Creating a Workout Plan That Works for You

Whether you’re a seasoned athlete or new to working out, having a workout plan helps you to effectively track and reach your fitness goals. Having a plan includes finding high-quality gym wear clothing that can support your full range of motion while giving you the moisture-wicking breathability you need for a hard-hitting workout.

This post guides you through creating a workout plan that assesses your needs and goals as well as your experience in the gym. Once you have a workout plan that fits your needs and the best gym athletic wear that fits your performance goals, you’re well on your way to success.

Figuring Out Your Plan

Having a workout plan may seem obvious, but, depending on your circumstances, other people, like coaches, trainers, and fitness enthusiasts, may have mapped out the training for you. Maybe you’re a beginner to fitness, transitioning out of competitive sports, trying a new fitness routine, or moving to a new gym—either way, you need a plan. Hitting the gym without one gets you nowhere—fast.

Before you craft your plan, assess your mindset and goals so that you can create a plan that supports your end game. Consider things like:

• Your motivation: Why you work out drives how you work out. For most of us, we want to be our best selves in some way. Find out what those details mean for you—what defines your personal best. Your motivation tends to be rooted in emotions and feelings, such as feeling more rested or energized, and motivation differs from your goals in that motivation fuels you as you reach for those goals. When you’re in the middle of a tough set, focusing on why you’re working out can help get you through.
• Your goals: Your goals are specific benchmarks that you track. Figure out exactly what your long-term goals are and then work backward making smaller goals for each month and each week. Not only will you have something to measure your progress against, but you’ve just created the wireframe around which you’ll create your daily workouts.
• Your mindset: You have to be honest with yourself because your attitude influences your success. Be open to new things, new experiences, and pushing yourself. Working out is fun because it’s hard. So don’t remove all the hard stuff from your plan.

You may need to revisit these aspects of your mentality from time to time, but hammering out the details now helps you create the details of your workout plan. To set up the details, you basically funnel from the big concepts like motivation and goals to the specific details by considering the following:

• Your time: Your plan looks very different if you’re working out twice a day or just three days in one week. So take an honest look at how much time you can put into working out. Don’t forget to consider transition time as well, things such as driving to the gym, showering afterward to get to work, and anything else that adds time to your workout.
• Your experience. If you’ve been working out for decades, you probably don’t need the custom gym tour, but if you’re new to working out or new to a specific workout, seek the advice of a trainer before you get started.
• Your specifics: Look at your goals and outline the specific movements and exercises that move you closer to your goals.
• Your gym: Whether you work out at home or at a gym, the equipment and its availability will be limited. So compare the specific exercises against what your gym offers. If you need different equipment, see if there’s a workaround. If not, find an alternative exercise to replace it.
• Your setup: Generally speaking, you need to work out how many sets you want to perform for each exercise, how many reps, and then how much rest, not to mention how much you plan to lift. Again, looking at your goals helps drive how you create this part of your plan.

When creating your workout plan, you might be a little overwhelmed. Use these tips to further hone and customize your plan:

• Go from big to small. Think of doing large muscle groups first and then isolating individual muscles, such as doing squats and lunges before leg extensions.
• Include flexibility. Regardless of your goals, flexibility is important to overall fitness. Always include some flexibility work in your routine. Doing so helps increase your mobility and lower your risk of injury.
• Use sport-specific movements. If you’re training for a sport, even recreationally, include those movements or variations of them in your routine.
• Repeat what worked well in the past. Think back to routines and exercises that worked well for you in the past and incorporate them into your workout.
• Mix it up. Part of what makes working out so fun is the variety of things you can do. Try new things and expand how your routine to include a mix of exercises that increase strength, mobility, flexibility, and endurance.

Staying Positive to Achieve Your Fittest Body

Your body changes over time and so does your body image. Even full-time athletes struggle with how they view their bodies even though most people would consider them the picture of health. Ditch whatever ideas you have about a perfect body and replace it with a fitness-focused approach.

Even though you’re not zeroed in on your waist size or numbers on the scale, you may still become discouraged, especially if you feel like you’re getting into a rut and not seeing results quickly enough. So keep these tips in mind to maintain a positive mindset:

• Avoid comparison. Comparing yourself to others can take you down the wrong path. Be comfortable in your skin and stay focused on your goals for improvement.
• Create mini-goals. After each workout, quickly jot down what worked and what didn’t. Write down the small things from day to day that you can focus on to help reach your weekly and monthly goals.
• Track your progress. You made goals so keep track of how you’re doing. Be sure your goals are measurable and reasonable so that you don’t hold yourself to unattainable standards.
• Ask for advice. Most people at the gym are happy to share what they’ve done to achieve their goals, or you can find a personal trainer to help you reach your unique goals.

Regardless of your long-term goals, create a sustainable workout plan, one that balances achievable goals with your availability. With the right tools, such as a solid workout plan and gym athletic wear that meets your performance needs, you can achieve a level of fitness you’ll be proud of.