HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN WORKOUTS

Like nutrition, working out is very tricky thing. Well, it is but it isn't. You can complicate it to a point of no return, or you could simplify it to a point that yields no sort of progression over time or movement towards any goal. And you should have a goal with exercise outside of "exercise." As Simon Sinek would say, you need to find your "why."

I'm big on teaching the more fundamental parts of how to do things. I don't like writing workouts or meal plans for others, but I do enjoy teaching people how to write those things for themselves because that leads to change. I like to teach people how to understand these concepts. It's the teach a man to fish analogy I always use.

Exercise can be intimidating. Not only do most question what to do, but even if you have an idea of what to do, you then have to determine how to execute those things properly, and THEN we can throw in the various wrenches of life: injury, work, school, kids, weather, cost etc. There are valid excuses that come up everyday. But this is when you have to step back and ask yourself, what are my priorities, why I am doing what I'm doing, and how do I make it easier to get exercise in?

If you're just looking to stay in shape and move for the various health benefits you receive from a physiological point of view like mitochondrial health, increase in bone mineral density, tendon and ligament strength, improved respiration, better quality sleep, mobility, etc. we don't need to be following a 6 day/week program for high-level body building. So writing a workout plan is very much goal-dependent. Many people get the wrong impression of the gym and working out by trying to put a square peg in a round hole. This is frustrating and rightfully so.

So starting there: take a second to write down in journal or on a piece of paper why you workout. "I exercise (or want to exercise) because _____________."

My answer would be to improve my physical and mental well-being, and (going to get super deep here), there's going to be a point in my life when I can't do a pull up anymore, when I can't squat #135, or let alone throw on a weighted vest and do Murph. I'm one day closer to that state of being with each day passing. I plan to maximize the time that I'm able to do these things and work to push that day farther and farther back as long as I can. So when there's days that I feel exercise wouldn't improve my mental and/or physical well-being, I opt not to do it, or my "exercise" looks different than one might think. I might just go for a 1-mile walk that day, I might just do a 10-min yoga routine, etc. It doesn't have to be CrossFit games prep to be called a workout, at least not as it pertains to my goals.

Now that we've established the significance of having a goal/why, let's get a couple more important things out of the way. There are no "fat burning" exercises or workout regimens. The closest thing you'll get to a "fat burning" workout is HIIT: High-Intensity Interval Training. The reason for this is straight-forward, basic physiology. HIIT leads to a physiological response called EPOC. EPOC is Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen consumption. To put it simply, this is your body consuming more energy after exercise at rest than it did prior to exercise over a certain of period time after that bout of exercise. Higher the intensity, the greater the window of EPOC. This increase in oxygen consumption increases energy demand which leads to an increase in oxidative phosphorylation which leads to an increase in beta-oxidation (breakdown of fatty acids) which all = fat (weight) loss. BUT there is no sort of "fat burning" routine or single exercise that will target and burn belly fat, leg fat, back fat, love handles, etc., that is not how physiology works. I know you've probably heard it 1,000 times now, but I don't want to assume—you will experience better results "leaning out" by focusing on your diet. Selfish plug: you can do that with my e-books here. 

With that said, there are certain movements, rep schemes, and overall workout structures that will yield training specific results, namely: power, strength, hypertrophy, endurance, general energy expenditure, etc. We can turn type I muscle fibers into type II and IIx muscle fibers (referred to as muscle fiber type transitioning) based on how we train... it might be that I'm a nerd, but that's pretty dope.

But back to writing workouts: we first need to define a goal. We need to know what it is we have access to, how much time we are willing to allocate, and we need to be able to understand what does and doesn't contribute to our goal. Let's actually get into how I write my workouts. Disclaimer: this is what works for my workout writing process. This is not me using some researched method of writing/constructing workouts. It's a personal, logical flow that helps me write workouts with a purpose. A purpose that pertains to MY GOALS currently. If you are interested in writing periodized workouts for strength, hypertrophy, power, or endurance, that's a whole other conversation. 

So, I am going to write myself a workout that I will do today: 

First things first, I decide what I want to focus on with today being push because my lower back has been a little tight and my lats are sore, so I don't want to pull much. Then I write out movements that sound good to me for that day (this is totally random). I'm going to just write some out and then pick from the list:

• Double unders
• Close-grip bench
• GHD sit-ups
• BB front squat
• Bulgarian split squat
• Box jumps
• Row
• Hammer curls
• BB hip thrusts

Okay, so now that I've listed some movements, I like to assign what kind of movement they are:

• Double unders (Cardio/plyometric)
• Close-grip bench (UPush)
• GHD sit-ups (Core)
• Toes to bar (Core)
• BB front squat (LPush)
• Bulgarian split squat (LPush)
• Box jumps (LPush/plyometric)
• Row (Cardio)
• Hammer curls (UPull)
• BB hip thrusts (LPush)

Now I like to determine what movements I'm actually going to do:

• BB hip thrusts (LPush)
• Row (Cardio)
• Bulgarian split squat (LPush)
• Hammer curls (UPull)
• Toes to bar (Core)

This is where I started to organize the workout, write my warm-up based on what movements I'll be doing in my workout, and fill in any gaps that I'd like to:

Warm-up

• Row (Cardio) 1,000 M
• Then 2 rounds of,
• • Paloff press x10 
  • Hanging scap retractions x10
  • Banded side steps x10
  • Monster walks x10
• BB hip thrusts (LPush) 4x10
• • Toes to bar (Core) 4x8
• Bulgarian split squat (LPush) 4x6 ea leg 
• • Hammer curls (UPull) 3x10

Finisher:

• 10 min EMOM
• • 10 cal assault bike (cardio)
  • 5 Toes to bar (core)

So, let's review this really quick. You can see I created two super sets, the primary movement in each super set being a push movement. The first movement, barbell hip thrusts, is superset with a core movement, toes to bar. The second movement: Bulgarian split squat, is superset with a pull: hammer curls. Why do I feel like doing hammer curls? Why not. I write my workouts based on what it is I know I feel like doing so I'll want to do those movements. You just don't want to pair movements that are the same type of movement i.e. an upper push with an upper push. Now, you could pair an upper push with an accessory movement if trying to maximize muscular fatigue and work to failure i.e. bench press with tricep extensions. I, because I like functional training, always try to pair a primary mover with an antagonist mover. That's just fancy way of saying opposite movements i.e. bench press (Upper Push) and pull ups (Upper Pull). Bench press is anterior delts, pecs, and triceps, while the pull-up is lats, posterior delts, and biceps. But that's just me. Again, all goal dependent.

When you know your movements, it's easier to write a warm-up and the finisher—so then you're priming your body specifically for the workout and then you can bring it all home and tax the same muscle groups in a HIIT style fashion. The way that I write my finishers depends on how my body is feeling. If I'm tired, been doing a lot physically, then my finisher will likely be an AMRAP. AMRAP stands for as many rounds and reps as possible. The reason I'll do these when I'm fatigued is because you just push as hard as you can. The other style I'll go with would be EMOM which is every minute on the minute. You would set a timer for usually 10, 15, 20 mins, etc. but this all depends. Then you would piece together your workout.

I'm realizing how long this explanation is going to be if I breakdown how I write my finishers as well and when I use one over the other and the other types I didn't even cover. Writing workouts is a science and an art—you get to be very creative in stringing together the movements, rep schemes, weights, and time constraints.

Hopefully this will get some ideas flowing and provide some insight into how you can write some well-structured workouts.

Part 2 coming soon. Oh and a podcast.

~ Bonde