SET A GOAL & STICK TO IT !

An introduction to programming

Hey folks, I’m  James Higgins a Personal Trainer at the Gym Co

The subject i’m going to talk about is programming for your own “personal” training goals .

Everyone who steps foot in the gym is on a mission of sorts to transform themselves, some just want to lose a few lbs, maybe drop a dress size or a few notches of their belt , some may want to be the next Mr Olympia or have the strength of a Powerlifter .

The point I’m making is that there isn’t a one size fits all training program that ticks all the boxes regardless of the article you read in the latest publication .

One of the best pieces of advice i could give you is , set your goal & work consistently with a program best suited to achieve that particular goal, I see it all too often people going from program to program on a weekly sometimes daily basis.

I’ve had clients come to me in the past wanting to lose fat, build muscle and get really strong .

This is of course is possible, by breaking their training into periodised “cycles” meaning training targeted at a specific goal, ie. For the first 4-6 week we may work on a program targeting fat loss with a program consisting of ‘big’ compound lifts working all movement patterns, push, pull, squat, hinge & loaded carries.

-metabolic conditioning classes

-kettlebell complexes

-high intensity cardio (sprinting, sled work, battling ropes etc )

Also, our nutrition will be geared towards fat loss, with a slight calorie deficit .

A diet high in lean animal proteins, beef, poultry, pork, fish & eggs, lots of green veg and leafy greens,  little fruit, no refined sugars, no deep fried foods or foods containing hydrogenated fats .

For a fat loss workout i prefer to use lighter weights in the 12/15 rep range with shorter rest periods, as frequents full body workouts with heavy weights is taxing on the nervous system and will leave you over trained and feeling like shit (but that’s a subject for a different blog). A sample training day may look like this .

Circuit

-press up

-trx row

-kettlebell swing

-kettlebell goblet squat

Completing  15 reps on each exercise = 1 round , rest 60/90 seconds between rounds , perform 5 rounds = 300 reps …

This is a very taxing workout that will boost your metabolic rate & along with the slight calorie deficit from your ‘diet’ is a sure fire way to burn body fat quickly.

Now if a clients goal is to build muscle (hypertrophy) that goal is best targeted by a different training and nutrition program, a program with heavier loads & and more volume on each specific muscle group, generally they will use a ‘split’ routine. Chest, back, legs, shoulders, arms, and they will want to have a slight calorie surplus, meaning that they consume more calories than they burn daily, this my friends is not a green light to eat everything under the sun as only a small calorie surplus is required (approx 500 kcal per day) and ideally made up of lean animal proteins , starchy complex carbs , essential fats & fibrous vegetables

A sample training day may look like this:

Chest

-barbell bench press  5 x 10 reps

-incline dumbell press 4 x 12 reps

-bar dips 3 x 12/15 reps

-cable flies 2 sets to failure

Rest  1-2 mins between sets

This program is also made up of mostly compound movements (with heavier loads ) to create “damage” to the muscle and stimulate growth (hypertrophy)

A power and strength building program will typically be based around “the big three” Bench press , squat & deadlift  and in my opinion requires the most ‘skill’ as you may be working at a different percentage of your  1 rep max (1rm) each workout. It will also require mastery of the big lifts and assistance exercises and a good knowledge of your own body that can only be aquired through experience (you have to know when to push it and when to back off as hitting it as hard and heavy as possible every session is a guarantee of burn out and over training .

A sample strength training program for deadlift (known as a wave cycle) may look like this:

Deadlift –week 1 -80% of 1rm x 5 reps x 2 sets

Deadlift –week 2 -85% 1rm x 3 reps x 3 sets

Deadlift –week 3-90/95% 1rm x 1 rep x 3 sets

Deadlift –week 4 – (de-load week ) 60% 1rm x 5 reps x 3 sets

Add 5 kg to your previous 1rm and start a new cycle on week 1 .

I have used this program myself with great success, as you can see this type of program can get a bit a bit technical and its probably best leaving this until you have advanced a bit .

Bare in mind this article is a general  statement, there are exceptions; with gym newbies often they will great results from any training program or some lucky people with spartan genetics who just step foot in the gym and get great results, then there are those taking special “supplements”, but generally speaking most people will get best results if they pick one goal  and hit it hard with a specific program.

Here are a few key points:

-set goals

-be consistent

-monitor progress

I hope this helps you on your fitness quest  for  any queries find me in the gym or contact me through facebook , thanks for reading guys.

James Higgins