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Workout Changes

11 Workout Program Change Options

Please Note:

Do not add in all of the 11 options to your program upgrade at once. Only chose those upgrades with which you feel comfortable and that suit your own particular needs.

Change The Training And Rest Days:

If you trained 2 times a week on your first program on Monday and Thursday, then you may choose to upgrade your program by changing the workout days to, say, Tuesday and Friday. This prevents the body from adapting to the regular weekly and daily time intervals between workouts, of which it will have become accustomed to during the first 8 to 12 weeks.

Add Another Training Day:

If your first program went well, then you may elect to add an additional workout so that you are training three times each week. You may elect to do Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, or Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. All that matters here is that you have at least 1 days recovery between training days. This will add to the intensity whilst providing the body with even more results over the forthcoming 8 to 12 weeks.

Increase The Sets:

Increase the sets to 3. You may decide to upgrade to the upper end of the set range for general fitness / muscle tone on each exercise, thus adding more intensity, and bringing more results.

Increase The Reps:

Increase the reps to 15. You may decide to upgrade to the upper end of the rep range for general fitness / muscle tone on each exercise, thus adding more intensity whilst improving fitness levels.

Increase The Cardio Workout Time:

You will have kept a record of the cardio workout time you achieved during your first 8 to 12 week program, having initially performed the Cardio Talk Test. You may decide to keep on the exercise bike, but depending on your progress, you could now gradually increase the cardio workout time in order to upgrade the intensity.

Upgrade The Choice Of The Cardio Equipment:

If you found using the exercise bike for your cardio workout very easy, then for your next program you may elect to upgrade your choice of cardio equipment to either a treadmill or rower.

If you decide to choose the treadmill then make sure that you maintain a walking pace for the first few sessions. If you decide to choose the rower then you must upgrade the distance rather than the time as the key progress indicator. If you begin to struggle at say 400m on your first session, then aim for an increase of 50 to 100m each week. This should be an easy progression for you to achieve whilst keeping you motivated as things improve week by week.

Decrease Rest Periods In Between Sets:

This is an option that will upgrade the intensity of your program whilst increasing fitness levels. If you were having breathing recovery in between sets in your first 8 to 12 week program, then you may wish to gradually reduce this time to training in partial recovery, or to a level with which you feel comfortable. Re Test Power Maximums:

At the end of any 8 to 12 week program, your natural strength levels will have increased, so it is vitally important to re assess your power maximums at this time. This will allow you to sustain your own level of progressive overload on the body, which will provide more results.

Change The Exercise Choices:

The new intermediate program will need to feature a selection of new exercise choices, as your body will have adapted to the basic exercise choices which made up the first 8 to 12 week program. You may choose to re select different exercise choices, or also add another exercise choice for some of the major muscle groups. These are, Pectorals, Latissimus Dorsi, Quadriceps, Deltoids, and Triceps.

Change The Exercise Order:

Another important consideration is to re select a different exercise order. This will keep the body guessing as to what is coming next in the program, and thus it will not be able to adapt easily, ensuring that new training results are achieved all the time. An intermediate program should still be a total body workout, and not a split routine.

Change The Power Maximum:

This must be the last of the upgrade options and must only be undertaken after you have progressed to your 3rd 8 to 12 week program and never before.

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