Physical Fitness -- One-Hour Gym

Physical Fitness -- One-Hour Gym Workout

Overview of Session Plan and General Resistance Training Principles

The client has expressed the desire to focus on developing her leg strength, stamina, and on increasing her general muscle tone. She will be working on her upper body and core but emphasizing lower body exercises in connection with her desire to develop her leg strength; she will be running and supplementing her running with lower-impact aerobic workouts on elliptical machines and recumbent bikes to reduce the anatomical stresses caused by running, particularly with regard to her anterior tibial compartment syndrome (ATCS). She will supplement those elements of her fitness routine with some upper body resistance training as well.

Generally, she will be performing multiple series of resistance exercises in a logical anatomical and physiological order. Her target repetition range for most of her resistance training will vary between 10 and 20 repetitions. Her target repetition range for specific movements in which strength increase is desired will (eventually) include sets of 6, and sometimes 4 repetitions; at this stage, she will not use weights heavier than those that permit at least 8 repetitions. All resistance training sets will increase in resistance until the maximum level that still permits the lowest targeted number of repetitions.

Thereafter, the resistance will gradually decrease until the first weight that permits 15 repetitions. This "pyramid" approach to resistance training will apply throughout the program although movements requiring strength development will eliminate the down side of the pyramid, leaving off after the heaviest set (or performing only 1 or 2 sets at moderate resistance in lieu of a full pyramid). She has been counseled with regard to the importance of dietary changes to improve body composition through a combined effort to workout and reduce body fat. That counseling included the standard explanation that most of what she refers to as "toning" pertains more to dietary issues than to any objective for her fitness training. She has said that she understands that gym workouts can (at most) develop muscles but that making them appear through the epidermis is much more a function of reducing the thickness of the subcutaneous layer of body fat.

Upper Body Workout

The client has expressed the desire to increase her functional upper body strength. Because she is a novice, her initial upper body workouts will consist of one compound movement for each major muscle group rather than isolation exercises in the following order: chest, shoulders, triceps, back, and biceps. She will perform ascending/descending resistance series of sets as follows:

Bench Press

6 sets x 15, 12, 10, 8, 10, 12 repetitions

Shoulder Press

6 sets x 15, 12, 10, 8, 10, 12 repetitions

Triceps Extensions