There is a lot to take into consideration when making a workout a plan. We are going to provide a broad overview of some of the key factors involved which will help you to program your workouts.
The First thing you want to do is have specific and measurable goals which you are able to track over a period of time. This will help to make sure you hold yourself accountable to your goals and will give you a higher chance of meeting them. You can use tools such as the SMART goals to help you.
S- Specicific
M-Measurable
A-Attainable
R-Realistic
T-Time Frame
Periodization
Once you have your goals outlined you can move into planning using periodization.
Periodization is cycling program intensities and exercises variations over specific time periods.
An effective plan covers short, middle and long range needs which can be broken into cycles
1.Short term micro cycles – Deal with daily and weekly variations in volume, intensity, loading and exercise selection.
- Daily workouts
2. Mid term Meso cycles – has a specific objective e.g. general preparation, specific preparation, competition.
- Your agenda for 3-6 weeks
3. Long term Macro cycles – Broad overview, can define available preparation time, composed of several meso cycles.
- Overall annual (long term) plan
5 Important Steps
- Goal Setting
- Define how to reach those goals
- Identify Training phases
- Plan the volume and intensities
- Regularly evaluate your periodization process
