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Your Workouts Are Missing a Little Something...

workout planning template

Hey, your workouts are missing a little planning...

You don't have to be a boy scout to know that some solid planning can save you a world of a headache. Not only that, but some solid planning can mean the difference between an okay performance and a rock star performance. Think about it; you would never get up and give a presentation in front of several people without some proper planning. Hell, you probably make a list before you go grocery shopping. Why? Because if you don't, you'll either forget something or go way over your budget. Both situations are pretty annoying, so you plan to avoid it. Why then do you decide to simply "wing" your workouts? There's nothing more annoying than working your butt off in the gym and seeing no results. So why then do you not plan to avoid it?

I did the SAME thing too, for years. I just sort of showed up to the gym, did some cardio and lifted a bit then left. There was no real rhyme or reason to my method. It was when I got tired of my stalled out progress that I decided to look at my fitness regimen more analytically, and with that, I needed to track my meals more closely, and GASP actually take a couple of minutes to plan my workouts in advance. It worked like a charm though. Since I planned my workouts out in advance, I could make sure that no muscle was ever over or under-worked. That wasn't the only benefit either. I could:

  1. Plan my cheat meals alongside high-calorie burn workouts...

  2. Plan around special occasions and work obligations...

  3. Focus on building out certain muscles ( I had NO hamstrings, and that needed to change.)

  4. Plan mini challenges for myself to keep things fresh and fun...

  5. Incorporate different exercises for added variety...

...and the list went on.

Once I started consistently planning my workouts, the progress really flowed in because I was able to navigate all the moving pieces like a chess game. If you don't think it matters, I challenge you to give it a try for two solid weeks then tell me differently.

Here are some tips to help you pre-plan your workout for the best results.

  1. Stick to your workout split i.e. leg day, back day, upper body etc.

  2. Plan your warm up and stick to 5-10 minutes of cardio.

  3. Note your goal reps, sets, and weight.

  4. Plan for 3-5 sets of each exercise.

  5. Note your ACTUAL reps, sets, and weight.

  6. Review your performance before your next workout.