Christmas with a workout?

Well, Christmas is just a day away!! A time to together with family members, eat lots of food, drink a little wine, watch a little of the Canadian Juniors....and since many aren't working the next couple days, maybe even get a little training in, too.  So, now you have the time to actually fit in a good workout session, but you go to the gym and haven't got a clue what exercises you're going to do. Should you get some cardio in? How heavy are you going to lift today? Should you fit your exercises in a little circuit? And what about eating....did you just finish a nice turkey dinner about a half hour ago and are coming to the gym to burn the excess calories?  (maybe you should wait an hour or two)

As hard as it is sometimes, you must get a bit of a game plan before you head to the gym.  That is one reason why some people have trainers....they don't have to think of all that, the trainer does the thinking for them.  But it doesn't have to be that complicated.  You just need to think generally and not so specific.  Ok, so you want to fit in a good workout before Christmas dinner, so maybe a full-body workout will do you good.  Think of a few compound movements (i.e. squat to shoulder press, burpees, reverse lunge to row), so that you aren't wasting too much time when you get there and if something is being used, move onto the next exercise.  Then, think of your intensity, that is, how heavy will the weight be? And that will usually determine you're rep range or volume....as well as rest periods.  There you have it...a nice little worm-up, into your workout, combined with a  few minutes of cardio and you've got yourself a good gym session!!

Don't get me wrong, when you realize that there is a lot to think about when coming up with a good workout routine, it can be somewhat overwhelming.  But it is much better to think about it before you step foot in the gym, then thinking about it when you first go to grab a pair of dumbbells.  Having a gameplan before you go to the gym will set the stage for a much better and more efficient workout!!

Have a very Merry Christmas!!