Millions of people want to get healthier, leaner, fitter or stronger – and they all have an underlying reason. Perhaps you’d like to lose weight to feel comfortable in your clothes, need to rehab an injury, or are keen on preventing an injury that might impact your ability to do a physically demanding job.
The challenge is that the right approach will differ for everybody based on a whole host of variables. As a personal trainer, when I design a gym workout plan or create programming for a client, that training schedule will look completely different for two individuals based on things like their age, fitness level, experience exercising in a gym, health concerns, goals and the time they have to commit each week.
While getting started is often the hardest part, it’s also important you don’t begin following a workout plan that simply isn’t for you. Poor form, focusing solely on lower body days, or only doing cardio sessions can be detrimental – and potentially put you further away from your fitness goals.
Let’s look at what a personalised workout routine is, how this can support your journey, and why working with a fitness professional is a valuable investment in your health.
How Does a Gym Workout Plan Help Meet Your Fitness Goals?
It’s natural to find the gym environment overwhelming and to stick to what you know – and can already do. The issue is that if you complete the same full-body workout every time and don’t incorporate different exercises, dynamic stretching or progressive overload, you’ll only get so far before you plateau.
In this circumstance, a lot of people continue with their daily routine but try to cut calories further and further or become frustrated and find it impossible to stay motivated.
If you find yourself navigating towards the cable machine every day, never adding weight to compound movements, or unable to lose weight, it’s likely you would benefit from a structured gym workout routine designed to make it easier to hit those targets.
Having a personalised workout plan makes a world of difference and ensures you learn how to build muscle, schedule rest days and use active recovery sessions to keep moving forward, using good form on every movement and never neglecting rest and solid nutrition.
An Insight Into the Process Behind Customised Programming
The process begins by chatting about what you’d like to achieve and why, considering:
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- The gym you intend to use – whether a home gym or commercial sports centre. What equipment is available to you, at what times, and for how long?
- Your current fitness and aims – are you already fairly fit, or are you new to exercise? Do you want to reduce injury risks, and is there a fixed time limit, such as planning a wedding or a big holiday?
- What types of exercises do you like – are you keen on high-paced, full-body workouts? Do you need to build muscle to help with other sports activities, and what would a sustainable fitness routine look like to you?
Once I’ve got a great idea about what your starting position is, we can work together to create a workout schedule that is aligned with your requirements, health and priorities.
An exercise plan I design for, let’s say, advanced lifters who spend hours a week powerlifting or CrossFit training is therefore going to differ enormously from that for an older person new to working out, or somebody recovering from an illness, injury or surgery.
What Are the Benefits of a Tailored Gym Workout Plan?
The core advantage of workout plans is education. It is absolutely normal to do what you’re best at or most used to, whether that’s steady-state cardio or weight lifting. However, working the same muscle group without considering flexibility, mobility, heart health and form won’t often produce results.
Repetitive movements can also cause excess strain, and although it takes muscles time to grow, ongoing strain can cause those microscopic tears we’re aiming for to become full-blown injuries.
Here’s why I think everybody should follow a gym workout plan that has been developed just for them:
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- A gym workout plan compiled by a qualified personal trainer will use proven, trusted principles to show you how to achieve your aims. Trainers can advise on supplementary movements that support healthy bone density and assist with preventing conditions like heart disease – ensuring you approach your fitness holistically.
- You can review and adapt your workout routine as and when you need to. Feeling tired and stiff, fed up with squats or want to try something fresh? Let me know, and I’ll revise your plan to ensure it keeps you energised, focused and enthusiastic.
- Preventing injury is hugely important. Overdoing it by lifting heavier weights than you should or trying to lose weight in four weeks is never sustainable and is often a big cause of serious injuries or health problems.
- Custom workout plans are for you. They build on the time you have, the equipment you can use, your fitness level and aims – rather than putting everybody on the same routine, which, for some, could be less than ideal.
In essence, your workout plan includes all sorts of exercises, movement patterns and stretches that will get you where you want to be with the right expertise.
Getting Started on Your Bespoke Training Routine
A great workout routine will slot into your schedule and include all of the major muscle groups, ensuring you have a solid foundation to start building strength and keeping your exercises balanced with the right mix of workouts, challenging sessions and rest days.
Generalised fitness plans, such as an online beginner workout, remain great resources, but when it comes to targeted, strategic training, there is no better way to succeed than by following the advice of a professional.
Get in touch at any time to learn more about any of the principles I’ve shared here, or better yet, let’s talk about your ideal workout routine and how best to ensure you meet your targets safely and for the long term.
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