The No More Excuses Diet (13 page)

Authors: Maria Kang

Each strength-training workout option is designed to challenge you and switch up your overall routine. Every three weeks, you can either change your intensity level, exercises, workout duration, strength routine, or training structure.

There are three common training structures. Each training structure is designed to challenge the muscle depending on an individual’s goals and experience level. Choose your strength routine, cardio exercise, and training structure, and get ready to work hard. Here are various workouts to keep your body guessing every 3 weeks for the next 12 weeks.

Training
Structures
STRAIGHT SETS

Keep the weight constant through your entire exercise. This is great for beginners to learn form and build muscular endurance.

SET	WEIGHT	REPS
1	10 pounds	10
2	10 pounds	10
3	10 pounds	10

PYRAMID SETS

This is the most conventional type of training, in which you decrease your repetitions as your weight increases. This method focuses on overloading and exhausting the muscle so it creates fatigue.

SET	WEIGHT	REPS
1	10 pounds	12
2	15 pounds	10
3	20 pounds	8

REVERSE PYRAMID SETS

Properly warm up before tackling the hardest weight first. This training utilizes your energy to build muscle by emphasizing the first sets versus the last.

SET	WEIGHT	REPS
1	20 pounds	8
2	10 pounds	10
3	8 pounds	12

Push exercises engage the chest, shoulders, triceps, quadriceps, calves, and glutes; pull exercises engage the back, biceps, and hamstrings.

Workout Chart Abbreviations

BW:
Body weight

DB:
Dumbbells

MB:
Medicine ball

RB:
Resistance band

SB:
Stability ball

ACTIVE REST:
Recreational activity like hiking, swimming, playing tennis, etc.

DROP SET:
Performing one exercise until failure and completing an additional set with lower weight without rest.

SUPER SET:
Performing two exercises back-to-back without rest.

Whole-Body Circuit Training

The first stage when incorporating strength training into your workout is to begin with a whole-body circuit. If you are a beginner, start here. As your core gets stronger and your posture improves, you can begin tackling more progressive workouts. If you own fitness DVDs or enjoy attending group classes, you can incorporate these workouts as part of your circuit training on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you exercise at home and have some equipment, here are a couple workouts to include for the first three weeks of your program.

HOME WORKOUT 1

SUNDAY:
Rest

MON/WED/FRI:
20 to 45 Minutes of Cardio

Perform 3 sets of each exercise that follows, using the training structure you’ve chosen from
this page
.

ARMS:

BW Push-up