Anyone who is new to training would appreciate some sort of structure. What exactly is the structure of a workout?

From a general perspective, all training is cyclic. This is known as the principle of periodization. Periodization is the planning of a training programme into yearly, monthly, weekly, and daily cycles or periods.

This post is about the single training session. How are training sessions structured?

A session is typically structured as follows:

1. Warm-up: Cardiorespiratory Exercise

2. Movement Preparation: Dynamic Stretches

3. Main Workout: Resistance Exercise

4. Cool Down: Cardiorespiratory Exercise

5. Tissue Restoration: Static Stretches

In sum, a workout is basically a cycle from low intensity to high intensity and back again. Much like the structure of a good story.

Below is an example of a basic weight training session.

Warm-up:

1. Cardiorespiratory Machine 1: Rowing Machine

2. Duration: 10 minutes.

3. Intensity: 13 Borg Scale.

Movement Preparation:

1. Exercises:

   1. Dynamic Stretch 1: Inchworms

   2. Dynamic Stretch 2: Squats

   3. Dynamic Stretch 3: Lunge Twists

2. Sets: 3

3. Reps: 10-12

4. Tempo: 2/1/2/1

5. Intensity: 13 Borg Scale

6. Rest: 10 sec

Main Workout:

1. Exercises:

   1. Free Weight 1: Tricep Extensions

   2. Free Weight 2: Flies

   3. Free Weight 3 (Alternative Functional Modality): Kettlebell Squats

   4. Resistance Machine 1: Shoulder Press

   5. Resistance Machine 2: Chest Press

   6. Resistance Machine 3: Squats

   7. Bodyweight: Push-ups

2. Sets: 3

3. Reps: 10-12

4. Tempo: 2/1/2/1

5. Intensity: 10-15 kg to start.

6. Rest: 60-120 sec

Cool Down:

1. Cardiorespiratory Machine 2: Treadmill

2. Duration: 30-60 sec

3. Intensity: 13 Borg Scale

Tissue Restoration:

1. Exercise:

   1. Maintenance Stretch: Standing Quad Stretch

   2. Maintenance Stretch: Child’s Pose

   3. Developmental Stretch: Standing Adductor (Side Lunge)