When I began this blog I had three goals in mind; increase strength, become fitter and gain some muscle. I started with a program that combined strength and conditioning but had strength as the main focus. During this first year I got stronger, slightly increased my fitness and gained five pounds of muscle. In March I switched to a different program that combined strength and conditioning but this one had conditioning as the main focus. The reason for this was I wanted to put up a good score on Murph in May. Mission accomplished as I did better than expected. I intended to then switch to more of a bulking program over the summer to gain some muscle. But I was on such a high from the score I received on Murph that I continued doing what I was doing.
Recently I decided I was ready to change things up a bit. But I was undecided on how to go about it. Due to my physical limitations; knees, shoulder and lower back I was wondering if it was time to play it a little safer. As I explored that option I found it to be boring and I wasn’t ready for that. I enjoy varying my workouts by type of exercise and intensity. I didn’t want that to end. After looking at different options I decided to program my own workouts. What a novel concept!
I decided to use the following weekly format that I can best describe as my version of Crossfit or functional fitness or whatever term you want to use:
- Monday – strength training followed by a short intense circuit.
- Tuesday – body-weight only circuit done at high intensity.
- Wednesday – explosive strength training followed by a short intense circuit.
- Thursday – some type of interval or circuit using the airdyne.
- Friday – strength training followed by a short intense circuit.
So far I have found myself re-energized by being able to follow a program that is tailored to what I need and what I enjoy. I am able to have a good structure while providing variety in the circuits I use. Training is no longer stale and I look forward to training each day. I once again have a clear training direction.
