There are so many workout options that achieve different end goals, it is very hard to know where to start. So before any person starts on their road to fitness they have to ask themselves one question-
What is my end goal and what are my workout options to reach that goal?
Here is a quick video explaining 5 different types of exercising to help you understand what type of exercise you should be doing to reach your goals.
WORKOUT OPTIONS for different goals
So, although there are many different types of exercise I am breaking it down to 5 different options. These options should help you decide what exercise route you want to take or need to take.
- Bulking – Weight training, for anyone who wants to build bigger muscles. To build muscle you need to lift heavy weights with lower repetitions. Over time your muscle will grow bigger so it is able to lift that weight easier. Increasing the weight over time as the muscle gets bigger will keep the muscle needing to get bigger.
- Ripping – Weight training or can be done using your own body weight, for anyone who wants to add more definitions (shape) to their muscles. Also known as toning up/shredding. With a lower weight you need to do more repetitions to stress the muscle out for longer. The muscle does not need to get bigger because it is comfortable lifting that weight. But it does need to perform better for longer so the whole area has to chip in and help.
- A bit of bulking and ripping – Weight training using not too heavy and not too light weights, for anyone who wants to add some definition and build the muscle a bit.
- Cardiovascular – A workout for the heart which is a good fat burner, for anyone who wants to lose weight and burn fat. Most cardio exercise should last for up to 20 minutes and over. You will benefit more the longer your cardio workout goes on. For example – swimming 20 lengths of the pool is better than swimming 10. As you are using most muscles to swim this is also a ripping exercise. If you were running or punching you could attach wrist or ankle weights to produce more of a ripping effect to the muscles.
- Circuit Training – A mixture of cardio, weights and using your own body weight to do sets of made up exercises involving anything. For anyone who wants to do a bit of everything. you could have 10 set routines involving everything for example 1 routine could be press ups, another could be 10 kettle bell dead lifts. Some routines will be timed and others rely on the amount of repetitions. Some could be how many repetitions you can do in a certain amount of time. The choices are endless.
My 12 WEEK FULL BODY WORKOUT PROGRAM is based around the circuit training system. Anyone who wants to tone the muscles a bit and burn some fat will suit this program.
My 15 WEEK WEIGHTS & FAT BURN PROGRAM is based on weight training and some circuit training. Will suit anyone who wants to burn some fat and build some muscle, but you will need access to a weight set up.
A BIT MORE ABOUT BULKING & RIPPING WITH WEIGHTS
For ripping/toning (muscle definition) you will do 5 sets of a medium to light weight for about 15 to 25 Repetitions. Most women will do the higher reps with lower weights therefore not building (Bulking) too much muscles.
For Bulking (build muscle mass) you will do 5 sets of lifting as heavy as you can mostly below 12 Reps.
Some people will do pyramiding bulking where they start off medium weight and work their way up to very heavy like this-
1st Set – medium weight x15 reps
2nd Set – add more weight x 12 reps
3rd Set – add more weight x 10 reps
4th Set – add as much weight as you can lift for 8 reps
5th Set – add as much weight as you can lift for 6 reps
MAYBE A BIT OF BOTH
To do a bit of bulking and ripping at the same time you can use a medium to heavy weight. Do 5 sets of 10 to 12 reps. But you must push your muscles to the max at the last few reps of each set. In other words if you are getting to 12 reps too easy then your weight is too low.
Bulking & Ripping examples
Dwayne Johnson aka The Rock is a perfect bulking example. At 6ft5 he weighs 260lbs. He has pushed heavy weights for years with the help of steroids and many other crazy drugs from day one. He openly admits this and to be honest it is not possible to look like he does without the use of these drugs. The documentary “Bigger Stronger Faster” will show you the dark side of steroid abuse.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the Rock and am not knocking him in any way. Just saying there is are sides to our hero’s that we don’t see.
Bruce Lee is the Ultimate Ripping example at 5ft7 or 171m he weighs in at
135lbs or 62kg. Bruce’s workout routines rarely involve weights. He has a strict lean diet and uses his own body weight for his many cardiovascular workouts. Im not saying he never took any
CARDIOVASCULAR EXERCISE IS –
Anything that gets the heart pumping for more than 20 minutes really. You could just jog on the spot for 20 minutes and that is a cardio workout. Swimming is one of the best cardio workouts because you are using every muscle you have. Go to your local pool and do lengths for 20 mins or more. Other cardio workouts are walking(light cardio), jogging (medium cardio but the longer you jog the harder the cardio), cycling, football, squash, tennis, badminton, ski machine, treadmill, boxing and even running up and down stairs. I think you get the idea.
All exercise is good for the heart along with a steady healthy diet. All of the above is just a guide to help you find what you want to do. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need a little help to start you on your way with your Workout Options .
