Have a Plan (don’t rely on what you “feel” like doing)

Having spent the majority of the waking hours of my lifetime on a gym floor, I have seen more people than I can count wonder around the gym aimlessly going from one machine or exercise to another randomly with no plan to follow and only really doing what they feel like doing and 30 minutes or an hour later having done about half as much as they could have actually accomplished with their time in they gym.  Usually it is one of two scenarios.  One involves the beginner and the other is actually someone who knows what they are doing.  The beginner walks up to a machine, looks at the instructions, sits down on the machine and does a few reps, then gets up and walks to another machine, looks at the instructions, and does a few on that one, and so on until they either run out of machines or they feel like they have done enough to be finished.  In the other scenario, the person actually knows how to work out, they just don’t have a plan. They do one exercise, which may be a good exercise, then they try to decide what to do next, and they make that decision on the fly and it usually is what they feel like doing at the moment. The problem with this scenario is that this person really only ends up doing what they feel like doing.  And we all know, if you leave what you do in exercise up to your feelings, you will not get in a very good workout.

So, have a plan to follow and stick to it.  Know what you are doing before you even get to the gym or wherever you are going to exercise.  Make the decision of what you are going to do in advance and commit to doing it regardless of how you feel.  Training programs are great because you don’t have to think, you just show up and do it.   Accountability and having a plan are usually the biggest factors in your success.  When you work with a trainer or participate in a workout program, what you do is not up to you, it is decided for you.  And it usually something that you would never do if it were up to you!  

Don’t give yourself an option.  If you don’t do a specific training program, at least try to find some workouts to follow and map out your week and have the workouts pre-planned for each day.  Then you have something to commit to and accomplish.  You start the workout and go until you complete it.  Your workout is based on completion, not when you feel like stopping. 

I even live by this principle.  I have a workout pre-planned to follow every day.  Most of them are the group workouts we do at Hoover Fitness.  I write every workout weeks in advance and have it scheduled for a certain day.  So, on that day, I am at the mercy of whatever the workout is.  I am committed to doing that specific workout, no matter what it is.  Even if I don’t like it or am dreading some of the exercises in it.   Following a plan maximizes my efficiency and ensures that I get in a great workout.  I have a routine in place that is designed to get me results, so all I have to do is execute the plan.

If you don’t have a plan, find one and follow it.  The best thing to do is to join a program that has workouts with a trainer, so that you just show up and do the workout, do your cardio, and then be done for the day.  If you workout on your own, I recommend finding workouts to follow (I post workouts on Instagram often) or at minimum write out a plan based on what you already know.  Don’t leave it up to what you feel like doing each day!

To easily get started and lay the groundwork for your routine, message me about our 60 Day Total Body Transformation - which can be done in person at Hoover Fitness or remotely if you do not live in the area.  

Jason Cerniglia, CPT, CSN, owner Hoover Fitness, Author, Speaker, Fitness Professional

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