How To Make A Workout Plan

Getting yourself to the gym is the hard part. Thinking about what to do when you get there, though, is the last thing on your mind. You could hit a yoga class, spend forty-five minutes on a treadmill, or even listen to a podcast on a stretching mat, and it would all be better than nothing, right? Yes, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be armed with a plan that will maximize the precious time you’re spending. According to trainers, planning for your time at the gym and your workouts can be the biggest way that you can set yourself up for success. “Not only is the gym intimidating, but going in without a workout plan can be downright scary all on its own. Most people will walk around aimlessly until they give up and just jump on any machine,” says Alysia Souto, a personal trainer. That’s why you need a plan.

Creating a workout plan that you’ll actually stick with doesn’t require shelling out tons of money for fancy classes or one on one sessions. In fact, the most important thing is evaluating what your resources are, and making the most of them. So before you set out to create any sort of plan, take stock of your schedule, and what’s possible. “Be realistic with yourself about the time and resources you have,” says Matt Bennett, a personal trainer. The most effective plan is one that you can truly commit to. “Consistency is key when it comes to making progress,” he says. 

While you’re evaluating, it helps to decide what your goals to make sure that you’re focusing on the right things, and to help keep you motivated. We’re not talking about setting a goal to run a marathon right of the bat here, either (although if that’s a dream, we’ve got a plan for that too…). Your goal could be to lose ten pounds, to run a 5k, or just to feel like you’re putting your health and wellness first. “It doesn’t matter how big or small it seems, work towards something,” Bennett says. “Find a concrete goal that you can be able to see a difference in, whether it’s running three miles without stopping or eating more vegetables and walking more every day.” 

Read on for our trainer-approved workout plans for strength, wellness, weight loss, and building endurance.

Your Workout Plan For: Strength and Wellness

Here, you’ll be focusing on three strong days of strength and conditioning workouts, and adding in rest and cardio in between.

Monday

Kettlebell squats 3x15

Dumbbell chest press 3x10

Dumbbell shoulder press 3x10

Assisted pull-ups 3x10

Adduction/abduction  3x12

4 Rounds of:

10 calorie row 10x

Wall ball squat 15x

Jump ropes 100x

Tuesday

Trapbar deadlift 3x10

Kettlebell incline bench row 3x10

Dumbbell bicep curl 3x10

Lateral pulldown/Single arm 3x8-10

Dips 3x12

Hamstring curls 3x12

3 Rounds of:

1 minute plank

Squat wall ball 20x

10 calorie row 10x

Wednesday

Take a low impact class like barre or Pilates

Thursday

Go for a run or take a spin class

Friday

Dumbbell squats 3x15

Kettlebell lunges 3x12

Dumbbell bench hip thrusters 3x10

Captains chair 3x10

Plank 3x10

Decline bench 3x10

3 Rounds of:

Battle ropes

Planks

Saturday

Sunday

Your Workout Plan For: Weight loss

“Significant weight loss doesn’t happen instantly,” says Bennett. To facilitate, your workout plan should be hyper focused. “Aim for 3-4 sets of 8-12 reps with 30 seconds or less of rest in between. Use supersets or circuits to keep you moving the whole time.” See our plan below.

Monday

Circuit One:

Rollouts 3x10

Kettlebell deadlift 3x10

1/2 kneeling overhead press 3x10

Cardio 3x30s

Circuit Two:

Leg lifts 3x20

Lunges 3x20

Facepulls 3x12

Cardio 3x30s

Tuesday

Go for a run or take a spin class. 

Wednesday

Circuit One:

High to low plank 3x20

Goblet squat 3x10

Dumbbell row 3x10

Cardio 3x30s

Circuit Two:

Cable chops 3x20

Single leg bridge 3x10

Pushups 3x10

Cardio 3x30s

Thursday

Spend 30 minutes on the treadmill

Friday

Circuit One:

Shoulder taps 3x20

Dumbell bench press 3x10

Lat pulldown 3x10

Cardio 3x30s

Circuit Two: 

Anti rotation press 3x10

Lateral band walk 3x20

Stepups 3x20

Cardio 3x30s

Saturday

Take an active rest day—go for a walk or try a yoga class

Sunday

Your Workout Plan For: Endurance

According to Bennett, the majority of your workout plan for building endurance should be focused on the activity you’re working on, whether that’s running, biking, or swimming. Strategically lifting weights, though, can help take you to the next level. “Adding two days of full body strength training to your routine will make a difference in helping you get faster, and strengthening the muscles in your legs, back, and shoulders will help propel you, while the ones in your core to help you stabilize and generate force.” See our plan below.

Monday

Do a HIIT workout for at least 30 minutes.

Tuesday

Circuit One:

Foam roll

Band walks

Dynamic warmup

Circuit Two: 

Rotational medicine ball throw 3x6

Ab rollout 3x15

Leg lowering 3x20

Circuit Three:

Deadlift 5x5

Overhead press 5x5

Split stance cable chop 5x10

Circuit Four: 

Split squat 3x12

Plank rows 3x12

Shoulder taps 3x20

Wednesday

Do an interval workout according to your training plan

Thursday

Circuit One: 

Foam roll

Band walks

Dynamic warmup

Circuit Two: 

Lateral bounds 3x3

Plank 3x30s

Toe touch squats 3x10

Circuit Three: 

Front squat 5x5

Chinups (assisted) 5x5

Cable rotations 5x10

Pushup to rotation 3x20

Leg lifts 3x20

Friday

Do long distance cardio working up to event distance (but never the same distance as your event!)

Saturday

Take a yoga class or go for a walk

Sunday

Rest