macros” (IIFYM) plans for those who prefer that type of eating plan.

Learn more about the The Modern Woman’s Guide To Strength Training.

Filed under: Fitness