When it comes to fitness programs there are a variety of features that should be included. Most commonly when people think about fitness programs they think about cardio and strength training but today I want to share 5 things that a quality fitness program should have.
1. Quality Warm Up & Cool Down
Warm ups and cool downs are probably one of the most important parts of a fitness program and are easily one of the most neglected. Proper warm ups allow you to prevent injury by warming up your muscles and increasing your range of motion slowly and increasing your heart rate gradually. Cool downs allow you to bring your heart rate back down and can help prevent some muscle soreness. Often trainers tell clients to hop on the treadmill to warm up and leave at that but including some dynamic movements and mobility work in your warm up is absolutely crucial. This may include things like cat-cows, deadbugs, leg swings banded work and more. What you are doing in your warm up should mimic the things that are coming up in your workout and help your body prepare for more intense exercises. Your cool down can include more static stretches and breathing exercises to help you return to a baseline after exercise.
2. Cardiovascular Training
Cardiovascular exercise is anything that increases your heart rate and keeps it there for a prolonged period of time. This type of training can look very different from one person to the next and everyone has different preferences for how they are implementing cardio training into their routine. Some people prefer steady state cardio which might look like jogging, biking or an elliptical. Typically steady state cardio is done on a machine at about the same intensity for a long period of time. You may also see cardiovascular training come in the form of interval training or more conditioning style workouts. How you implement cardio is definitely a matter of preference. Personally, I am not someone who typically enjoys steady state cardio so I’m typically implementing it in more conditioning style workouts, but that is not the correct answer for everyone. At the end of the day, the best type of cardiovascular training is the type that you will engage in so choose what works for you and give some different types a try if you are unsure of what exactly you’re looking for.
3. Strength Training
Strength training is easily one of the most recognizable components of a fitness program. So much so, that sometimes people neglect other areas to emphasize the strength training. Again with strength training, there are a wide variety of ways that you can tackle strength training. Not everyone needs to necessarily lift weights. Bodyweight training is a form of strength training, suspension training is also a form of strength training. Anything that places a load of any kind on joints can be classed as strength training so keep this in mind when you are trying to find a type of training that appeals to you. There are also many different ways to structure a strength training program that will depend on how much time you have to workout, how many days a week you’re training, what your goals are and more (we can break this down in a separate blog). The important piece to take from this is that just because your strength training program doesn’t look exactly like someone else’s doesn’t mean that you are not strength training.
4. Core & Balance Training
Core and balance training are often integrated in with the strength training components, but they may also be performed as a separate element as well. This typically depends on a clients goals and needs. If you are performing heavy compound lifts in your strength training program (squats, deadlifts, overhead press, ect) then you are likely hitting your core quite a bit without actually performing traditional core exercises, which is an added bonus. But if you are not adding these lifts in you may want to consider adding some specific core exercises to your program. Balance is also a key part of fitness programs. Again in many situations this can be hidden in the strength training component (think single leg movements as they require lots of core activation and balance). If however, you are someone who has balance issues for one reason or another you may want to again include some specific balance exercises in your program to help improve that aspect of fitness. These could be populations that are more prone to falls or people who’ve had injuries.
5. Active Recovery
One of the most neglected aspects of a fitness program is the active recovery component. Active recovery is basically any movement you do in your day to day life that doesn’t necessarily fit the structured exercise format. For a lot of people this could look like getting out for walks, taking your kids to the park, riding your bike, ect. As much as going to the gym is an important part of your health and fitness routine, 1 hour a few times a week isn’t enough. The more movement we can get in a day the better. It doesn’t need to happen only in a workout or in the gym. You can get creative with your active recovery and do whatever it is that you feel your body needs but don’t neglect incorporating the active recovery piece as often as you can.
Fitness programs are not just slapping exercises on the page. This can be why it’s so beneficial to hire a personal trainer. Believe it or not there is a method to what we do, although it may seem random to some. If you are looking to build a customized program that checks all the boxes you need it to don’t hesitate to reach out and I’d be happy to guide you on that journey.
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