Whether it’s the middle of a busy work season, motivation is low, or you’re just beginning to build a consistent workout routine, deciding what type of exercise is best for you and how often to do it can be challenging. Because everyone’s goals, age, and other factors will vary, the “right” workout plan will differ. Here are a few general strategies, broken down by goal: Before embarking on a weight loss plan, chat with a physician and/or nutritionist to find out what is safe and what will work best for you. In terms of exercise, strength and conditioning coach Mark Barroso, CSCS, CPT, recommends strength training. That’s because it helps keep your body in an anabolic state, he says, “where protein is formed from amino acids to help us build muscle and recover from tough workouts.” Just keep in mind: Muscle weighs more than fat, Reed says, so you may not lose as much weight when you first start putting on muscle. However, “your clothes will fit differently, and your body will perform/respond better in the long run,” she adds. Also keep in mind that having muscle on your body helps burn more calories, even when you’re not actively exercising. Additionally, the process of losing weight is dependent upon healthy habits. These healthy habits can be small things that add up to big change (i.e., cutting out dessert during the workweek or no snacking after 6 p.m.). Reed recommends trying to set and keep those habits consistently for 30 days. “These 30 days become great building blocks for long-term success,” she says. Actually seeing the results of those healthy habits may take between four and six months, though, so be patient. “If you are new to strength training, it will take a little bit of time to figure out your baseline,” Arrington tells mbg. “If you’re comfortable with the movement pattern, figure out your RPE (rate of perceived exertion). On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being maximum effort, it’s a subjective measure of how hard the exercise is,” she explains. Arrington recommends working in the medium-high repetition ranges as a beginner to help master the technique and form. “Generally speaking, two to three sets of the exercise should be a solid start. If we used a medium-high range of 12 to 15 reps, aim for your RPE to be six to eight. There’s no need to hit 10s,” she says. When strength training, Arrington says to frequently check in with your body and make sure your form is strong. “How do you know if your form is solid? If you feel the energy in the muscles intended without adverse sensation and manipulation from other body parts,” she says. For example, if you’re doing a squat, you should feel the tension in your glutes, not your back. As for choosing the right weights, the last two reps should feel extra challenging but not so much that your form falters. If you crank through all your reps with ease, it may be time to try slightly heavier weights. Ultimately, it’s about tuning in to your own body to know when it’s time to level-up your intensity: “There are principles but no rules when it comes to strength training.” In the muscle-building phase of training, Barroso recommends targeting specific body parts rather than repeating individual lifts every week. For your schedule, he recommends “lifting three to four days per week and doing cardio three to four times per week.” It may take about eight to 12 weeks to see results. Performing more repetitions with lighter weights is one of the best ways to build stamina or endurance. If your goal is endurance, he recommends reducing weightlifting to once or twice a week and adding in HIIT and long steady-state cardio (think a longer run or bicycle ride) a couple of times a week. “A mix of all three methods—strength, hypertrophy, and endurance—will yield the most functional athlete,” he says. “Overtraining occurs when the body partakes in too much exercise with not enough rest/recovery time,” says Kristin Westover, P.T., MPT, CIMT, clinical director at Professional Physical Therapy in New Jersey. “This places undue stress on the body and can lead to overuse conditions such as tendinitis. Signs of overtraining to be aware of are soreness, fatigue, impaired sleep quality, increased weakness, and mood changes,” she adds. Strength: “Within the strength goal, doing variations of the exercises (like squat, deadlift, overhead press, and power clean) will help you get stronger at those same exercises,” Barroso says. Muscle building: “Variation is especially important because changing the angle at which you pull or push can target different areas of each muscle,” he explains. Endurance: Endurance athletes benefit from variation to reduce the risk of injury and keep exercise interesting. “A runner with a knee injury may need to do swimming to maintain their aerobic fitness,” he says, and “a runner that can’t seem to get any faster may see improvements from working on a bike and vice versa.” Equipment needed: Kettlebell or dumbbell. Resistance band with handles. 0.5-mile run, 20 walking lunges (each side), 0.3-mile run, 30 jump squats, 0.25-mile run, 20 burpees, 0.25-mile run, 10 pushups Strength workout B: 4 rounds total: 40 seconds active, 30 seconds resting 90 seconds rest between rounds. Total time: 30 minutes squats, reverse lunge, mountain climbers, dips, pullups, resistance-band upright row Strength workout C: 3 rounds: 20 reps each exercise kettlebell swings, resistance-band curls, kettlebell goblet squats, resistance-band front raise, kettlebell overhead triceps extension, resistance-band bent-over row Strength workout D: 3 rounds 20 situps, 10 V-ups, 10 bicycle crunches (each side), 30- to 60-second plank. Then as many reps as possible (AMRAP) in five minutes: 10 pushups, 10 box jumps 8 rounds 1-minute hard run, 1-minute walk/jog. Running workout B: Total time: 30 minutes Run up an incline; run back down. Work at about 80% effort. Running workout C: Five 400-meter laps, alternate between: 200 meters fast (5K pace), 200 meters jog (30 seconds slower) Running workout D: run, lunge, burpee; 3 rounds 400-meter run, 200-meter walking lunge, 10 burpees
