"It works for me.........."

Last week I mentioned the importance of having and achieving a goal in the areas of health and fitness. There are some people that are just satisfied with average. They go to the gym, do the same routine, and basically just "maintain". I don't see the fun in that! Why be complacent? There are so many ways to improve your strength, endurance, and body composition. So when someone says "It works for me......." what do the really mean? To be average, to maintain, to be the same person they were a year ago?
Here are a few tips to avoid getting stuck in "Average Land". Try total body workouts 3 days a week. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday would be ideal. Vary your rep ranges and try metabolic circuits at the end of the training session. Get outside and do a different type of cardio routine, run hills, do sprints, go to a park and perform body weight exercises. Get outside and enjoy the weather this time of year.
Here is an example of a basic total body routine to follow:
Monday
1a Alternating Lunge 4 sets of 8 on each leg
1b Push-up 4 sets of 10

2a RDL (Straight Leg Deadlift) 3 sets of 12
2b Seated Rows 3 sets of 10

Wednesday
1a Front Squat 3 sets of 6
2b Shoulder Press 3 sets of 8

2a Lat Pulldown 3 set of 12
2b Plank 3 sets of 45 to 60 seconds

Friday
1a Deadlift 3 set of 5
1b Dumbbell chest press 3 sets of 12

2a Walking lunges 3 sets of 8 steps each leg (8 steps in one direction and 8 steps back)
2b One arm dumbbell Row 3 sets of 10 each arm

Rest around 30 seconds between exercises a/b. Rest around 60- 90 seconds between exercises 1/2. This is not the "end all be all" or "the holy grail" workout routine. Just a simple routine that can incorporate total body training into your routine. Try it for 4 weeks. Try to increase the weight each week. Some exercise such as push-up and walking lunges are more for a metabolic factor then strength factor. However, Deadlifts, Front squats, Rows, and Dumbbell presses are there for you to really move some weight.
In my upcoming posts I will show you how to develop a program like this with a goal in mind. I will also discuss metabolic training and some ideas for interval training and sprinting. Don't settle for average, sometimes all you need to do is change what you're currently doing to be exceptional.