When looking to create a training program, there is a lot of misinformation out there, most of which is shared through your favorite social media sites. Although these programs are effective in getting you the most likes on Instagram, they are often ineffective in getting you to the goals that you have set for yourself. When programming, it is important to round your program out and incorporate multiple training parameters to ensure that you are getting the most out of your session in the gym. Here is an effective way to structure your next training program that allows you to train optimally and see the gains you are working for!
GENERAL WARM UP/MOBILITY
Starting out your program with some form of mobility and general warm up does a few things. Yes, it does all of the classic things that warm-ups are designed to do; increase core temperature, increase heart rate, get blood flowing, etc. But it is much more than that. On top of doing all the things listed prior, it also helps prep your body for the days strength training session by unlocking previously unachievable ranges of motion for the joints that you will be training. I like to keep warm ups and mobility sessions quick and efficient. 15 minutes spent in this block will be more than enough to get your body prepped, primed and ready to train.
STRENGTH
This is the meat and potatoes of your training session. Depending on how many days you will be training will influence what movements go in these strength blocks. But, for the most part, I like selecting multi joint movement patterns; such as squats, bench press, deadlifts, rows, carries, etc., and placing them in this block. This is where I spend a bit more time, anywhere from 25-30 minutes here.
ENERGY SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT
Life is not done at one speed, so neither should your conditioning, hence the name energy systems development (ESD). There are 3 different energy systems that we can train, but for the most part you will have your short duration/high intensity, moderate duration/moderate intensity or high duration/low intensity conditioning training here. The program that you choose to place here is determined by what goals you have for yourself. This can range from as short as 10 minutes to as long as 30 minutes.
REGENERATION
The final aspect of training, and probably the most overlooked aspect in any plan. Before you leave any training session, you should spend time bringing the heart rate down, down-regulate the nervous system and start the recovery process. You can plug things like foam rolling, moderate duration static stretching, breathing exercises, etc. into this block. Just like the warm-up/mobility block, this does not need to be super long, 10-15 minutes tops.
WRAPPING IT UP
There are many ways to program a training session, and if you are new to it, having a skeleton that you can pull from and ultimately plug and play from can be extremely helpful. This session structure is great to help keep your training organized and in an order that maximizes performance potential as well as result potential.
If you need more assistance with getting a program designed for you and your goals, please reach out to us and apply for coaching! We would love to work with you.
Ryegate Strength 