Scott Markey | Guest Columnist

With the year now upon us, let’s talk about a fitness plan to accommodate all fitness levels.

Whether you are a beginner, intermediate, or in an advanced fitness program, or even just looking to revamp your current training routine, here are some helpful guidelines to make the most of your new years’ fitness plan.

Set goals. Usually our fitness goals fall into three categories:

Fat Loss: If you’re a beginner, start with a circuit routine in which you do 8-10 exercises, one after the other, 10-15 repetitions per set, with little rest in between. Try to do two to three circuits.

If you are intermediate or advanced, try to do “supersets” – two back-to-back exercises, resting for 60 seconds, then repeat once or twice. An example of a superset might include squats and a rowing movement.

This way you are pairing exercises that are working different muscle groups.

As far as cardio goes, make sure you do this after your weight training and not before, or you can just do it on your off days. Everyone has different goals, but 30 minutes of cardio per session (not including your warm up) at a pace that gets your heart rate up should be enough.

I know a lot of people love to run, but running for long periods of time will burn up your hard earned muscle. Try to limit it.  In my experience, nothing burns fat better than getting your heart rate up by walking briskly on the treadmill, where your pace and heart rate remain constant.

Build Muscle: I would recommend exercises that allow you to do 6-10 repetitions per set. You can do them as straight sets- complete a set, rest about 90 seconds, do the next set of the same thing and keep going until you have finished all your sets and are ready to move on to your next set.

If you are more advanced try doing a compound exercise along with a smaller ancillary muscle group.  What I mean by this is pair synergistic exercises – two moves that work the same muscles. Usually, the first is a compound movement that involves a lot of the muscles in that group, the second a single joint exercise to focus on one larger specific muscle.

Gain Strength: Here is the secret to this – lower repetitions (usually from 5-8).  For the more important moves, such as dead lifts, squats, bench presses, etc., remember to always warm up properly before you do all your lower repetitions. I want all women to take note of this as well. Lower repetition and heavier weight is not just for the guys.

I train women of all fitness levels including competitors and they get their best results following this training protocol from time to time. Do not be afraid of the heavier weights, as you will not get bigger, women do not have the natural testosterone levels as men do. You will burn more body fat, however and get harder and tighter due to the muscles thermogenic effects it has on the body.

The more muscle your body possesses, the more body fat is burned at rest. Just think – the less cardio you will have to do!

Now let’s talk about your available time. The amount of time and days you can spend on your workout varies from person to person. Try your best to get 40-60 minutes per session on average.  The big variable here is how many days a week you are willing or able to work out.

At the least, you must try to get two days per week. With this program you can focus on your upper body muscle groups one day, and your lower body the next day of the week.

If you have the time, do your cardio on your off days or after each workout. If you are a little more advanced and can do three days a week, you can focus more on breaking up your workouts to target individual muscle groups. Four days a week is usually the norm for the most elite and advanced athletes, but any more than that for most people usually results in overtraining.  (I am talking about weight training/ resistance training in particular here – cardio can be done as needed.)

Try to remember that muscle grows and fat loss occurs when you are recovering from your workouts. The workout itself is the stimulus. When you work out you are actually tearing down your muscles.  It is rest, sleep, and proper nutrition after training that is what is essential for optimal results.

Once again, with new year at hand, try to stay on track, as consistency is the key to success. Starting a routine one or two months before summer will never be as effective as sticking to your program from now until then.  Let’s make that change this year and stay focused and consistent.  You can do it!

Scott Markey has over 25 years in the Fitness and Health industry.  He has graced dozens of magazines covers, and specializes in physique management, training, and nutritional consultation. He currently trains with Pure Fitness Downtown. You can reach him at [email protected].