Your training is yours alone. Learn how to make...

A training program that works best for you is one that matches your activities, schedule and lifestyle.

Make a fitness plan that works with you:

1) Your Activities

Train to your activities. If the only exercise you get is at the gym then make sure you’re getting all the elements of physical fitness in your workouts.

The five main elements of physical fitness are :

    1) Aerobic or Cardiovascular Fitness.

       Do high intensity interval cardio

    2) Muscular Fitness – Strength.

        Do high intensity strength exercises.

     3) Stretching for flexibility.

        Do Yoga.

     4) Core Exercises.

        Use an ab wheel, do side bends, & back "hyper-extensions"
         ( NEVER actually bend backward past a straight
             back!!)
most balance ball exercises & yoga.

     5) Balance or Stability Exercises.Practice standing on one foot, do yoga,
       or any of the stability pad or platforms at the gym.
     (USE CAUTION with these at first.)

Those are the basics and they will get more detailed attention under this section. Other aspects of physical fitness are speed and power.

2) Your Schedule

If you’re busy (who isn’t), your schedule is the next consideration. The more efficient and intense you train the more recovery time you’ll need. High intensity exercises are very schedule friendly;-)

If you work a regular 9 to 5 Monday to Friday job, it’s pretty easy to schedule your workouts for the same time every week.

Find a gym near your job if you like to work out before or after work. Find one close to home if you like to work out during your at home hours. Having your workout conveniently located means you’ll keep doing it.

If you are a shift worker, my heart goes out to you, I’ve been there. If your schedule constantly changes, I'm there now. You can find a gym that’s open when you are off work, open 24 hours, or work out at home.

Having a gym or workout space in your home is IDEAL. It’s convenient and open when you’re ready to train. I’d LOVE to have a gym at home, but not yet:-? Even without a gym it’s very possible to train effectively at home.

I exercised at home in my 300ish square foot bachelor suite during March and April of 2010. I did a high intensity workout at home using some resistance bands, a Judo belt (as a strap) and the legs of my kitchen table! For cardio I used a skipping rope at a local park or on my balcony when it rained.

I’ll write a page about it when I get that far. Contact me here if you want that workout now, and I’ll post that page within a week.

3) Lifestyle

Do you go hiking, cycling or walking? Do you practice archery, martial arts, or play basketball? Or do you spend most of your time in a office, then in bed?

Whatever you do or don’t do can change the details of your workout. You get better at whatever you practice. (no kidding;-)- Your body adapts to the type of stress you give it. This is known as “specificity”.

If you want to dance well lifting weights won’t improve your dancing much, but stretching and balance exercises will. The best way to improve dancing is to dance!

If you want to have a powerful punch for boxing, you guessed it, cardio will do little or nothing to increase punching power, hitting a punching bag WILL.

Some research suggests that specificity doesn’t exist. If it doesn’t, how you exercise isn’t important. BUT, if specificity is real you should train your balance, power, speed, strength, core and aerobic fitness by doing exercises as much like your activity as possible.

Exercise like specificity DOES exist because it covers BOTH possibilities;-)

Whatever fitness aspects you cover in your lifestyle you probably don’t need to do in your workout.

Train to your activity.

Fit your exercise into your schedule.

Use your lifestyle as part of your fitness program.