Back to Basics: a 4-Week Workout Plan to Kickstart Your Fitness
You’ve heard the phrase, “You must crawl before you can walk.”
Whether you haven’t missed a gym session in two years or your treadmill is currently a laundry rack, mastering the basics of strength training is paramount to building a strong foundation. There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel, so let’s go back to the basics and give you the opportunity to get into the best shape of your life.
This four-week plan is designed to give you a base level of strength and conditioning, setting you up for your greatest gains yet.
Most, if not all, of the movements should be familiar to you.
Each workout will begin with a power-based exercise to prime the body for the work to come.
You’ll then move into the fundamental aspect of the workout with a superset of two compound movements to develop strength.
Next, you’ll add some higher-rep accessory work to reduce muscular imbalances and weaknesses.
You’ll wrap up the day with some metabolic conditioning to expand your work capacity.
Each week will consist of four workouts. The rep-schemes will vary, so choose your weight accordingly. You want the last couple of reps of each set to be challenging, but not to the detriment of your form. Your tempo on the compound movements is set at 3-0-1-0.
Tempo
- The first number (3) is the eccentric, or lowering, component of the lift
- The second number (0) denotes any pause at the midpoint
- The third number (1) is the concentric, or lifting, component.
- The fourth number (0) denotes any pause at the top of the lift.
Your accessory work is to complement the rest of your program. As with everything else, you want it to be challenging but don’t be a hero—you want these movements to help, not hinder, your progress. Choose weights that allow you to execute the movement properly with good form.
Finally, when it comes to metabolic conditioning, intensity is key. This is where the proverbial “emptying of the tank” comes in. Complete with maximal intensity, pushing the pace during each set.
The entire workout is laid out below, but it’s also available via this Google Doc.
Training is just one aspect of a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle. Keep the 5 Facets of Fitness (Sleep, Mindset, Meditation, Nutrition, Training) in mind for a complete plan. To dive deeper into the 5 Facets of Fitness, and if you have any questions about the above program, shoot me an email at [email protected] with the subject line PRIME5.
Photo Credit: sanjeri/iStock
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Back to Basics: a 4-Week Workout Plan to Kickstart Your Fitness
You’ve heard the phrase, “You must crawl before you can walk.”
Whether you haven’t missed a gym session in two years or your treadmill is currently a laundry rack, mastering the basics of strength training is paramount to building a strong foundation. There’s no sense in reinventing the wheel, so let’s go back to the basics and give you the opportunity to get into the best shape of your life.
This four-week plan is designed to give you a base level of strength and conditioning, setting you up for your greatest gains yet.
Most, if not all, of the movements should be familiar to you.
Each workout will begin with a power-based exercise to prime the body for the work to come.
You’ll then move into the fundamental aspect of the workout with a superset of two compound movements to develop strength.
Next, you’ll add some higher-rep accessory work to reduce muscular imbalances and weaknesses.
You’ll wrap up the day with some metabolic conditioning to expand your work capacity.
Each week will consist of four workouts. The rep-schemes will vary, so choose your weight accordingly. You want the last couple of reps of each set to be challenging, but not to the detriment of your form. Your tempo on the compound movements is set at 3-0-1-0.
Tempo
- The first number (3) is the eccentric, or lowering, component of the lift
- The second number (0) denotes any pause at the midpoint
- The third number (1) is the concentric, or lifting, component.
- The fourth number (0) denotes any pause at the top of the lift.
Your accessory work is to complement the rest of your program. As with everything else, you want it to be challenging but don’t be a hero—you want these movements to help, not hinder, your progress. Choose weights that allow you to execute the movement properly with good form.
Finally, when it comes to metabolic conditioning, intensity is key. This is where the proverbial “emptying of the tank” comes in. Complete with maximal intensity, pushing the pace during each set.
The entire workout is laid out below, but it’s also available via this Google Doc.
Training is just one aspect of a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle. Keep the 5 Facets of Fitness (Sleep, Mindset, Meditation, Nutrition, Training) in mind for a complete plan. To dive deeper into the 5 Facets of Fitness, and if you have any questions about the above program, shoot me an email at [email protected] with the subject line PRIME5.
Photo Credit: sanjeri/iStock
READ MORE: