My Training plan

“Failing to plan to plan is planning to fail” this age old adage has remain for so long because there is truth in it. If you want to achieve anything of value, any goal, then, you've got to have a plan of action. This also applies to an exercise program.

Therefore, I had come up with a training plan. Now you don’t just come up with any plan, you've got to understand what type of exercises to put on your plan, having in mind your “unique” goal.

The 3 Goals of any Exercise program

From what I have gathered (mind you, I am not claiming to be an expert on this subject. I am just learning and gathering experience as I progress on this journey) having said that, the goal of any exercise program is:

• To get your heart rate up: that is give you stamina, what is called “staying power”. You should be able to walk for reasonable distance, climb the stairs or even play with your children, without running out of breath. For this, you need the support of your heart. You need to strengthen the muscle of the heart to support the muscles by pumping the required nourishment and oxygen through the blood to all parts of the body. For this you need to do what is called “cardio exercises”

• To build muscle: The second goal of an exercise program is to build muscle. Resting is rusting; this also applies to our muscles. Have you ever take note of those beggars we see on our streets, those ones whose legs are paralysed and they have to move themselves about on their hands. Have you noticed how well built their shoulders and arms are? It’s because they use their arms so vigorously. When we use our muscle less, they grow lean and weak (what is called atrophy) but the good news is that, the more we use them, the bigger and stronger they become. To build muscle you can either do weight training (i.e. lift weights) or do exercises using body weights (i.e. using your body as weight rather than equipments)

• Tone and definition: Lastly, the goal of an exercise program is to tone up and define your muscles. You see, everybody has six packs but for most of us it’s hidden under layers of fats. So, a good exercise program burns up the fat and tone and define the muscle giving you that sculptured look.

Ok, now my “Transformation Agenda” see below:

Cardio	Building Muscle	Tone/Definition
Running and other indoor aerobic exercises	Weight lifting	Swimming

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
Run Upper body exercises Weight lifting	Stretching exercises	Run Lower body exercises Weight lifting	Stretching exercises	Run Upper body exercises Weight lifting	Run Lower body exercises Weight lifting	Stretching exercises
Swim	Swim	Swim	Swim	Swim

As you can see the training plan consists of:

•          Running;
•         Indoor aerobic exercises;
•         Weight lifting;
•         Body weight exercises (upper and lower body)
•         Swimming; and
•         Stretching exercises.

These is what is called “cross training” that is different types of exercises to target the muscles from multiple angles and approaches. Also, they are proportioned in the right mix to achieve maximum result. The stretching exercises is incorporated into the program to soothe and relax strained muscles, these is called recovery.

So don’t over train, incorporate “rest days” in between your training program and take it easy as a beginner as you gradually build strength and stamina.

To your success!