It is very common to hear that doing sports helps to improve both physical and mental health and to reduce weight. To be consistent, it is important to have training routines to follow.
This couldn’t be more true, doing physical exercise helps burn fat, tone muscles and achieve greater endurance.
The workout routines vary depending on the goal you have. Number of repetitions, weight on each repetition, cardio, time between each repetition, days of training, what do you want to achieve?
Training routines according to the objective
As we have said, training routines vary according to what each person wants to achieve.
So the first thing to do is to define what you want to achieve, whether it is to increase muscle, define muscle, lose weight or increase performance… In any case, the number of repetitions for each set of the exercises detailed below plays a fundamental role. For this, we are going to explain what the RM or also called Maximum Repetitions are based on.
Maximum Repetition (RM): is the abbreviation used to indicate the maximum weight that each athlete can lift only once in a given set or complete exercise. That is, the number of times we must repeat the same exercise.
Routines to build muscle
The training routines to increase muscle, or also called Hypertrophy, are performed by lifting a lot of weight with short series. Surely you’ve heard this term on numerous occasions, but… Do you really know what it means?
What is Muscle Hypertrophy?
Muscle hypertrophy is the increase in the size and diameter of muscle fibers due to an increase in the number of contractile actin and myosin filaments generated by protein synthesis.
OBJECTIVE: HYPERTROPHY
We will provoke muscular hypertrophy when we perform between 3 and 4 series composed of 8 to 12 repetitions with a load of between 0.7 and 0.8 RM , leaving a rest between series of between 30 and 90 seconds between each one of them.
For this goal one has to visit a gym three times a week. As you can see, one has to lift a lot of weight with few repetitions to strain the muscles. For this reason it is recommended to leave a rest day between training days. Time in which the fibers that make up the muscles, gain volume and regenerate.
It is important to be clear that the muscles do not increase during the training routines but only during the rest period. For this reason, it is important to maintain the marked rest times.
It is important to finish the session with 10 minutes of cardio.
However, long resistance training sessions are counterproductive to increasing your muscle mass. That’s why you should incorporate a maximum of one resistance training session in your training plan.
Weight loss routines
If your goal is to lose weight you have to combine cardio exercises with strength training.
The first few weeks it is necessary to do cardiovascular exercises to sweat a lot and lose fat.
You should then combine them with strength training that can naturally shape the body and tighten the skin.
The training frequency for this type of routine should be between 3 and 4 days a week. You can organize it to work the whole body in each workout or do it in parts (one day chest and triceps, another day glutes and legs, etc.).
To lose weight it is advisable to finish your training routines with a cardio session at least 2 days a week.
Routines to increase endurance
OBJECTIVE: RESISTANCE ROUTINE
We will be gaining muscular endurance by performing 3 to 4 sets of 12 to 20 repetitions with a light weight load and leaving a rest between each set of 20 to 30 seconds.
The best way to improve performance is to attend high intensity training classes (HIIT & HIPT). These sessions are very short, but with very intense exercises that will push your body to the maximum.
The tabata method or Crossfit classes are a perfect example for this type of training routine. It combines the increase of caloric expenditure and the metabolic rate of the organism.
Training routines for beginners
If you have never trained before or have not done any physical activity on a continuous basis, it is best to start with a routine of 3 or 4 workouts per week,with programs that include 4 to 6 exercises.
It is not necessary to exercise more times as the body is adapting to the physical exercise. Nor is it necessary to work the body in parts or do many different exercises, the same full body routine can be repeated during the week.
– Pushing exercises. These are those in which you push with different parts of the body.
– Traction exercises. They work the shoulders, biceps and back.
– Hip exercises. You work the glutes and hamstrings more, the knees hardly move.
– Knee exercises. Quadriceps are used when combining knee and hip.
– Abdominal exercises. To work the middle area.
Home training routines
The reason for training at home and not at the gym is the lack of time and desire to go to a training center. In the gym you have the help of a monitor who corrects the exercises and the motivation to do them with other people. On the other hand, at home you have more comfort and you can practice at any time.
The exercises you do at home will work your glutes and legs, arms, abdomen and some cardio, while in the gym you can work all the muscles in a more intense way.
Undoubtedly, betting on training routines adapted to your goal is the key to be consistent and see results. However, exercising is just as important as maintaining a balanced diet. You may be interested in this post: “Diets for athletes”.
