The University Times

So you’ve been attending the gym, your confidence is growing, you’re managing to make an appearance there multiple times each week and it’s becoming a consistent habit. You might have even started going on fitness sites like iTestosterone.com to see where you can goo next on your fitness journey. However, you may have heard the term “fitness programme” or seen people making their way through exercise after exercise using a sheet of paper (or more likely their phone) as a navigation tool and wondered what they’re doing. Most gym instructors and regular gym goers will attest to the benefits of following a programme of some sort. Is it time for you to try following one? A gym programme is simply a workout routine to follow, prescribed by a qualified professional, and designed in a way to help you reach your desired goals in optimal time. It should include details of your workout from start to finish, including all the major components such as warming up, stretching, a combination of cardiovascular and resistance exercise (typically) and often additional aspects such as foam rolling and mobility work. It will also detail how much to do in your workout, how often to do it and how intense to make it. The most successful programmes are created after a discussion between client and trainer about the various relevant factors. Trainers aren’t just looking to evaluate your desired goals, but also your injury history, medical issues and exercising experience level. Ideally, your workout plan should also include any dieting or nutrition advice, as well as recommendations about any supplements such as testosterone boosters you may need to use to get the results you desire. There is an old expression that applies to many contexts and is particularly applicable when it comes to developing an efficient gym programme – “what gets measured, gets managed”. From a fitness standpoint, much like any research project, it can be immensely beneficial to measure your “fitness” or at least certain parameters or indicators of your fitness. From there a programme can be designed in conjunction with a professional that helps you target your training to achieve your goal. By following the programme, these same measurements can be taken again with the desired outcome being one of progression. This very straightforward process can take many forms. For example, if the goal was fat loss, the measurement used could be body fat percentage taken with a caliper, followed by a fat loss specific training regime, concluding with another caliper measurement a few weeks later when the programme has finished. If the goal is to improve core strength, then a plank endurance test could be used initially followed by a core strengthening programme, again concluding in similar fashion with the endurance test being repeated. While there are many resources available online and countless programmes to be downloaded and followed, in order to create a programme tailored specifically to your needs, it is best to meet with a professional. There is a team of fitness instructors available to help you with your fitness at the Sports Centre via a number of pathways and options. The first step is to simply drop in for a free 15-minute chat for some advice before you commit to anything more. So why not pay the team a visit and get your fitness journey on a more precise and purposeful path? If you work in the fitness industry, you may want to think about covering yourself in the event of a client becoming injured. The best way to do this is by getting specialist insurance for fitness professionals.