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Over the last year, I’ve been studying for the Certified Personal Training test from the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and on December 31st, I sat for the test and passed! I learned so much along the way, and thought I would share some of the vital info I learned to help anyone out there interested in working out. I know that for me, incorporating weight lifting and more fitness into my routine has complemented my yoga practice because it helped to build strength, which offered better support for the poses.
The first step to working out is building a stable foundation. If you’ve never worked out before, it doesn’t make sense to start doing heavy biceps curls. It’s like putting a roof on a house before you’ve laid the foundation. Building your stabilizing muscles essentially lays the foundation for a strong base as you then work on building endurance, strength, and power.
Why Develop Stabilization Endurance
You can think of strategic working out in terms of a few phases. The first phase is Stabilization Endurance, and this phase will last around 4 weeks. Its purpose is to increase muscular endurance and stability while also developing neuromuscular efficiency, which is just a fancy way of saying coordination. We’re also looking to improve muscle imbalances, strengthen the core, and establish proper movement patterns and exercise technique. Lastly, we’re also prepping the body for future phases by prepping the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints with good movement.
Sets, Reps, Intensity and Rest During Stabilization Endurance
There are six parts to a Stabilization Endurance Workout, and they’ll have their own reps, sets, tempo, training intensity, rest interval, frequency, duration and exercise selection. Here are the six parts:
Flexibility: This is a super important aspect to help you achieve the aforementioned goals.
Reps: 1 rep
Sets: 1-3 sets
Tempo: Hold for 30 seconds
Frequency: 3-7 times per week
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Exercise Selection: Foam Rolling and static stretching
Core: Having a stable core is one of the best things you can do for injury prevention and for laying the foundation for longevity as you workout.
Reps: 12-20 reps
Sets: 1-4 sets
Tempo: Slow 4/2/1
Rest: 0-90 seconds
Frequency: 2-4 times per week
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Exercise Selection: 1-4 movements. Things like floor bridge, and floor prone cobra.
Balance: Having a great sense of balance lays the foundation for proper movement patterns.
Reps: 12-20 reps if you’re on both legs, or 6-12 reps if you’re doing a single leg exercise
Sets: 1-3 sets
Tempo: Slow 4/2/1
Rest: 0-90 seconds
Frequency: 2-4 times per week
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Exercise Selection: 1-4 movements. Movements like single-leg balance reach
Plyometric*: Plyometric work helps you to improve your rate of force production and ultimately improve your overall power. If you’re super new and also deconditioned, this portion of the phase can be skipped and you can integrate it in the next phase. It’s more important to have a stable core prior to beginning plyometric training.
Reps: 5-8 reps
Sets: 1-3 sets
Tempo: 3-5 second hold on the landing
Rest: 0-90 seconds
Frequency: 2-4 times per week
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Exercise Selection: 0-2 movements. Things like Squat jump with stabilization.
Speed, Agility and Quickness*: SAQ training may be skipped in this phase if you’re brand new and don’t feel that your core is stable enough for this portion of the training.
Reps: 2-3 reps
Sets: 1-2 sets
Tempo: Moderate
Rest Interval: 0-90 seconds
Frequency: 2-4 times per week
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Exercise Selection: 4-6 drills with limited horizontal inertia and unpredictability. Things like ladder drills.
Resistance: Ahh! Finally we’re at the part of the workout that people picture when they visualize a traditional workout.
Reps: 12-20 reps
Sets: 1-3 sets
Tempo: 4/2/1
Intensity: 50-70%
Rest Interval: 0-90 seconds
Frequency: 2-4 times per week
Duration: 4-6 weeks
Exercise Selection: 1-2 stabilization progression exercises like a ball squat, curl, press, push up, standing cable row, etc.
And that’s pretty much it. Now it’s a matter of putting together a workout.
Workout for Beginners
It’s tough because everyone starts somewhere different, but a typical Stabilization Endurance Workout would look like this:
Warm Up:
Foam Roll Calves, IT Band, Lats, one time each, for 30 seconds each muscle. Hold any tender area you find for 30 seconds as well.
Static Stretch: Calves, Hip Flexors, Lats, one time each for 30 seconds.
Treadmill brisk walk or slow jog, depending on how you feel, for 5-10 minutes.
Core/Balance/Plyometric Work:
Forearm Plank, two times, Hold for 10-30 seconds, depending on your level
Floor Bridge, two sets of 15. Slow and controlled movement.
Single-Leg Throw and Catch, two sets of eight each leg. Slow and mindful throws.
Box Jump with Stabilization, two sets of 5, holding the landing for 3-5 seconds. Rest for 60-90 seconds after the first set.
Resistance Work:
Ball Squat Curl to Press: two sets of 15, slow tempo. No rest.
Ball Dumbbell Chest Press: two sets of 15 slow tempo. No rest.
Single Leg Cable Row, two sets of 15, slow tempo, no rest.
Step-up to Balance, two sets of fifteen, slow tempo.
Then rest for 90 seconds and do the resistance work one more time through.
Cool Down:
5-10 Minutes on the treadmill doing a brisk walk, gradually reducing speed.
Foam roll calves, IT-band, Lats for 30 seconds each
Static Stretch calves, hip flexors, lats for 30 seconds.
Try this workout for beginners, or write your own using this formula, and let me know what you think in the comments section below! And, I’ll be taking on a select few online personal training clients in the next coming weeks. If you’re interested in working together, DM me for the details.
