How To Build Your Own Training Plan

You need a plan that builds on the most simple, basic movements. These are:

• Hinge: Bending at the hips. Deadlifts or kettlebell swings, for instance.
• Squat: The squat itself and all its many variations.
• Pull: Everything from inverse rows to cleans to chins.
• Push: Pushups, bench press, handstands, any pushing movement.
• Arch: Bridges, cleans and any movement where you arch over backward.
• Carry: Self-explanatory. Carrying things.

Strength work should be done between twice a week and once a fortnight, depending on how fast you recover. The easiest way to figure that out is to start at once a fortnight and gradually introduce more sessions.When you start feeling wrecked and you're not making progress, cut back again. 

Strength-hypertrophy-GPP should be done more regularly. You can build this into the same session, and can do one day on-one day off if it suits you, or space them out to a couple of times a week.

Find a movement you're comfortable with for each of the types above and build a training session. This could be:

• Swings
• Lunges
• Chins
• Pushups
• Prone Scorpions
• Rucksack walk

All that can be done with a rucksack full of dirty washing (or clean washing, just saying) and it's quite effective. For some people it could be a raw strength session, for others it wouldn't be an effective warm-up, but you can find your own level and your own favourite exercises as you train. The important thing is to know what you're going to do in the gym, and more importantly, why!

How Do You Know It's Working?

You'll know if your training is effective when it's getting you closer to your goals. Over three to four weeks, are you getting stronger and leaner? If you're buying new clothes and taking the stairs three at a time it's working. If you're always in pain and can't see changes after twelve weeks it's not.

What About Sets And Reps?

It's easy to find material on the internet recommending sets of about 1-3 for strength. But that's for highly experienced trainees. Add about two or three to every recommendation if you're new to training- do you strength workouts in the 6-10 rep range and your hypertrophy and physical prep training higher yet. Do between two and six sets. Legs will take about a third more volume than your upper body, you can pack on more volume with simple slow moves than fast or complex ones, and the most important thing is to stay safe.

READ Planning A Yearly Weight Training Cycle

If you'd like more detail, or you think I've really nailed it, get in touch in the comments section!