There are advantages to sitting down with a men’s fitness coach to try to craft workout routines best for our body types. But then it seems there should be a set of perfect circumstances, and all the stars should align before it happens. A range of excuses just seems to conveniently pop out just when the thought of going to the gym goes in our heads. So, how about we develop our own workout routines we can perform right in our homes, or just about anywhere else?
How To Develop The Perfect Workout Routines
Now, I am not going to get to the nitty-gritty of lifting weights or diet because this article is not about that. I may have to write another article for that. The rules in dieting are plain and simple: just avoid salt and sugar and stick to fiber and protein-rich foods. Instead, what I am going to attempt in this article is to answer the basic questions if you have no idea where to begin with your workout routines. So put on your pink spandex and let’s go!
1. HOW LONG SHOULD THE EXERCISE BE?
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This is one of the most asked questions in workout routines. Beginners often make the mistake of equating the length of the total exercise with results. The beauty of doing this at home is you don’t have to queue for your turn at the leg press machine for instance. You can totally be finished in an hour if you stick to about 25 sets including stretching and warm up. The thing to remember is if you are not exhausted by the time you’re done, you are doing it wrong.
2. WHAT TYPE OF EXERCISE SHOULD I CHOOSE?
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Workout routines that target every part of your body would be the best course of action. So you want to do squats, box jumps, lunges to develop your quads. Then you do step ups, hip raises, deadlifts for your hamstrings and butts. Push-ups, bench press, dips or incline dumbbell press for your chest, triceps and shoulders. For your biceps, back and forearms, you can try the pull ups and chin ups, the dumbbell rows and inverse body weight rows. And most importantly your abs and lower back (planks and side planks, hanging leg raises, jumping knee tucks, etc.) There are multiple YouTube videos on how to properly do the above exercises. You don’t even have to do the exercises every day. In fact, it’s recommended you only do them about three to four times a week to give your body time to rest.
3. HOW MANY SETS PER ROUTINE?
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Just keep your workout routines simple when you are just starting. For starters, just stick to 3-5 sets for each exercise. Don’t overstrain yourself. For instance, just do five exercises of four sets for now. Make sure also to watch your repetitions per set. Just keep the reps per set at least up to five if you are looking to just burn some fats and build some strength. Then the most important to remember is to rest between reps. There’s no hard rule but try to rest every 3-5 minutes when you are doing one to three reps. The minutes tend to go down as the number of reps go up. Also, don’t forget to vary your routines. Your muscles don’t like to be bored, and neither do you.
4. SHOULD I START LIFTING WEIGHTS?
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Introducing weight lifting in your workout routines is a tricky thing especially without a fitness coach to guide you. If you are not going to the gym, you can still do some weight lifting but only for resistance. That means you don’t lift something too heavy you can’t even do one set with. Do your workout routines first, and if you find they have become too easy, then you can graduate to doing weights.
Here’s a workout routine video from Brendan Meyers, which you can easily replicate:
Developing your own workout routine, like many endeavors, can get very challenging in the beginning. Just remember though that perseverance and hard work go a long way.
On the lookout for more fitness tips? Check this out!
Ready for your own workout routine? Share your thoughts by leaving your comment below!
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