How to develop your own training style
Are you someone who likes to do things your OWN way, but don’t know exactly how to go about it?
That was me for a long time.
It’s a challenge finding your way when everyone is telling you what to do.
You aren’t sure what to believe, or how to proceed.
What do you do?
Most of us start out following a program we find online or in a magazine. (do people still read those?)
We make some progress initially.
Maybe a year goes by and we have some results to show for our work.
Soon, we start reading about other programs.
Our friend is making HUGE gains on this awesome complicated program so we think we should try that.
Then we read about something else that makes even more sense but we aren’t sure if we should try it because it says five days a week but we only train four…
On and on this goes..
Eventually you either stick to one program, or “program hop” OR you develop your own training style.
I think everyone should try to develop their own training style at some point.
It doesn’t have to be permanent.
The benefits are many and the drawbacks are few.
One of the greatest benefits is learning to train intuitively.
Why is this so great?
It’s LIBERATING!
You can go into your workout with an open mind.
Yes, this can be a challenge for many people who have never done it before.
If you have never followed a training program for at least three months, then you need to commit to that first, before trying to develop your own training style.
When you are ready to create your own program, you need to decide what your goal is.
What excites you?
Don’t let your goal be some lame idea you got from anywhere but within yourself.
What makes you tick? Find out and write it down.
After that you need to decide how much time you can devote to this plan.
Write it down.
Move right to what kind of workouts do you prefer and what have worked for you in the past?
Write that down.
Which exercises do more harm than good? What movements do you enjoy?
Write everything down.
Now it’s time to put it all together.
Let’s take a hypothetical example.
Our guy here is 45. Let’s call him Jack. He has some previous shoulder issues and bench pressing seems to bother his shoulders.
Except floor presses.
For upper body he is going to do floor presses, pushups and overhead presses.
For lower body he has a hard time with squats and deadlifts as both seem to irritate his low back but he can do trap-bar deadlifts and single-leg training just fine.
Jack is going to train three days a week with the weights. Two days he will do quick workouts consisting of some conditioning and bodyweight exercises.
The three days will be in an upper/lower split. He finds total body sessions take too long and he prefers the upper/lower split.
Each week he will switch- one week will be two upper body days and one lower body training day; the next week vice versa.
Beyond the main strength training exercises Jack will also do some supplementary exercises like pullups, dumbbell rows, romanian deadlifts.
On top of the three strength training days and two conditioning days, Jack will also walk every day a minimum of twenty minutes outside.
Each week Jack will have a “challenge workout” where he goes for a top set of high reps or a PR or an intense FINISHER that leaves him exhausted and feeling a great sense of satisfaction.
Sets and Reps
I didn’t give Jack any sets/reps and other details because you will have to figure those out on your own.
It depends on your goal, but generally I choose reps in the 4-6 range for the big lifts; 8-12 for the assistance exercises; high reps for the bodyweight movements. (15+)
One of the most rewarding aspects of developing your own training style is that you can experiment and find what works for you.
It can change too.
You don’t have to stick to every detail in the plan and worry that you’re a failure if you “mess up”.
Often, I find that I am cruising along, making progress but suddenly I need to make a shift and I can do that without destroying the integrity of the entire routine.
Just shift. Let it evolve. Breathe and keep on pushing to become the strongest version of yourself.
That’s the power of being your own guide on this path-less travelled.
Only YOU can decide where your road leads and how you will get there.
It helps to have some guidance along the way.
But ONLY YOU can show up and put in the work at a high level each day.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My new program LEVEL-UP 45 is all bodyweight exercises performed wherever you can find a small amount of space.
Here's more info if you are interested:
45 days to Level-UP your fitness and health.
This is a program for you if you :
-Don’t like gyms
-Can’t stay consistent with exercise
-Struggle with diet (or lack of)
-Not sure how to start, or what the best workout is for your current fitness ability
-Need guidance but train with me in-person due to location, work schedule or funds
~~~~Reply to this message if you want more information. ~~~~ email me at strengthessentials716@gmail.com
This is a great opportunity to change your life dramatically in 6 weeks