What should my workout routine be

To increase intensity, go to failure on the last set. Supersets: Complete the initial set of the first movement immediately followed by the second movement.

Repeat until all designated reps and sets are complete. This advanced program is incredibly intense and follows a push-pull-legs pattern for 6 days per week. Only attempt this program if you have several years of training under your belt. As you age, muscle and bone mass decreases at a gradual rate.

Nonetheless, you can counteract this loss by following a resistance training program to stimulate muscle and bone growth 1 , 2. The exercise routines outlined above still apply to people aged 40 and older, though some of the exercises may need to be replaced with more joint-friendly options — especially if you have any pre-existing injuries. For example, you can do goblet squats instead of back squats or tricep pushdowns instead of dips.

You may likewise need to extend recovery times to 2 days between workouts instead of 1, as your body takes more time to recuperate 3. While exercise presents some obstacles for older adults, maintaining a proper resistance training program can provide endless benefits and keep you consistently in shape. Trainees above the age of 40 may have to adjust their workout routine to account for injuries or slower recovery times.

While muscle and bone mass decline as you age, you can combat this with proper exercise. While working out in the gym provides the stimulus for muscle and strength gains, nutrition plays a major role in recovery and exercise optimization. This can be done by ensuring sufficient calorie, protein, carb, and fat intake based on your training intensity and physique goals. You can use a calorie counter to calculate your needs. Nutrient timing , which involves eating at specific times to yield results, may also be vital to maximize muscle gains.

For example, many experts recommend eating a well-balanced meal or snack within 2 hours of a workout, ideally both before and after 5 , 6. If you want to ensure proper dietary intake or create an individualized plan to help you meet your goals, consider consulting a registered dietitian.

Proper nutrition is vital to exercise, as it provides your body with the necessary building blocks for gaining muscle and strength. Over time, you may find that your body responds better to certain movements over others, allowing you to adapt your training accordingly. A proper exercise regimen and good nutrition habits are the first steps to getting in the best shape of your life, no matter your level of experience.

In general, a strength-training session should last 40—60 minutes, plus foam rolling and a quick warm-up beforehand. As for cardio, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends logging minutes of moderate-to-intense activity per week. Rest days are on the schedule for a reason: Working out every day is not a good plan if you want to improve your fitness long-term.

Working out too much without giving your body the down time it needs is akin to taking two steps forward, one step back, explains Fagin. Not taking a rest day when you need it, especially if you are overtraining , can increase your risk of overuse injury, decrease your performance, crush your motivation, and suck the joy out of an activity you once loved, according to the American Council on Exercise ACE.

Instead, follow the advice above for building workout plans that include doses of work and doses of rest. SELF does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Any information published on this website or by this brand is not intended as a substitute for medical advice, and you should not take any action before consulting with a healthcare professional. Is two hours in the gym too much?

Is it bad to work out every day? Alexa Tucker is a freelance writer and editor based in Denver, Colorado. She covers all things health and wellness including fitness, nutrition, and general health, as well as travel, beauty, and lifestyle.

Alexa received her bachelor's degree in journalism from the renowned Missouri School of Journalism, and her digital work Read more. Jenny is a Boulder, Colorado-based journalist specializing in fitness, food, and human interest. She entered the news-making business at age 8 when she created a canine-themed publication for local dog owners.

Topics cardio strength training Weight Lifting workout plan recovery muscle recovery running. Sign up for our SELF Motivate newsletter Get exclusive workouts, fitness tips, gear and apparel recommendations, and tons of motivation with our weekly fitness newsletter. Enter your e-mail address. Quiet streets with side- walks, park trails, athletic tracks at local schools, or shopping malls are often good choices.

Buy a good pair of shoes. Look for supportive but flexible soles that cushion your feet. Comfort is the key when buying shoes for walking. Shop at the end of the day when your feet are at their largest size. Dress for comfort and safety. Dress in layers so you can peel off garments if you get hot. Light-colored clothes and a reflective vest help drivers notice you. Do a five-minute warm-up and cool-down.

Start off at a slower pace for your warm-up. Strength or resistance training, which typically employs equipment such as weight machines, free weights, or resistance bands or tubing, protects against bone loss and builds muscle.

It, too, deserves an important place in your exercise routine. Technically, strength or resistance training takes place any time your muscles face a stronger-than-usual counterforce, such as pushing against a wall or lifting a dumbbell. Using progressively heavier weights or increasing resistance makes muscles stronger.

Aside from toning you, strength training provides the functional strength you need to do everyday activities— lifting groceries, climbing stairs, rising from a chair, rushing for the bus—with ease. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommend strengthening exercises for all major muscle groups legs, hips, back, chest, abdomen, shoulders, and arms two or more times a week, with at least 48 hours between sessions.

One set per session is effective, though two or three sets may be better, according to some research. Repeat each exercise eight to 12 times reps. Your body needs at least 48 hours for recovery and repair between strength training sessions in order to build more muscle and get stronger. Focus on form, not weight. Align your body correctly and move smoothly through each exercise.

Poor form can prompt injuries. Many experts suggest starting with no weight, or very light weight, when learning a strength training routine. Concentrate on slow, smooth lifts and equally controlled descents while isolating a muscle group.

You isolate muscles by holding your body in a specific position while consciously contracting and releasing the targeted muscles. Tempo, tempo. Tempo helps you stay in control rather than undercut strength gains through momentum. For example, count to four while lifting a dumbbell, hold for two, then count to four while lowering it to the starting position. Blood pressure increases during a work- out, but it rises even more if you hold your breath while performing strength exercises.

To avoid steep increases, exhale as you lift, push, or pull; inhale as you release. Keep challenging muscles. The right weight differs depending on the exercise. Action Step 4 : Create a linear program across three months, building challenge in gradually across time. As you can see, I added volume to most of the running workouts across time and load to the weight lifting workout. Alternatively, our runner could keep the volume of the workouts the same across months and simply aim to run faster and complete her lifting sessions more quickly after each four-week training cycle, increasing speed of completion.

Either is an acceptable way to increase challenge. Which you choose is largely a matter of preference for the novice, and need for the advance athlete—to choose a method, simply ask yourself which would better serve to build your athletic deficiencies. To program intelligently, you need to keep records. Your records should be both objective recording times, loads, mileage, etc. During Month 2, her mile times slowed during week 6, as did her m splits:.

What happened? Remember, at the beginning of month 2, we added two extra m sprints, an additional mile to the long run, and a second medium-distance time trial. She handled it okay during week 5, but then we saw decreased performance. We could revert to the Month 1 programming and see if we resume the streak of personal bests. Alternatively, we could back off a portion of the Month 2 volume, going back to the Month 1 five-mile distance runs and three m sprints, but keeping the additional 1-mile time trial.

We could even add in an additional rest day for a few weeks. How would we know which course to take? Herein lies the art of training. For instance, if our runner reports feeling sluggish all week during Week 6, she may be suffering from accumulated fatigue, and she may decide to rest two or three days and then resume the Month 2 program.

If the poor performance continues, she would choose to decrease the volume back to Month 1 levels. If she sets new personal bests, she would carry on with the Month 2 program. This is the benefit of record keeping. It gives us clues. Should we keep going with the program or back off? Are we getting continued progress, or have we stalled out?

Action Step 5: Record your results and check them against your goal s.