Finding the time to work out can be hard, so when you finally get ready to start, not having a game plan and having to figure out what you want/need to do can end up eating into the little time you may have to work out. To get around this, you need to have a plan (we suggest planning for at least a week at a time), which can not only make your workouts take less time, but also improve your chances to workout in the first place.

The easiest fix for this problem is using one of our pre-made workout plans like our 4- or 8-Week Fat Loss Programs. They are built not only to help you lose weight, but also tone and strengthen your body at the same time. They are extremely effective and we have kept them very inexpensive so that they are accessible to as many people as possible.

8 Week Fat Loss Program (New, Round 2)
Fat Loss Program Round 1

(Both are stand-alone programs from start to finish that do not need to be done in order)

Now for those of you who have already used our programs or those of you that just want a bit more freedom to build your own plan, then there are a few basic rules we suggest using to keep everything well balanced and optimally effective.

First, make sure you switch things up often; if you build a routine that has the same workouts week after week, then you shouldn’t use it for more than 4 weeks in a row before building another new routine. We suggest trying to keep your routines as different as possible from week to week to get the most out of each individual workout.

Secondly, no matter what your goals, be sure to incorporate strength training and cardio every week. If you want to focus on weight loss, then make a higher percentage of your workouts strength training and moderate levels of cardio...not the other way around. If you want to focus more on endurance, then cardio and high intensity interval training (HIIT) should show up more often in your workout schedule.

Third, all styles of exercise have limitations on how much you should do them so as to not overtrain and end up slowing your progress or even injuring yourself. So, below we have a quick outline of maximum ranges for various training styles to keep you safe and working towards your goals.

Strength Training:
Aim for 2 upper body and 2 lower body workouts per week or 3 total body workouts per week. Give yourself a 48 hours break between muscle groups to recover, though you may need more time if you are particularly sore.

Cardio:
4-6 days per week of moderate or low intensity, long duration or 3-4 days per week of high intensity interval training (HIIT) or some other kind of high intensity cardio (or a combination of the two). You can add low and moderate cardio days to the rest of the week when doing high intensity on the other days, but always keep 1-2 days per week to rest.

Kettlebell Workouts:
2-3 days per week, but these days count as HIIT and/or Strength Training, so should not be done within 48 hours of each other unless you double up the videos as part of a single day's workout.

Stretching:
4-7 days per week, as stretching is always a good idea. It is best to do only light, short duration stretching before and immediately after workouts and long duration corrective stretching a few hours after your workout is done (not before a workout).

We strongly suggest that before starting a new workout program to first consult your health care provider to see if that program is right for you, especially if you have any chronic injuries, diseases, or other conditions that may affect your ability to perform physical activity.