How Do You Put Your Rotations Together?

[Annabelle2]

Do you have a pattern you follow? How do you get it all in (Strength, cardio, endurance, stretch)? I am a little bored with what I am currently doing and I am curious about how others do it.

Also I am wondering what the average amount of cardio for fat burning is - 3 days or more? How many days do you do cardio and for how long?


Thank you for responding!

 

[Cruncholi]

Hi!
I have to try to put my rotations together as the workouts fit into my schedule. What I try to do is get an idea of what I want to focus on for the next month or so (i.e. strength building, endurance, cardio endurance, weight loss, etc.). Then, I pick a few workouts designed to meet that goal specifically and round it all out with a good variety that always includes cardio and strength training.

For example, if I want to lose weight, I might pick some of the more intense cardio workouts like Imax/Imax2; Step, Jump & Pump/Body Max; and Step Blast. Then, I would pick some strength training videos that get my heart rate up like Legs & Glutes/Leaner Legs; Muscle Endurance; and Pyramid Upper Body. How I combine them in a given week depends on my schedule. I try to do 2-3 days of cardio and work each body part 2 times per week. Some weeks that is feasible (I only have 1 hour per day), and some weeks it doesn't work if, for example, I have to be to work early. If I am trying to lose weight and have to skip something, I will skip a strength training day to where maybe I can only work each muscle group 1 time that week.

I am not rigid about my rotations, so this approach works for me. I hope I have helped you some.

 

[Annabelle2]

Thank you for your reply Linda. It does help! I have a question though regarding endurance workouts - do you throw those in regularly, when you want to lose weight and are doing high reps or do you plan a month around endurance?

 

[Cruncholi]

Kathy,

If I want to gain muscle endurance, then I would plan a month or longer rotation around workouts that focus on muscle endurance and try to do at least 2 muscle endurance type workouts per week, maximum of 3.

I do use muscle endurance workouts occasionally when trying to lose weight also (but I prefer the cardio & weights/circuit style for this purpose), especially if I am short on days and cannot do an upper body/lower body split. I really choose my workouts based on what my schedule allows.

Everyone is so different, but this works for me!

 

[Timber99]

I am another person here that only has one hour per day for exercise, plus a crazy schedule. I try to plan my week two weeks out in advance and then change it around if need be. If I need to change, I try hard to keep the same workouts but just shuffle the order. I plan according to my schedule and try to incorporate certain aspects into my week. Some weeks give more time than others and some give more energy. I always try to do one day each of isolated upper body and lower body. I try to work abs as often as possible. I try to get in at least two or three cardios. Then I make sure that I am not using weights on the same muscles back to back.

You need to work your own style into your week and meet certain goals along the way, that's all. Be flexible and keep records of what you are doing (I always use my free insurance calendar as my workout planner!) so that if you are seeing results, you can repeat yourself and if you are not, you can make changes.

Good Luck!
Christine