Beginner’s guide to workout design

The basis for managing body weight is founded upon energy balance which is influenced by energy intake and energy expenditure. A structured exercise program plays a key role in weight management because it contributes to long term weight loss by facilitating energy expenditure. The process of learning these new exercise programming methods and the science behind them seems relatively easy when each is considered individually.

Decide how much time to devote for exercise

If you can do an hour a day, that’s awesome. If you have a wife or husband, three kids, a dog and two jobs, then maybe you only have 30 minutes every other day. That’s fine too.

Decide where you will work out

At the gym? At home? I suggest that you should work out at the gym where you have equipments, people and environment for serious training.

How many times a week should you train?

This will vary from person to person. I suggest that you should train at least three times a week and the best frequency is train five to six  days a week. If you have time constraints, find some middle ground and train three-four times a week.

Which exercises to do?

We are going to pick five exercises, and get really strong with those movements. Pick one exercise from each category below, and you will work almost every single muscle in your body.

• Quads — squats, lunges, one legged squats, box jumps.
   
• Butt and hamstrings — hip raises, deadlifts, straight leg deadlifts, good mornings, step ups.
   
• Push (chest, shoulders, and triceps) — overhead press, bench press, incline dumbbell press, push ups, dips.
   
• Pull (back, biceps, and forearms) — chin ups, pull ups, bodyweight rows, dumbbell rows.
   
• Core (abs and lower back) — planks, side planks, exercise ball crunches, mountain climbers, jumping knee tucks, hanging leg raises.

How many sets?

I recommend doing between three to five sets per exercise. What you don’t need to do is multiple exercises for each body part with 10 sets. Unless you are a bodybuilder or an advanced athlete following a specific protocol prescribed to you by a coach, you can stick with three to five sets for each of the five exercises in your workout routine.

How many repetitions?

If you are looking for a simple answer: do each set of eight to 12 reps for each movement you’ve chosen, and see how your body responds. But don’t neglect your diet, that’s 90 per cent of the battle.

Guidelines:

• Reps in the one to five range build super dense muscle and strength (called myofibrillar hypertrophy).
   
• Reps in the six to 12 range build a somewhat equal amounts of muscular strength and muscular size (this is called sarcoplasmic hypertrophy).
   
• Reps in the 12+ range build muscular endurance.

How much weight should you lift?

I recommend that the weight you lift should be challenging but it should be comfortable. Do not compromise on posture or technique while performing any exercise.

Rest between sets

The goal is to wait the least amount of time you need, but still rest enough that you can perform all reps of the next set safely and properly.

Guidelines:

• One to three reps (lifting heavy for strength/power): Rest for three to five minutes
   
• Four to seven reps (lifting for strength): Rest for two to three minutes
   
• Eight to 12 reps (lifting for size/strength): Rest for one to two minutes
   
• 13 reps+ (lifting for endurance): Rest for one minute or less.

Source: American College of Sports Medicine (2014)

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in the column are those of the author and are not in any way endorsed by the newspaper.