When we say “exercise routine” we simply mean exercise that we have to engage in a regular pattern, say daily, weekly or even monthly.
Exercises are good for the body. However, knowing the right kind of exercise to do even makes it better and easier.
Routine exercises don’t necessarily require you have to hit the gym every day. There are some exercises we can engage in and with no supervision; they will be easier to practice, especially those who may not have the opportunity to use the gym.
But how can you plan for a good weekly exercise routine when you barely have an idea on how to do so. Don’t worry. The tips below will serve as a guide.
- Know your body type
When you know your body type, then you can know the areas of your body that need training. Again, you will know the kind of exercises that will help you achieve your aim.
When you do so, your weekly exercises can be planned to focus on that area more than the others. In this way, it will give you a better result.
For example, one who has an apple-shaped body would rather focus on cardio and strength interval workouts.
Such activities target the waistlines and belly. Some of them include weighted work up, windmill split squat, pushup climbers, rear lung chop and many others.
Failure to engage in exercises that work for you will give you a poor result.
- Know your schedules
Most of the time, you may have that hunger to exercise or a weekly plan that will work but because of your tight schedules, you feel that there is no way you can make it.
As I said before, all the exercises aren’t done in the gym. You don’t need professionals to stay fit, except for vigorous workouts. So, you have to know what your schedules for the week are, to plan yourself better.
For a student, employee and other individuals who wish to have a good weekly exercise routine, find an alternative means of going to school, work and other places without a bus or car.
You can use a bicycle, take a walk if the place is near, or use a skateboard, which is similar to using a treadmill or an exercise bike at the gym.
These are sure means to exercise the body. And since you have limited time to hit the gym, using these mediums will still yield results.
Also, you can make other vigorous exercises to fit in, especially in your leisure time or during the weekends.
- Know the right kind of exercise
Many exercise and workout routines focus on what the result should be. Like one who wants to build muscles either on the abdominals, arms and shoulders can engage in strength training and workout such as crunches, push-ups, heavy weight lifting and more.
So when you want to lose weight overall, and then engage in muscle building exercises, then you and someone taking the wrong medication for diagnosis are the same.
In this area, you may likely need professional help, to guide you on what exercise you have to do, depending on what your target is, especially if you plan to workout at home and don’t need a personal trainer.
- Know how long you have to exercise for each day
Professionals recommend that exercise should be done at least take 30 minutes every 24hours. You see? That still leaves us with plenty of time to do other things.
So, to have a good weekly exercise routine, you have to know when to sacrifice your time either in the morning or evening.
But for those who have a fitness goal in mind or want to lose weight, you may need more time than an average person that just wants to stay fit.
You may increase the time as time goes or when you don’t feel worn out after exercising, you may try to increase the intensity of your exercise.
- Know the appropriate number of exercise per week
Having a little exercise daily is very good for the body. Exercises such as walking, swimming, stretching, jogging and its likes shouldn’t be neglected at all.
But when you are engaged in high-intensity workouts and training such as butt kicks, forearm plank, and other anaerobic exercises, you may not be expected to work out every day. 3- 4 times and at a minimum of 2hours per day is okay, though on average.
Although, every day, we engage in little things that we may not necessarily know they are exercises. However, when the exercise becomes vigorous, then there is a need to rest our muscles and body. It is essential to avoid the following:
- Injuries such as tendonitis or other overuse injuries
- Dehydration
- Restless leg
- Insomnia
- depression
- A feeling of tiredness
- Mood swings and more.
- Know your strength
Exercise has different levels from beginner’s level to experts. When you are trying to build an effective exercise routine that will work out for you, it’s good to know your strength or limit.
For beginners, you have to start with exercises like walking, dancing, yoga, swimming, aerobic and other cardiovascular workouts such as stretching, and other flexibility training.
Start from the simpler ones, and then advance to other harder types of exercises to avoid injuries.
- Keep to healthy practices
There are many healthy practices that we have to include in our daily or weekly workout plan. These practices keep us healthy while trying to stay fit.
Eat healthy foods: There is this popular say “we are what we eat”. There is no way we intend having a good result from our routine exercises when we eat unhealthily.
Therefore, for maximum results, you have to shun junk foods like processed foods and sugars. Eat wholesome meals such as fruits and nuts that contain good fats and rich protein for bodybuilding.
Drink water frequently: It is not unusual that water makes the body to stay hydrated. In addition, helps in the proper functioning of our organs.
When we exercise, we lose water through sweat especially when the weather is hot. So, we need to replenish the fluid lost by drinking water or other healthful drinks.
Get supplements: You can also get supplements that you think will be of great benefit to you. Some of them are amino acids, minerals, and vitamins. Know what each supplement contains by doing some research work.
- Have a variety
As they say – variety is the spice of life. When we are engaged in monotonous exercise, we are likely to lose interest in it over time. Varieties of exercises will make the journey more fun and interesting.
Engaging in the same exercise every day makes the body prone to injuries due to the muscle and joint is worn out, and can lead to mental burnout, thus causing a breakdown.
Varieties of exercise help to build our muscles and balance for other exercises, and also make them stronger, and free from injury.
For example, for a four day work out plan in a week, the other remaining days are rest and recovery time.
| Days | Activity | Varieties |
| Monday | Running | Endurance trek |
| Wednesday | High Jump | Hurdles |
| Friday | Running | Sprints |
| Saturday | Weight lifting | Full body workout |
- Measure your success
When trying to have a workout or an effective exercise routine, there is no better way to measure your success than to keep a record.
The essence of having these records is to know whether you are progressing or not. Know what works for you and what does not.
With this, you can be able to know your challenges, what caused it and how to tackle it. Also, measuring your success by gives you an idea of the exercise you are engaged in is yielding results or not. From your record, you can determine whether to continue or stop.
Lastly, if your success rate in the exercise is really what you are looking for, then you can continue. Otherwise, check the underlying causes and make some changes to meet your desired goal.
Conclusion
To have a good weekly exercise routine, then try and consider the above. You should always bear in mind that a good weekly exercise routine shouldn’t look too worked up.
It might look discouraging if it becomes so, and let it fall on a timeframe that is achievable for you. Having an exercise routine without having time to implement it is a total waste.
For people who have more than one set of goals, don’t combine both in your workout plan. You should tackle one first, see the results and build another, otherwise, you may get satisfactory results for both.
