Workout Programs: Assess, Build & Create
The ABC's of Beginning A Healthier Lifestyle

Searching for ways to change your body? When it comes to exercising, searches can lead us to all sorts of training styles: from Pilates to Yoga, Spinning to Cardio-kick, machines to free weights. Here are ABC's on how to develop a workout program that is fun, safe, and effective: Assess, Build, and Create.

If you've been inactive, or have any health concerns, get a physical before beginning any workout program. After a doctor clears you, a Personal Trainer is a great resource for a fitness test. Many health clubs will offer their members free evaluations. If you do not have access to a trainer, the best thing to do is perform each exercise slowly, without weights, until you feel comfortable with that exercise and understand how to do it correctly. To learn how to check and monitor your heart rate, do a web search for 'Karvonen Formula'.

Have a workout program with a goal

Often, people will begin a workout program without even thinking of why they are exercising or what they are trying to accomplish. Sure, to lose weight, most will say. But why do you want to lose weight? Are there activities you want to do? Groups you would like to join? Wedding coming up? Whatever your motivation, keep it in your head. Keep it in your home and work, also. Have pictures taped to the fridge, words of inspiration posted on your computer, tell people your fitness goals so they can encourage you. You want to have reachable short term goals (few weeks to a few months) that evolve as you reach them. You also want long term goals that are about a year or more. These should be difficult but reachable, that will take dedication and consistency. Goals will keep you motivated and striving to reach the next level, and do not always have to be about physical change. How we perform and how we feel are just as important as how we look.

Now it's time to Build your workout program

We are not going to discuss which exercises you should perform in your workout program because each individual is different. Here are 3 things to consider when choosing which exercises to do.

1. Posture. Our posture is the best assessment we have about what is going on with our muscles. A good site to learn about posture is http://postureguide.com. Proper posture needs to be adhered to throughout the range of motion of the exercise.

2. Variety. Do not get stuck in a routine. Not only will you get bored, but you will plateau, which means the results stop. Change what you do and how you do it. Faster or slower, heavier and less to lighter and more, to one arm or leg to both at the same time.

3. Stability. The more unstable the exercise (as long as you are still under control) the better. Using dumbbells and cables instead of machines, or sitting and laying on a stability ball rather than a bench are ways to create instability. This will force you to use more muscles (and burn more calories) and help build true strength. You are only as strong as you are stable. In life, rarely do you have back support when you have to move around, so why do exercises that don't apply to life? Life is unstable; your workout programs need to prepare you for that.

We do not want to get results today and lose it tomorrow, right? Somehow we manage to make it to work or school each day; therefore we can make it to our workout each day also. If you wait until you find the time to go to the gym, other things will interfere with your plans. Schedule it, stick to the schedule, and make it part of your day and part of your life.

Stay consistent and have fun with your workout program. Make it a part of who you are, not just something you do.

This Article Can Be Re-published

This article was written by Russ Samuels of RJS Fitness.  It may be re-published in hardcopy (magazines, newsletters or newspapers) or electronic format in websites, ezines or electronic newsletters provided the following resource box is included at the end of the article with a link to the URL: