To achieve your goals, as important as having enough perseverance when performing the different routines, is to have a weekly training plan that includes the right exercises for you in the right proportion and order and maintaining the necessary rest times. After the Christmas holidays, it is a good time to organize your weekly workouts with the right criteria.
The method to prepare your weekly training has to always be individual and if you have the advice of a monitor or personal trainer, much better.
A weekly training plan, which includes different stages according to your level of physical fitness, establishing the routines to follow, is essential whether you are determined to start a set-up, or if you want to take another step and advance in intensity of your exercises.
The method of preparing a weekly training plan must always take into account three variables:
- Personal goals: lose weight, tone, increase muscle power, have more endurance, gain speed in the race, etc.
- Individual circumstances and preferences: you’re schedules, your pace of life, more or less sedentary, your preferences for one sport or another, etc.
- The physical condition itself: age, constitution (body mass index), sex, training level, etc.
Step-by-step weekly training plan
To establish your own training plan each week, it is important to know how to determine the time that will have to be devoted to cardiovascular exercises and those focused on strength training, also taking into account how essential it is to set and respect rest periods between sessions.
Among the general tips when establishing the guidelines for your weekly training plan, keep the following in mind:
- Train a maximum of five days a week because your body needs at least two rest. If you are just starting out, three days of intense work is enough. Little by little you will be able to increase sessions.
- It is preferable to perform each type of training on alternate days, for example, on Monday you can focus on cardiovascular exercises, rest on Tuesday and dedicate strength and power training on Wednesday. If you want to do both types of training in the same day, you will have to reduce the intensity of both, leaving a minimum rest between both and always starting with the strength exercises.
- If you are a beginner, start small, with basic exercises that allow you to learn correct postures and techniques (without using weights).
Example of a weekly training routine
Do you want to design your own training plan? Whether you choose to cross-train or prefer to combine cardio with strength exercises, planning your routine is essential. An example of an intermediate weekly training plan could be:
Monday: 1 or 2 series, according to training level, with at least 1 minute of rest between each of them:
- Warm up 8 minutes
- Squats 10 – 15 reps
- Push-ups 8 – 10 reps
- Stride 8-10 with each leg
- Climber (climb mountain) 20 – 40 seconds.
- Sit-ups 8 -10 reps.
- Finish with proper stretches
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: Intense cardio training by doing one of the following activities or combining several for example:
- 15 – 20 minutes of light running with high intensity intervals + 5 minutes of rest + 10 minutes of cycling.
- Running 15 – 20 minutes (with high intensity intervals) + 5 minutes of rest + 10 – 15 minutes of swimming starting with crawl style and ending with breaststroke.
- 10 – 15 minutes of cycling combining different intensities + 5 minutes of rest + 20 minutes of walking or walking at a medium pace.
- Cardio training in the gym: jump rope, rowing, cross fit session, spinning,
Thursday: rest
Friday: 1, 2 or 3 series, according to level, with at least 1 minute of rest between each of them
- Pull-ups 8 – 10 reps
- Bank funds 8 – 10
- Barbell deadlift 10 – 12 (no weight or moderate weight depending on level)
- Leg extensions 8 – 10
- Arm extensions 8 – 10
- Bench press 10 – 12 (no weight or moderate weight)
- Finish with appropriate stretches
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Rest or moderate aerobic activity
