Friday, March 11, 2011

Diagramming weekly and documentation daily-think ahead for more and better strength training sessions

So now you have had your first fitness test.  The tests we performed evaluated your present body composition, risk for heart disease, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength & endurance, and range of motion respectively.  Diagramming weekly and documenting daily will help you focus where you need to spend your time so you can reduce your stress, risk for disease, and reach your fitness or performance goals.

There are three (3) types of diagramming & documentation forms I use for my clients as we proceed through the strength or performance program. The difference between a strength training and a performance training program will ultimately be the reduction in time needed to perform the exercise while maintaining optimal technique as well as achieving or maintaining the strength ratio(s) between opposing muscle groups. 

When you design your workout for the week, there are several elements needing consideration.  They include a review of your fitness testing results to help you focus on the primary muscle groups needing attention, balanced scope of exercises, the correct protocol, frequency of activity, intensity, and recovery for you to feel good and stay motivated.  

I pre-load the documentation forms with a protocol customized for each client.  The documentation forms you see on the website include a universal protocol of exercises.  You can reference the strength training articles in the fitness section for more guidance and direction when deciding what is right for you.

It is important to diagram your workout for the week on the day before or the day of your first session.  As you progress through your week, knowing how much time, intensity, type of exercises, and the number of sessions needed are all important elements in reducing stress, doing more workouts, and maintaining your journey.  You can find all of these diagramming and strength training documentation forms in the fitness section of my downloads page on the website.

The next blog will focus on aerobic training as well as periodization training for an endurance event such as triathlon or marathon.

No comments: