How you construct a workout session and how you allocate time to the different sections must be centred around your needs. Every aspect of the workout, including its overall structure and individual components, should align with your goals, interests, training experience, and any injuries you’re accommodating.
Here’s a simple run down of the different segments you should consider including in you session. Each session will be individual. Not every aspect will be included in every workout. Some will be moved around workouts each week, some will be rotated less frequently.
Pre-Workout
Although considered separate from the workout itself, pre-workout preparations play a crucial role. Achieving adequate rest before exercising contributes to optimal results. However, achieving perfect rest beforehand might not always be feasible due to conflicting work hours, workout schedules, and family commitments.
Key points to remember:
- Stay well-hydrated.
- Consider the intake of a pre-workout drink, increasing caffeine intake may not always be advisable.
- Ensure you have an appropriate meal.
Warm up
An effective warm-up should encompass both general and specific elements. The duration of your general warm-up might need adjustment based on factors such as colder weather, recent waking, or transitioning from a mentally engaging task at work. Its purpose is to stimulate blood flow throughout your body, prompting internal adjustments in energy production rates. Use this time to mentally prepare for your upcoming workout by creating a focused environment — turn on music, activate ‘do not disturb’ mode on your phone, and centre your attention on yourself.
Following the general warm-up, the specific warm-up is tailored to the activity you’re about to undertake. Consider it the bridge into your workout routine. Utilizing this phase to incorporate flexibility exercises, combining dynamic and static stretching techniques can be effective.
Skill Practise
Beginning your workout with skill-focused exercises takes advantage of your optimal energy levels. This initial phase offers an opportunity to enhance your exercise range, concentrate on movements, and refine your body’s proprioception — its awareness of movement. Starting fresh also serves as an ideal moment to introduce new movements, laying the groundwork for their incorporation into your future routines.
Speed Work
Prioritise speed work when you’re least fatigued to optimise its effectiveness. Speed-focused exercises are highly demanding on the nervous system and emphasise quality over quantity. Due to their neurological nature, incorporating speed work as part of your warm-up routine can effectively prepare your body for subsequent strength and conditioning exercises.
Strength and Conditioning
The main segment of your workout is most likely to revolve around strength, hypertrophy and conditioning. What, when and how of strength and conditioning is such a complex topic that I will most definitely dig into deeper in subsequent posts.
Cool down
Despite its significance, the cooldown phase in workouts is frequently overlooked. It signifies the start of your body’s recovery from the physical stress endured during exercise. After the strength and conditioning phase, your body hasn’t fully cleared the by-products of energy production from the bloodstream or restored expended energy. Additionally, the immediate need for intense blood circulation to the working muscles diminishes. Gradually cooling down instead of abruptly stopping allows the body to adjust circulation needs at a more measured pace. Initiating a smooth transition into post-workout recovery expedites recuperation, allowing you to engage in subsequent workouts more efficiently.
Post workout
With a good cool down phase we have nicely transitioned into your recovery phase. Post workout you should ensure that you keep yourself moving gently, try to rehydrate and think about timings for your post workout meal.
Summary
Creating an optimised workout session can appear to be complex but starting with a basic framework reduces this complexity. Although I have laid out a very linear plan, exactly what is going to be most effective is dependant on so many factors it would be impossible to write out. Starting simple, seeing the effect it has on your results and then adjusting when it can be justified will take you a long way.
Designing an effective workout session might seem complex, but starting with a simple framework can simplify the process. While I’ve provided a straightforward plan, the most effective approach depends on numerous factors, making it impossible to outline precisely. Beginning with a basic routine, observing its impact on your results, and making adjustments when justifiable is a practical approach that will lead to significant progress