Daily Training | mmafitness

The 7-Day Training Schedule

Don't let the title scare you off. The idea is to gradually build a strong training routine worthy of a warrior. But more than anything, consistency is the key to victory. Slacking off could cost you. Developing a 7-day routine isn't about killing yourself at the gym every day of the week. It's about ensuring optimum development, even when you're not at the gym. It's a concept known as "active rest," which routly means to let your body heal while still doing something, so as to develop faster and more efficiently.

Active rest is a concept most often applied to the work out itself. When you're in between sets, do some shadow boxing. In between exercises? Go for a jog. The whole idea is to keep it light while the muscles get ready for the next hardcore set.

In the day by day scheduling, active rest is about performing some sort of light work out at the same time of day that you would be doing a heavy work out. It not only helps the body develop faster - it also helps the mind settle on a whole new way of life. A healthy way of life. As I said above, consistency is the key to victory. This is something you should apply to your entire life.

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Active rest doesn't always apply, however. In between sets of heavy lifting, you will need an actual rest. The amount of taxation on the body is much too high, and to develop basic strength, you'll need to apply everything you've got to the next set. You may also need to rest more if you are just now beginning a training program. Just do what you can and improve with time.

However, for the rest of the training, an active rest can include jumping jacks, shadow boxing, or even dynamic stretching. Basically, just be doing something the whole time.

Schedule Format

You may be wondering how a 7-day schedule is even possible. After all, you need a break! Well, then, schedule a day off. Just make sure your training time slot still has something in it, such as shopping, walking, a drive to the park, anything that gets you moving. The idea is to teach your subconscious mind to understand that at that particular time of day, you will be active, and because of this, you'll find that you become more and more focused in your work outs.

So let's discuss the basics of schedule formatting. You'll need to consider your daily activities, school, job, whatever is going on in your life that cannot be altered at your own whim. Figure out a good time to schedule a training session. If you have a job that is very random, your schedule may need to be a bit more flexible. If this is the case, keep attempting to have something you do around that time of day, such as walking durring your break, or even doing Yoga (if possible). If you have one of those jobs that doesn't allow you to leave (I'd find a different job, personally), it can become even more difficult. You can also schedule your training based on when you are getting ready for, or coming home from, work. Just do what you can to at least maintain a daily training schedule.

The schedule has to fill a space for all seven days of the week. If you are only beginning, it will have to be kept very light. For instance, bench press and squats on heavy days, with a short jog on light days. It may look something like this:

Sunday: Jog

Monday: Weight Training

Tuesday: Jog

Wednesday: Weight Training

Thursday: Jog

Friday: Weight Training

Saturday: Walk

Just remember to have three days of heavy conditioning. In the early stages, those three days can use the same routine, adding more exercises to each day as you improve.

Evolving Training Schedule

We want to begin with an easy to follow routine that doesn't over challenge your will power (too much can lead to nothing at all), and also doesn't over work your body. But as you progress through the levels, this training schedule needs to evolve. We begin with simple exercises with little weight, eventually finding our way to complex work outs and circuit training, with rest days involving more cardio.

Sample Training Schedules

These are sample schedules to help you get a better idea of how to design your own evolving schedule. Be aware that these schedules are designed for one who is completely new to training, but without every possibility in mind. Some have back issues or asthma problems which may limit their ability to train. This doesn't mean they cannot train at all. It may require a little research, but those with such limitations should be able to find exercises to replace some that I give here.