If you are entertained by doing everything on your own, you might like to build your own workout program. It’s absolutely possible to make it efficient if you know some basic rules and requirements your body needs to follow. We have prepared all the necessary information in case you decide to train without a personal trainer.
Basically, there are two main types of lifts: compound and accessory.
Compound lifts
These lifts work for more than one muscle group. When do you need them? In case you want to add some strength-building exercises to your program. Compound lifts help you to build muscles, increase your strength and mobility, AND help you lose more calories (yes, they need more energy to be performed).
For instance, squats are more efficient and calorie-burning than leg curl because they work more groups of your muscles.Credits to Unsplash.com
Examples: basic squats, deadlift, hip raises, straight leg deadlifts, lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, dips, planks, side planks, exercise ball crunches, mountain climbers.
Accessory lifts
These lifts you can use as additional exercises to compound lifts. Accessory lifts are a kind of isolation movements that work with one group of muscles. They help to increase the size and shape of a focused body part. For instance, if you want to emphasize your triceps, do triceps extension or triceps push-down, etc.
Avoid doing these exercises too fast, taking improper elbow position, using your torso or shoulders.
More examples: biceps curls, triceps push-down, leg curl, front raise.
Keep it simple
Why do a lot of people find doing exercises exhausting, boring, unnecessary, and inefficient? Because they complicate all the process and target a million muscle groups at the same time. For beginners and those enthusiasts who don’t have years of training experience, it’s better to build a full-body workout with 5 compound exercises to do 2-3 times a week.
How many sets and reps? Do I need to rest?
Usually, it’s efficient to do 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps. Compound lifts are performed with fewer reps. Isolation lifts are performed with lighter weight and more reps.
If you want to have a really sweaty workout, the rest between the sets should be short. Approximately 35-40 seconds of rest will make your fat burn and your cardiovascular system tax.
Cardio
If you don’t love cardio (what’s more, some people hate it!), weight training with shorter rest periods can still burn your fat effectively. How? The short rest keeps your heart rate up while your body uses more energy to burn more calories.
If you like cardio or, at least, can deal with it, then you may find HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) a magic pillow for your body. It’s the most effective method to burn fat where you need to do the movement intervals as rapidly as you can.
The researchers found that HIIT training burns 25–30% more calories than the other forms of workout.
One more option is endurance training. For some people, long-duration running is a pleasure and a kind of relaxation can not only train your body but flushes out bad thoughts out of your head. Try it! Maybe this kind of cardio is right for you!
Now you know the basic information to build your own workout plan. Oh, forgot about the main advice. Do everything with pleasure! If the number of reps is too difficult, shorten it or take lighter weights. If you don’t like cardio, replace it with more intensive weight training. Sport has to bring satisfaction, not irritation! Enjoy!
