I’ve had some people tell me that they really need the structure of a workout schedule to keep going. I’m the same way — I need some kind of structure, even if it’s a loose one, to stay on top of things.
I’ve heard Tony Horton say that he sits down at the beginning of each month and marks his workouts on his calendar. Not the specific workouts, but just general terms like “cardio” and “upper body”. That’s a nice approach.
I keep it even more structured, though.
- Monday – Chest & Back
- Tuesday – Plyo
- Wednesday – Shoulders & Arms PLUS Abs
- Thursday – Yoga
- Friday – Legs & Back
- Saturday or Sunday – Cardio (optional) PLUS Abs
I do this for 3 or 4 weeks, then take a week “off”, meaning I take it easy and just do some cardio and yoga, no targeted strength workouts.
After the recovery week, I start over, using different workouts than I used the previous block. So, for example, if I did the “Base & Back” DVD during the block before, this time I’ll do the “Legs & Back” DVD. So far all my workouts are from either Tony Horton’s P90X or his One-On-One series. I own Insanity, but I have not tried it yet.
This works for me, mixing things up enough to keep my muscles confused and my mind engaged, and that really is the key to my success: finding something that works for me.
What does your schedule look like?