Having a well written workout plan is one of the most important things to consider in your exercise routine. It is hands down the most effective way to get the best results from your time exercising. A workout plan that you follow can help you reach your goals faster and more effectively, take the brainpower and mental stress out of the process, and help you avoid blind spots to get the best out of your fitness routine.
How Can a Workout Plan Benefit You?
We know all the reasons that exercise is worth doing: you’ll feel better, move better, look better, and stave off injury and disease. No reason not to exercise! Except that it does take time, energy, and potentially a financial investment. If you are going to put in the effort to exercise (and you should!) then you should make it worth it.
The best way to do that is to follow a well designed exercise plan to maximize your results. Read on for more information about how a workout program can help you, and how to find the best plan for you.
1 – A Workout Plan Can Help You Reach Your Goals Faster
A workout plan can help you reach your goals faster and more effectively, since it will help you work toward specific outcomes. Often, people go in the gym or go for a little pop on the elliptical, hit some machines randomly and hope they get exactly where they want to be. It doesn’t work this way; the body responds very specifically to exercise stimuli. For example, if you want to get stronger, you need to lift heavier. If you want to lose weight, you have to increase your exercise capacity and be able to exert more energy.
I receive inquiries for people from an online exercise company, and it asks people to check off their desired goals. Often people will list many goals, such as “build muscle mass”, “run a marathon”, “increase flexibility”, and “bodybuild”. These are all worthy goals, but in the short to medium term, they will compete. A well written workout program can help reach these goals, but it needs to be methodically planned. Otherwise, the process will be similar to chasing cats; chaotic and ineffective.
The bottom line is that if you are going to do the hard work (and making the time and effort for the gym is hard work!) then it should be work that takes you to your desired outcomes.
2 – Take the Brainpower and Mental Stress Out of the Equation
Having a well programmed workout routine to follow is incredibly peaceful. A good plan will give you a roadmap to trust, so your only job is to do the hard work. It takes the brainpower and mental stress out of it for you, so you can do the work and reassess at the end of your training block. This is usually 4-12 weeks, at which point, you’ll continue to the next phase, or commit to a new program.
Crammed for time? Check out How to Make Time for Exercise with a Busy Schedule
3 – Avoid Blind Spots in Your Workout Routine
Often, we can learn from others and their experiences. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know! If you have a well designed workout plan, you will be following a well rounded routine that includes everything you need to reach your goals.
For example, to avoid and work past back pain, you need a couple smart glute exercises. Athletes, including weekend warriors, typically need more hamstrings work than is conventionally written into general workout plans.
Sometimes lifters do a lot of things well, but don’t lift in a balanced manner. For example, if a lifter is focused on a goal of driving their bench press up, it would behoove them to focus on back strength as well. In this case, along with chest work, a good example would be to include rows along well.
Make sure you follow a good program, and you’ll hit everything you need to feel and perform best!
What is a Personalized Workout Plan?
A personalized workout routine or fitness plan is written specifically for you and your goals. Finding a personalized plan written by a fitness expert is a great plan to follow. If that is out of your budget or doesn’t interest you, you can find a plan online that’s written by a fitness expert for people like you. If you look on Train Heroic, for example, you can find extremely specific programs such as plans for beginners, jiu jitsu enthusiasts, people who want to build their butt or grow bigger arms, military and post military, etc. I have plans for people who sit at work all day and need to decompress, people who exercise with limited equipment, and people who train in a full gym toward strength and physique goals.
This can be incredibly effective and cost effective as well. This way you’re not, as mentioned before, hopping around and wasting your on things that won’t take you to your goals.
How to Find a Personalized Workout Plan
Like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, you can find any kind of training program on Train Heroic, which is an incredible training app that my clients and I love. (They aren’t paying me to say this! I just really love Train Heroic!) It features programs from experts of all kinds of strength, fitness and sport specific doctrines.
Consider how many days a week you can commit to working out, how long each session can be, what kind of equipment you have access to, and what your goals are. Be as specific as you can. Keep those factors in mind when you are searching programs, and select one that matches you as much as possible. Often on Train Heroic, you can do the first week free, or even contact the coach directly. Research it as much as you are comfortable with to find a program that excites you.
If you are interested in any of my programs, check them out here. If you have questions about which would be a good fit for you, feel free to email me at kathryn@kathrynalexander.com.
Are you brand new to the gym and need a plan to start? Try this 6 week program which walks you through what to do, how to do it, and how to use your gym.
Take Action and Start Your Workout Plan
Take action! Take imperfect action! I encourage you to think deeply on your goals and how you will feel when you achieve them. Then find a plan that will help you get there! Ensure it’s a good program by looking at reviews and/or talking to the coach. From there, GO GO GO!
Take a leap of faith, put in great effort, and follow that workout plan!
Best of luck! Remember, I want to see you succeed! If I can help you at all, please let me know!
About the author
Kathryn Alexander is a strength coach and personal trainer in Austin, Texas. She loves hiking, college football, and the feel of a perfectly knurled barbell. Read more about Kathryn here.