Because I often get asked what type of workouts do I do, or that I recommend others do, I wanted to put together a few short principles that I go by that could help those of you in your mid 30’s and up get started on the simple track.
Activation —-> Nervous System —–> Strength/Power —–> Toning/Chisel/Core —— Metabolic/Fat Burn
Activation:
This is just a sometimes overly used word for “prepping” the muscles and joints for the loads they are about to endure. The more intense your workout might be, then the more time should be spent on pre workout activation. This can be in the form of light stretches, positional isometrics, “foam rolling”, core activation, etc
Nervous System:
Think of this as the base of everything movement. Your muscles contract because of an electrical signal sent from the brain, through the spinal cord, to the muscle fibers. The better they fire, the better your workout. Starting your workout with fast, quick, explosive movements THAT YOU CAN TOLERATE will absolutely optimize whatever you do in the weight room. This can be in the form of reaction drill, “footwork”, anything that is rapid for short bursts of time with extended rest. Elevated heart rate but not burn you out.
Strength/Power
Now you transition to the resistance training portion of your workout. Now your joints, nervous system is primed to take on loads. Think of strength as your ability to tolerate more and more loads in life. No you don’t have to “lift” heavy, but just enough dosage to keep building strength. Reps can range anywhere from 3-10 (to keep it simple). Every now and then sprinkle in an explosive movement to keep you twitchy and muscles sharp.
Toning/Chisel/Core
This is the portion of the workout where you can focus on physique. How this translates is typically lower amount of resistance and higher volume or reps. For example, if you wanted more definition in your arms, then this is where you can insert “tricep” exercises and exhaust that area while increasing the challenge each week.
Metabolic/Fat Burn
I typically recommend capping the workout with a short but high intense activity that includes a very fast movement with short to moderate rest. This should get your heart rate elevated. But again, within your tolerance.
This in a nutshell has been consistently effective for me personally and every single client I’ve had the privilege of working with, especially in or Adult Performance or Small Group Training.
But a few simple things to remember:
ALWAYS work within your tolerance and build from there.
You really only need THREE workouts like this per week.
Each workout, if going three days per week, should be some form of total body.
Day 1, moderate intensity. Day,2, Rest. Day 3. Highest Intensity Day 4. Rest. Day 5. Lighter intensity but higher volume of work.
The cool thing about these Principles is that you can cycle the amount of time you spend with each depending on where you are, and your goals.
For example, if coming back from injury, then more time can be spent in activation with less time devoted to other areas.
If you want to get stronger, then more time spent in the Strength/Power than the other areas.
Burn fat, then increase the metabolic portion.
But get something from each every time.
Hopefully this helps you some.