Build Your Own Strength and Conditioning Workout
Let's talk about building your own strength and conditioning workouts.
Now…. there are 85421548042 ways to build a workout and it depends on the same amount of variables (age, experience, goals, etc.). I have tried many different structures, but there seems to be some common themes among the most effective ones.
The structure below is a good place to start, if you want to dig into the X-Fit/Functional Fitness World.
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A. Warm-up | 2-4 Movements to help prep for work to come. Increase blood flow, prime the nervous system & prep the joints, muscles, tendons and ligaments.
Example:
A1. 2-5 Minutes Cardio Choice - nice and easy
A2. 3 Rounds: 30 sec/side - Couch Stretch, 20 sec/side - Side Plank, 10 reps - Kang Sqauts
B. Main Strength | The main focus of the day - typically fitting into one of these six categories (Squat, Hinge, Upper Push, Upper Pull). Requires the most effort of the day, so it is done early in the session.
Choose 1-2 main strength exercises
Focus on a movement pattern, rather than a specific body part
COMMIT to those 1-2 exercises for 4-8 weeks, in order to see strength gains
Example (superset):
B1. Front Rack Box Squats - 4 sets x 8-10 reps/side @ 8/10 difficulty
B2. Russian Twists - 10-15/side, *Superset with split squats*
C. Accessory | Movements to compliment the main strength. Choose exercises that help to balance out the day or to address your trouble areas. Sometimes this can be instilled within the conditioning, which is a nice 2-for-1 deal!
Example (superset):
C1. 3 sets x 5 reps, Jefferson Curls, unweighted (3 sec. down, 3 sec. up)
C2. 3 sets x 10 reps/side, KB/DB Deficit Reverse Lunge
D. Aerobic Conditioning | This can take many forms (steady state, intervals, etc.), and not every day should be the same intensity. Some days may even have no conditioning or aerobic work at all. Just strength + accessory work and a self-pat on the back!
Example: Every Minute On the Minute x 16 Minutes
Minute 1: 50 sec. Cardio Choice (bike, row, run, ski, rope, etc.)
Minute 2: 8-12 Hamstring Curls (2 sec out, 2 sec in)
Minute 3: 50 sec. Cardio Choice
Minute 4: 30 sec. Wall Sit
(Hamstring Curls: Use Rower, Physioball or Sliders)
D. Aerobic Conditioning | Option 2
5 Rounds (Bike, Ski, Row, Run, or Rope)
90sec @ easy effort
30sec @ mod/hard effort
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Aaaaaand there you have it! Basically, you can break down a quality X-Fit style workout into 4 phases. We can add in a few other phases depending on your goals, but this is the basics.
Thanks for reading, friends!
Dr. Tyler Kallasy, PT, DPT, CSCS
