Working out can be really difficult, especially at the start. Everything hurts, you are not motivated to go on, your body refuses to do another more repetition, your nervous system is tired, not just your muscles and making the decision to do another set seems like impossible.

Coaches and motivational songs and speakers can help you get through that rough period, but you have to decide on your own, do the exercises on your own and go to the gym/workout location on your own.

Why not create your own workout routine? Here are some tips on how to approach creating your own workout plan.

Look Up Workout Plans Online – The Easy Way

The easiest way to make your own workout plan is to look up an already existing plan. You have to have in mind the end result of that workout plan. Is it general fitness? Athleticism? Preparation for a specific performance for a specific sport like powerlifting, calisthenics, bodybuilding? Is it a running plan for your first half marathon? Look up what you want to achieve and find the right plan, then adjust it to your needs. Not every plan is for every person, as we each drain and recover in our own way.

Try Different Exercises Out – Not All Are the Best For You

While there might be some exercises which are considered default, like the deadlift and the deep squat, if you do not have the proper technique, you might want to stay away from them or practice them with just the bar and no weights. 

Try bodyweight exercises or aerobic ones, once again, depending on what you want to achieve. Not all exercises are the right ones for your end result. If you need hypertrophy (muscle growth), you would want a specific set of exercises for the optimal result. Doing 50 reps for who knows how many hours is simply less optimal than doing 7 reps for 15 minutes, if hypertrophy is your end goal. For endurance sports, you might want the long-lasting exercises, like long distance running or cycling.

Use Spreadsheets – Be Organized

The easiest way to forget something is to try and remember it without actually writing it down, or in our modern age, typing it somewhere. Digital notes applications exist, as well as planners. For those who have no patience to investigate any of these, a simple spreadsheet tool can get the job done, like Google Sheets or LibreOffice Calc, both of which are free to use. Try those out and you can start planning your own workout routine.

Don’t Be Afraid to Adjust – Your Body Speaks

If you have a plan and you are tired, so tired that you cannot move after every single workout day, then you might be trying too hard for your current level. You might also be under-recovering and not sleeping enough, which can lead to the same effect. Rarely do people overtrain as much as they under-recover. 

With that in mind, it is possible to have too heavy of a plan, which can be adjusted by lowering the volume or intensity of the exercises, meaning the weight number, number of repetitions and making the rest period between sets longer.

This is a simple way to make your own workout plan, by trying and adjusting, while also looking up potentially better exercises to implement, if they do the job for you.