Descriptive Gym Program

So I made a program for a member the other day. I took her through it all but it was a 3-day split and she was worried she wouldn't remember it all. Which is a fair point, it's difficult to learn a load of different movements in one go. That's probably why so many people at the gym have such terrible form. In an effort to combat this I wrote her a descriptive plan.

So, here's a descriptive workout plan:

Workout Plan Instructions

General posture points

Feet shoulder width apart, parallel.

Hips and glutes engaged and tucked in.

Abs engaged, back straight.

Shoulders back.

Head up, looking straight ahead.

Upper Day

TRX Press

Using the TRX to perform a press up, elbows in line with wrists and shoulders. Press up but keep a slight bend on the elbow to avoid locking out the joint. Go down to about a 90 degree angle keeping good posture throughout.

TRX Fly

Keep the same body position as the press but instead of bending the elbows hinge at the shoulders creating a ‘W’ shape with your arms, making sure to engage shoulders and chest.

Wide Grip Pull Ups

Ensure good posture throughout, straight bar grip. (Furthest grips on the assisted pull up machine)

Close grip pull ups

Parallel or ‘hammer’ grip pull ups. Hands are parallel.

Swiss Ball Dumbbell Press

Swiss ball under the shoulders. Keep elbows out and in line with shoulders and wrists directly above elbows. Push from a right angle position until dumbbells meet in the middle above chest.

Swiss Ball Shoulder Press

Sit upright on Swiss ball ensuring good posture. Keep arms out to the sides wrists above elbows. Elbows at a right angle, push upward until dumbbells meet above head. Keep slight bend in elbows.

Barbell Bicep Curls

Upper arms remain locked at the sides, lift from the elbow upwards. Ensure good posture.

Dumbbell Hammer Curls

Same positioning as Barbell curls but weights are held parallel.

Dumbbell Tricep Extensions

Dumbbell is held straight up in the air, lower to behind head, keep upper arm still, pivot at the elbow, ensuring good posture.

Tricep Dips

Feet flat on the floor, arms behind back palms flat on bench, pivot at the elbow until right angle position. Extend through elbows until arms are straight (except a slight bend in elbow to avoid locking out the joint).

Lower Day

BB Squats

Barbell rested on traps, feet shoulder width (or slightly further) apart. Feet pointing forward. Bend knees ensuring they don’t go forward over toes. To avoid this hinge backwards at the hips. Look right ahead to ensure good posture. Keep feet flat on the floor throughout the exercise.

Deadlifts

Barbell on floor, feet slightly wider than shoulder width apart, opposite grip with hands. Bend knees and hinge at the hips ensuring a straight back. Look forward and keep shoulders back. Keep elbows on the outside of your knees. Engage legs, hips, core and back and stand up straight.

Walking lunges

Slow controlled movement. Ensure good posture throughout. Step one foot forward to a distance that both knees are positioned at right angles. Front foot should be flat on the floor; back foot should be on balls of feet. If struggling with balance use a wider stance. Step through into the same position with opposite feet.

Calf Raises

Put a step against a wall. Hold dumbbell or plate in one hand. Use the foot on the same side. Put the ball of your foot on the step and find your balance. Rest your free hand against the wall for balance. Use the ankle pivot point and push through the calf of one foot. Keep the other leg straight but not resting on anything. Use as much of a range of motion as feels comfortable.

Glute Bridges

Rest shoulders against a bench or step. Put legs out far enough so that when you push up you create a right angle with your knees and the rest of your body is flat. Squeeze glutes at the top of the movement.

Leg Extension and Leg Press instructions can be found on the resistance machines.

Circuits

Circuit 1

Clean and Press

Use deadlift technique to lift up the VIPR. Squat down and when standing up raise the VIPR above head like a shoulder press. Ensure strong posture throughout.

Squats

Same as BB squats but without the Barbell. Use slow controlled movement.

Jumping Squats

Land with soft knees, straighten body completely on the jump. Do movement in one motion.

Plyo Lunges

Jump high enough to swap legs but height isn’t the goal in this exercise. The goal is to swap legs quickly. Same posture points as regular lunges.

Lunges

Same as walking lunges but return to start position after each lunge.

Skaters

Sideways plyo lunges. Try not to let the back foot go past the front foot. Ensure a strong base when landing. It’s okay to step while you get used to the movement. The end of each movement you should be in a lunge position.

Circuit 2

Press up

Arms out and in- line with shoulders. Elbows above wrists. Ensure good posture, back flat, heels pushed forward in front of toes.  Lower yourself down slowly as far as comfortable. Chest to floor is ideal. Look forward throughout. Push up until arms are fully extended barring a slight bend in the elbows to avoid hyperextension.

TRX Row

Feet flat on the floor. Hold TRX handles with arms fully extended. Pull arms in, keeping them close to your sides concentrating on the muscle contraction in your back and arms. Keep good posture throughout.

TRX Fly

Hold TRX handles underneath body, arms fully extended. Stay on the balls of your feel, the further back you move them the move bodyweight you add to the exercise. Keep hands parallel and separate them keeping a slight bend in the elbows but do not move elbows throughout the exercise.  Lean forward separating the chest and then push back up. Keep elbows in line with shoulders throughout.

Frontal Raise

Hold a plate in both hands. Stand with good posture and raise the plate in front of your body without bending your arms. Raise the plate until it is slightly higher than your head, ensuring shoulder muscles are engaged. Slowly lower plate as far down as comfortable.

Wood Cutters

Hold a plate with both arms. Keep both arms bent at a right angle. Turn body sideways moving feet into a lunge position and holding the weight slightly past the front leg. Push through the front leg and engage all muscles. Turn to the opposite side lifting the weight about your opposite shoulder. Push through your (now back) leg and lift your heel slightly off the floor. Return to the lunge position in a ‘chopping motion’. Repeat for both sides.

Circuit 3

Mountain Climbers

Start in a press up position with one leg up the middle. Swap the leg without touching the front leg on the floor. Keep hips down throughout the movement and ensure good posture. Look slightly forward to ensure spine alignment.

Crunches

Lay flat on the ground with hands out to the side and fingers on temples. Lift shoulders off the ground and bring knees up to chest. If you feel any strain in your back then make the movement of your upper body smaller. Try not to touch feet back on the floor when you extend them.

Medicine Ball Twists

Sit upright but slightly leaned back. Feet flat on the ground with a right angle on the knees. Hold a medicine ball and touch it on the ground on either side. Keep back straight throughout.

Plank

Keep back straight rest forearms on floor. Push heels in front of toes and engage core muscles.

Here's the original plan:

		3 Day Split
		Upper
Warmup	Light Cardio
	Stretches
Main Program		Reps/mins	Sets		Max	Notes
TRX Press		12	3
TRX Fly		12	3
WG Pull Ups		8	2
CG Pull Ups		8	2
SB DB Press		12	3
SB DB Shoulder Press		10	3
BB Bicep Curls		8	2
DB Hammer Curls		8	2
DB Bicep Curls		8	2
DB Tricep Extentions		12	3
Tricep Dips		10	4
Half Crunches		30	1
Flutters		50	1
MB Twists		30	1
Bridges		20	1
Cooldown
	5 mins treadmill
	Stretches
Notes

		3 Day Split
		Lower
Warmup	3x2 mins skipping
	Stretches
Main Program		Reps/mins	Sets		Max	Notes
BB Squats		10	4
BB Deadlifts		8	3
Walking Lunges		10	4
Calf Raises		12	3
Glute Bridges		20	3
Leg Extention		15	3
Leg Press		20	3
Half Crunches		30	1
Flutters		50	1
MB Twists		30	1
Bridges		20	1
Cooldown
	5 mins incline treadmill
	Stretches
Notes

		3 Day Split
		Compound/Circuit
Warmup	5 mins incline treadmill
	Stretches
Main Program		Reps/mins	Sets		Max	Notes
Circuit 1			2
Clean and Press		5
Squats		10
Jumping Squats		10
Plyo Lunges		10
Lunges		10
Skaters		10
Circuit 2			2
Press ups		10
TRX Row		10
TRX Fly		10
Frontal Raise		10
Wood Cutters		10
Circuit 3			2
Mountain Climbers		20
Crunches		20
Mountain Climbers		20
MB Twists		20
Mountain Climbers		20
Plank
Cooldown
	5 mins incline treadmill
	Stretches
Notes

Or, you could just google it.