4 Commandments To Stick With In Your Workout Plan

Having trouble staying the course on your fitness plan? If so, you might just need a few guidelines to help keep you on track. Many people often struggle with going to the gym on a regular basis, but the great news is with a few smart strategies, you can overcome this.

Let's look at the four commandments you must remember if you want to become a regular at the gym...

1. Get A Plan. First things first, never start a workout without a plan in place. There are so many ways you can go about building your fitness level, so if you don't have a plan, you'll simply become overwhelmed.

Find a plan and then stick with it for at least 6 weeks. After that period, you can evaluate whether you want to continue with that particular plan or try something new.

2. Know Your Intensity Level. Next, know your intensity level. While it's great you are working out at maximum intensity, realize you cannot do this every day or you will get burnt out.

Vary your intensity level. Build into your program some easy and hard days so you are challenged but at the same time, are also able to recover.

3. Think About The Long-Term. It's also important when approaching your workout plan, you think about the long-term.

Don't view your workout plan as something to help you get fit over the next month. Think of it as a lifestyle change you will keep up for years to come. By shifting your thinking like this, you'll stand a better chance of choosing a plan you will stick with.

If you only view the short-term, you're more likely to choose plans that leave you frustrated and falling off the bandwagon.

4. Build In Some Fun. Finally, make sure you build in some fun. Fitness should never feel torturous or you know you don't have the right plan.

While you may not love every session you do, you should have at least one or two workouts you truly look forward to each week. Having this will help ensure you stay committed. Try a group sport or some other activity you remember loving when you were younger.

So there you have a few quick tips to help you become more consistent with your workout schedule. If you approach it in the right manner, you'll have a far greater chance of seeing the success you're after.

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Simple 3 Weeks Workout Plan

Day 1 for me is Monday, day 2 is Wednesday and day 3 is Friday. Yours might be different depending on your schedule. Day 1 of the week will be cardio, chest, triceps and abs. Day 2 is cardio, back, biceps and abs. Day 3 is cardio, legs, shoulders and traps. If you are not familiar with any of these workouts you can simply google them and will show expamples of them.

Week 1

Day 1:

Warm-up: 1-mile Treadmill

Incline Dumbell Bench (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Cable Tri-Pulldown (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Flat Barbell Bench (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Dumbell Overhead (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Decline Fly (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Pushups (4 sets/max reps)
10 minutes of abs

Day 2:

Warm-up: 1-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Seated Row (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Barbell Curl (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Lat Pull (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Seated Dumbell Curl (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Back Extensions (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Cable Curl (4 sets/12-15 reps)

Day 3:

Warm-up: 1-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Barbell Squat (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Shoulder Press (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Leg Press (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Front/Side Raise (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Weighted Lunges (4 sets/12-15 reps)
Dumbell Shrugs (4 sets/12-15 reps)

Week 2

Day 1:

Warm-up: 1-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Incline Barbell Bench (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Cable Tri-Pulldown (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Flat Barbell Bench (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Skull Crushers (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Seated Fly (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Dips (4 sets/max reps)

Day 2:

Warm-up: 1-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
One-Arm Dumbell Row (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Cable Curl (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Lat Pull (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Preacher Barbell Curl (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Back Extensions (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
One-Arm Cable Curl (4 sets/15,12,10,8)

Day 3:

Warm-up: 1-mile Treadmill
7 minutes of abs
Barbell Squat (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Arnold Press (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Leg Press (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Front/Side Raise (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Leg Extension/Curl (4 sets/15,12,10,8)
Dumbell Shrugs (4 sets/15,12,10,8)

Week 3

Day 1:

Warm-up: 2-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Incline Dumbell Bench (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Cable Tri-Pulldown (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Flat Barbell Bench (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Overhead Extentions (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Decline Fly/Champagnes (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Pushups (4 sets/max reps)

Day 2:

Warm-up: 2-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Seated Row (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Barbell Curl (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Lat Pull (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Incline Dumbell Curl (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Deadlift (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Cable Curl (4 sets/10,10,8,8)

Day 3:

Warm-up: 2-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Barbell Squat (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Shoulder Press (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Leg Press (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Front/Side Raise (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Hack Squat (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Dumbell Shrugs (4 sets/10,10,8,8)
Week 4

Day 1:

Warm-up: 2-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Incline Barbell Bench (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Skull Crushers (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Flat Barbell Bench (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Overhead Extentions (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Decline Dumbell Press (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Dips (4 sets/max reps)

Day 2:

Warm-up: 2-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
One-Arm Dumbell Row (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Barbell Curl (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Lat Pull (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Preacher Barbell Curl (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Deadlift (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Pull-ups (4 sets/max reps)

Day 3:

Warm-up: 2-mile Treadmill
10 minutes of abs
Barbell Squat (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Arnold Press (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Leg Press (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Front/Side Raise (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Weighted Box Lunges (4 sets/10,8,6,6)
Dumbell Shrugs (4 sets/10,8,6,6)

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Daily Workout Plan to Lose Weight Without the Gym

Losing weight doesn’t require signing up for an expensive gym membership. Wilting away the pounds with an at-home workout is not only convenient, but it's also effective. Whether you have your own personal home gym or no equipment at all, you can lose weight and get your heart rate soaring every day. Keeping it simple and consistent can be the difference between a successful weight loss journey and a doomed one.

Cardio Workout

Performing a daily cardio workout at home will help you melt away fat and lose weight, and the health benefits are worth their weight in gold. Any movement that increases blood flow throughout the body and revs up your heartbeat is considered cardio. Benefits include weight loss, increased metabolism, a healthier heart and an increase in those feel-good hormones, according to Weber University. Walking, running and cycling will get your heart pumping. If the weather is bad or you just feel like staying indoors, get in a cardio workout by performing exercises such as jumping rope and doing burpees (squat thrusts) and jumping jacks.

Strength Training

Strength training is crucial when it comes to weight loss. Building muscle underneath the fat will help to burn extra fat cells. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn at rest. Body weight exercises such as pull-ups, crunches, squats, lunges and push-ups don’t require equipment and can be done just about anywhere. Free weights are easy to store and can offer you even more variety in strength training. Include free-weight exercises such as biceps curls, triceps extensions, dumbbell step-ups and and dumbbell presses.

Frequency

As a rule of thumb, you should complete at least 30 minutes of physical activity per day, according to MayoClinic. With cardio exercise, 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous activity will suffice. Include at least two days per week of strength training exercises. You can break up your workouts throughout the day and still lose weight; just make sure the mini-sessions are at least 10 minutes each.

Cut the Calories

Exercising alone won’t get all the pounds off, especially if you replace the calories burned during workouts with extra food. To speed up weight loss, consider cutting calories daily. Changing your diet and reducing calories promote weight loss more than exercise alone, suggested MayoClinic's Dr. Donald Hensrud. To lose weight the healthy way, aim to lose one to two pounds per week. To drop just one pound of fat you must have a caloric deficit of 3,500 calories per week. You’ll need to burn off or cut 500 calories per day to achieve this weekly one-pound weight loss.

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Good Workout Plan to Lose Weight & Tone Up for Women

A multifaceted approach is needed for you to lose weight and sculpt your body. Eating a well-balanced diet and following a comprehensive fitness program that includes cardiovascular activity, strength training and flexibility exercises are essential for weight management and muscular development. Follow a plan that fits your lifestyle, and include activities that you enjoy.

Fat Busters

The Centers for Disease Control recommends 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity per week, an average of 30 minutes a day for five days, for health maintenance. Increase this amount to reach your weight-loss goals. Include different methods of cardiovascular exercise such as running, walking, swimming or using an elliptical machine. Vary the intensity of your workouts to continually challenge your body. Include a longer-endurance day, speed intervals and hill training each week. Most cardiovascular machines in fitness centers have programs available that include various levels of intensity. If exercising outdoors, use a watch to monitor your speed and pre-measured courses to track your distance.

Strong Women Rock

You need at least two days each week of strength training for all of your major muscle groups. For a woman trying to lose weight, circuit training-style workouts that target every muscle group and keep your heart rate elevated are an efficient option. Focus on minimizing rest into between exercise sets. An example of an effective total-body strength-training circuit includes pushups, squats with shoulder presses, walking lunges, dead lifts, triceps extensions and abdominal crunches. Complete 10 to 15 repetitions of each exercise. Allow minimal rest before moving to the next exercise. Repeat the circuit four to five times. Always allow at least 48 hours of recovery between working the same muscles.

Be Flexible

You can work on flexibility every day without fear of developing overuse injuries. In fact, stretching after exercise helps your muscles rebuild and recover. Yoga is an effective method for enhancing total body flexibility. Yoga Sun Salutations allow you to move your body in multiple directions, enhancing blood flow while promoting supple muscles. An effective stretching sequence involves reaching for your toes to stretch your hamstrings, stepping each leg back into a lunge position to open hip flexors and extensors, and bending backward to extend your spine. Stretch all specific muscle groups after strength training. Do not stretch your muscles cold. Always perform a warm-up to heat your body and allow your muscles to become more receptive to stretching.

Core of the Matter

Core strengthening is important for maintaining correct posture during all of your activities. Strengthening your core will help you appear longer and leaner. It will also prevent muscular imbalances that develop when you compensate for weak muscles in other areas of your body. Core strengthening flattens and tones abdominal muscles, creating a streamlined waist. This is especially important for women who have had a baby. Weak abs can be a result of pregnancy and working on your core muscles to get them back up to snuff will be worth doing. Engage your core by activating the deepest layer of your abdominals during every exercise. The plank exercise is an example of an effective core strengthening exercise. The plank involves holding the pushup position with your wrists in line with your shoulders, your body in a straight line and your legs extended while you balance on the balls of your feet. Hold the plank position for 30 seconds to one minute. Increase the intensity of the exercise by lifting your opposite arm and leg while maintaining your balance. Perform core exercises at least four days each week.

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