Writing programmes

I'm currently away in New Zealand with work and am therefore having a week off totally from training, well when I say totally I've still programmed in 3 HIIT sessions in just to keep everything ticking over. No more than 25 minutes from start to finish. This personally helps me to keep focused and aids in keeping the muscles loose. This week away has come at the right time as I'm going to start a new programme when I get back gearing up for the summer. Plenty of hours on the plane has ensured I write out my new programme in detail so I thought I would elude to a few keys points to help. 

1) Ensure you have a goal in mind prior to writing. Set yourself a broad goal, such as putting on 5kg of muscle by July. Then split these goals down, micro goals, like a 6 week programmes within that. Again take into account if you want to be 5kg heavier but yet lean, than you need to put more weight on through the bulking phase. 

2) Setting goals use SMART goals.

Specific - make your goals are exactly what you want from your training. 

Measurable - use a system to see you're growth, thus helping motivation when you succeed. Weighing yourself and measuring certain muscles groups for example. 

Attainable - can you reach these goals or are they out of reach?

Realistic - you can go big with your goals but know your limit. Not achieving these could end up in demotivation.

Time Specific - set goals to a time scale and make sure you're always on target to meet them. 

3) Make sure you schedule in rest. Don't just train every day of every week and expect results. Add in rest, this is the time to grow. Hit you're workouts hard, eat well and grow with rest. 

4) Include compound exercises. Go heavy on these, bring shock and trauma to the muscle, then isolate the muscle with higher reps to build size and bring detail to the target muscle group. 

5) Don't spend too long in the gym!! Get a good warm up in, hit the muscle hard with adequate rest in between to reach your optimum level with your next set but don't spend ages, texting your friends. Hit the muscle hard and get out. You'll also keep the pump better throughout the workout and not annoy your fellow gym goers by spending ages in a piece of equipment. 

So 5 easy steps to planning your workouts, now get to it. 

Jack