Have you ever been rushing to get ready for work, only to find that your favorite pants just won’t button anymore?
You resolve to start eating right and get back in shape. But, before long, you’re back to your old routine of watching Netflix and eating ice cream.
If this story sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. In fact, studies show that 80% of American adults don’t get enough exercise.
If you’re struggling to meet your fitness goals and lose weight, it may be time to commit to an exercise plan. A workout plan helps to keep you focused, and allows you to measure your progress.
Let’s take a look at five of our favorite workout plans.
Personalized Workout Plans
There is no one size fits all approach to finding a workout plan. For instance, the intensity of the workout plan you choose will depend on your fitness history. If you’ve never really worked out before, you’ll need a different plan than someone who used to play sports in college.
Also, everyone’s body is different. An exercise that’s effective for one person might cause injury to another person.
This is why it’s important to choose a workout plan that works for you. A personalized 8 week workout plan will help you learn the skills you need to kick start your fitness journey.
A Short Term Workout Plan
If you’ve never worked out before, or if it’s been a while, it might be a good idea to start with a short workout plan.
For a good 2-week workout plan, focus on getting 20 minutes of exercise in each day. This can be cardio, strength-building, or stretches. Here’s a sample of how the first few days might look:
- Day 1: 20 minutes cardio
- Day 2: 20 minutes abs and arms
- Day 3: 20 minutes yoga
- Day 4: 20 minutes cardio
By rotating these types of workouts throughout the two weeks, you’ll be able to work toward full body fitness.
A Cardio Workout Plan
If your goal is to be able to run a marathon, you should choose a workout plan that focuses on cardio exercise. While weight training and stretching are also important, the key to long-distance running is building your endurance.
Start your cardio workout plan at a level you’re comfortable with, and then build on it each day. Make sure to build in days for rest.
Here’s an example of what the first few days might look like:
- Day 1: 10 minutes jogging, 20 minutes walking
- Day 2: 15 minutes jogging, 15 minutes walking
- Day 3: 30 minutes walking
- Day 4: 20 minutes jogging, 10 minutes walking
- Day 5: 25 minutes jogging, 5 minutes walking
This way, you can gradually build up your stamina.
Toning Workout Plans
Cardio is important to any workout. This is because elevating your heart rate for an extended period of time is good for your overall health.
But if you’re looking to develop more defined muscles, you should choose a plan that incorporates weight training. Also, a good gym tip is that you should rotate which muscles you focus on each day to avoid injury.
You could start out your workout like this:
- Day 1: 15 minutes cardio, 20 minutes arm toning
- Day 2: 15 minutes cardio, 20 minutes leg toning
- Day 3: Rest
- Day 4: 15 minutes cardio, 20 minutes abs toning
Incorporating cardio in your toning workout will help give your body time to warm up.
Workout and Meal Plans
No matter how much you work out, it is almost impossible to lose weight without a healthy diet. For this reason, you might want to consider a workout plan that also includes a meal planning component.
Here’s what that might look like:
- Day 1: Cereal for breakfast, salad for lunch, vegetarian dinner. 25 minutes cardio
- Day 2: Scrambled eggs for breakfast, soup for lunch, salmon for dinner. 25 minutes of yoga
- Day 3: Greek yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch, chicken breast for dinner. 25 minutes of weight training
Varying both your meals and your workouts will help keep you engaged in your plan, and get you on the path to health!
Work it!
What’s your favorite workout plan? Let us know in the comments!