Developing A Solid Weight Training Plan

As with most endeavors in life, developing a well-thought-out plan will increase the focus, efficiency, and probability of actually achieving the objective of the plan.

This being said, developing a detailed weight training plan will provide you with the foundation and the vision for achieving your personal weight training goals.

In general there a two primary components associated with achieving an objective: defining the deliverables associated with the plan, and thereafter, executing the plan to achieve those deliverables. Achieving your personal weight training goals is no different, and should be viewed from this perspective.

By taking the time to construct a well-thought-out plan for achieving your personal weight training goals, you will naturally define the action items required to achieve both your short-term and long-term goals within the timeframe you have defined.

Many individuals with good intentions fail to obtain their personal weight training goals, or any other goals, simply because they have not taken the time to define a detailed plan which they can execute.

Items to Consider

• Are you going to be working out at a fitness center or your home?

• Can you financially afford to work out at a fitness center?

• Do you have time to commit to regularly performing a weight training exercise routine?

• Are you going to workout in the morning, afternoon, evening, or a combination of all three?

• Are you going to be working out with a workout partner?

• How many days per week are you able to commit to performing your weight training workout?

• Are you going to perform your weight training program using free weights, circuit equipment, or a combination of both?

• Are you going to exercise all muscle groups per workout session or are you going to break the muscle groups into smaller subsets and exercise only two or three muscle groups per workout session?

• Do you have any physical limitations and/or injuries that you need to consider when performing your weight training exercise routine?

• Do you have the required knowledge to perform a weight training exercise routine? If not, do you have a resource from which you can gain the knowledge?

• Do you have the necessary equipment to perform your weight training program? (i.e. clothing, weight lifting gloves, weight support belt, wraps for joint support...)

• Have you defined your personal weight training goals and are they realistic?

• Are you going to modify your dietary regime to support your weight training efforts?

• Are you going to take nutritional supplements to support your weight training efforts?

As is evident, there are several items to consider when beginning a weight training program. In order for you to achieve your personal weight training goals, you will need to make a commitment to performing your workouts with a reasonable level of effort and intensity, at the frequency defined in your plan, and with a high level of focus.

Setting Goals in a Timeframe

While many individuals fail to take the time to generate a thorough weight training plan, even more fail to execute their plan with regularity. As with any type of exercise routine, it is imperative that you perform your workouts as scheduled and with the intent of achieving your personal fitness goals.

To this end, defining realistic, measurable and quantitative goals that are tied to a timeline is invaluable.

For example, if one of your personal weight training goals is to increase your single repetition straight bar flat bench press from 135 pounds to 225 pounds, then you should consider defining the goal as follows:

• To perform a single repetition on the straight bar flat bench press with 225 pounds of weight by June 15, 2012.

In the above example, the goal can be considered either a short-term (minor milestone) or long-term (major milestone) goal. If the goal is defined as a long-term goal, then you may want to consider adding short-term goals or minor milestones to the long-term goal.

For example, performing a single repetition on the straight bar flat bench press with 165 pounds of weight by February 12, 2012, and performing a single repetition on the straight bar flat bench press with 195 pounds of weight by April 28, 2012 would be examples of short-term goals or minor milestones that will directly support your long-term goal.

The benefit to defining goals in this manner is that you will be able to effectively monitor whether you are on schedule to achieve your specific goal within your specific timeframe. In addition, by adopting this approach to defining your personal weight training goals, you will improve your focus as you will be be consistently evaluating your progress.

Finally, as you achieve each of your short-term goals, you will increase your motivational level and the belief that you can really obtain all of your personal weight training goals.

A Successful Plan

As with any project or set of objectives, it is always beneficial to take the time to define a well-thought-out plan that you can execute to achieve your objectives within your allotted timeframe.

Weight training is no different in that your objective will most likely include increasing your lean muscle mass, decreasing your excess body fat, and improving your muscular strength and endurance. Each of these objectives is ideal for defining in a weight training plan and associating short and long-term goals.

Finally, remember that the end goal in creating a well-thought-out weight training plan is to increase the rate at which you achieve your personal weight training results.

Taking the time to create a solid weight training plan will allow for real-time monitoring and feedback of your progress, increase your overall probability of success, and improve your level of focus and motivation.

By doing so, you will be on your way to living a lifestyle that is filled with good health, fitness and mental well-being.