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Old 08-26-14, 11:21 PM  
loverly7
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Help me with my rotation idea

So I have been struggling to get back into an exercising routine. I do great for a few weeks and then slide big time. I don't follow program rotations, but I did well in the past when I followed a very basic rotation I developed for myself. The problem is fitting everything in. Please take a look and let me know what you think. Details will follow the rotation idea.

Sunday--Cardio & Yoga
Monday--Cardio & Yoga
Tuesday--Strength & Qi Gong
Weds--Cardio & Yoga
Thursday--Strength & Qi Gong
Friday--Cardio & Yoga
Saturday--Strength & Qi Gong.

Here's the deal, I know it looks like a lot. I would take rest days as needed throughout the week. Strength is Les Mills Pump, the only strength workout I have ever liked. I paired Qi Gong with strength due to its gentleness. As for yoga, I do typically do either very gentle yoga or Kundalini yoga. Keep in mind that I have shorter workouts I can do, so it might be a 20-45 minute cardio and then a 30 minute yoga. It doesn't have to be two hours a day, and realistically there is no way I would do two hours of exercise a day right now anyways.

However I end up doing this, I have some requirements:
1) Cardio at least three days a week. I really need more, but absolutely must have at least three days a week.
2) Strength at least two days a week. It is what I am probably most likely to skip, hence having it three days in my schedule.
3) I love Qi Gong and it makes me buzz with energy. I have to do this at least one time a week but really need it more for my mental well being.
4) I love gentle yoga, the stretched out and mellowed out feeling I get from it. I also LOVE Kundalini yoga, as it eliminates food cravings and puts me in such a better mental place. I also know that the more yoga I do the looser I feel and the easier it is to do other excercise.

So what ideas do you all have? I know I don't have a scheduled rest day or days, but trust me when I say I take them as needed (and more than needed too). Thanks in advance for your ideas.
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Old 08-27-14, 07:10 AM  
Kyra
 
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: South Jersey
If you are struggling, my suggestion would be to replace every "&" in your plan with an OR until you are in a routine. Make it EASY on yourself to succeed in making exercise become a habit. Do whatever you want on any given day with the idea of working out five, six days a week. When that feels easy and doable, time and schedule-wise, begin to complicate your life a little bit with some structure. Maybe that's not exactly what you want to do right now but consider it a step in the right direction. Afterall, you don't start training for a marathon by running 20 miles on day one.
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Old 08-27-14, 07:20 AM  
Chomper
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
I think it's a great rotation and fits with the physical activity health guidelines. You have strength, cardio, flexibility/mobility covered.

http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/...es/adults.html

As long as you're serious about doing shorter workouts and taking rest days as needed you'll be fine. I think the biggest point for anyone trying to get back into a groove is to pick the fun workouts and the ones that you know make you feel really great afterwards. Good luck!
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Old 08-27-14, 07:34 AM  
PennyK
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
I really like what Kyra suggested and i actually think what you said you end up doing is perfectly fine. I too, have goals to add more activity such as cardio most days, stretch daily, and strength three days a week, but so far i have been mostly walking outside for about fourty minutes or doing a video of whatever i feel like. Right now i feel really good that i am doing something each day and the freedom i'm giving myself is well "freeing"! I believe this is allowing me to make a true change because it's doable for me and i know in time as i become stronger both mentally and physically i will reach my goals.
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Old 08-27-14, 11:33 AM  
PrairieGem
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
I agree with what everyone else has said! That looks like a very wise rotation... if your schedule permits!

I love a rotation for motivation and keeping me on track, and this summer I've been trying out a method that really seems to be working for me, and cuts down on my "I'm not doing enough!!" feelings. I plan my rotations around particular goals or particular types of workouts, do them for a little bit, and tell myself that I can focus on my other goals in my next rotation. So for about 2 months earlier this summer, I was really focusing on weight loss and establishing a routine, so my rotation was running + my favorite Amy Dixon interval workouts. I alternated them religiously, so if something happened and I missed a day's workout (rain or a meeting or whatever), I jumped right back in to whatever I had missed.

...And then I sprained my ankle, so I jumped ahead to my next planned rotation, which was centered around alignment, flexibility, and core (Classical Stretch, yoga, Jill Miller... alternating with running as I recovered).

I am really missing traditional weight training right now, so I am planning a heavy strength component for my next rotation (to begin in another 3 weeks).

The key for me is reminding myself that I can do X workout or work on Y goals in a few weeks. Keeping the rotations shorter keeps me from losing my fitness gains from the previous rotation (frex, I haven't done weights in a couple months, but I don't seem to have lost any strength) AND helps me stick to my current program, knowing I'll be working on something different very soon.

Good luck!!
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Old 08-27-14, 09:10 PM  
loverly7
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Thanks for your thoughts. I have to have a rotation for myself or every day will be only yoga or Qi Gong. I know I need more than that. Granted something is better than nothing, but seriously, I would never do anything requiring shoes if I could avoid it. After working out tonight I think I need new shoes for exercising, because I'm reminded that my feet cramp all the time in these shoes. Time to go shoe shopping
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Old 08-27-14, 09:40 PM  
Tugger31
 
Join Date: Feb 2002
I'd consider combining a strength day and a cardio day into one Circuit day just to simplify things.

Circuit + Qi Gong
Cardio
Yoga
Cardio
Strength + Gi Gong
Yoga

I also like Kyra suggestion for replacing the "&" with "OR" and if you feel you'd choose Yoga and Gi Gong if not following a rotation, then...

Cardio OR Strength
Yoga
Cardio OR Strength
Gi Gong
Cardio OR Strength
Yoga

The most important thing is just doing something and committing yourself to something you can stick with for a few weeks such as simply 1 Strength and 2 Cardio per week and the other days whatever feels good.
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Old 08-28-14, 07:41 AM  
PennyK
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Since you really have your mind set on doing a rotation that includes everything on your list, I think you could stick with your original ideal and just shorten the length of the workouts to fit them all in. Depending on how you feel any given day you can do a longer cardio followed by a quickie yoga stretch and the same for your strength and qi gong day or vice versa. You can also split them in half and devote the same amount of time to each. Also, you may want to look for some power yoga that would be considered strength too or some fusion workouts that may include some of everything you want to do. Maybe you can do the yoga and qi gong in the morning or before bed and devote your regular workout time to your cardio and strength. And don't forget you can always check in here and we will cheer you on whatever you choose to do!!!
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