Happy New Year! If you are new to this little corner of the interwebs, welcome! If you are old hat, welcome back. I hope everybody had a safe and festive holiday season. And since it’s the New Year and I know you have resolutions, I’m here to help. Over the break, I put together the basic frameworks for workouts for you guys. Let’s make 2019 the year of strong!

Now, a couple of words about these…

They are calendar style, but they don’t start on any particular date. So, even though it is just after the new year and I am posting this, you can either jump in today or tomorrow or you can take a few days to get your plans settled and start next week. You are also welcome to book mark this page for a later day, especially if your goals change later in the year and you need a new plan.

These are also in four week formats, so they won’t match up perfectly with every single month. But, as I said above, since there aren’t any exact dates either, you can start at the beginning of ANY week. You can also repeat or switch them as needed.

The calendars are broken into broad “goal categories.”The beginner program is meant for either complete beginners, those who have been away from exercise for longer than a year, or those who have an injury they are trying to take care of. The strength and size program is meant for those goals and those who have the time to dedicate to training for them (at least an hour 5-6 days per week).

The weight loss and toning program comes in two varieties. I recommend the full body program for those who are beyond the beginner program but still fairly new to exercise or for those with a bigger weight loss goal in mind (say 20 pounds or more). The split program is better suited for smaller weight loss goals or those looking to “tone up” without weight loss or size.

The calendars suggest only the basic framework. Each day will indicate what type of workout should be done (i.e. 20 minutes HIIT and legs). At the bottom of the calendar, suggestions for the number of exercises, sets,and reps for each are given. The amount of weight is up to you (keep your goals in mind!).

Two resources I love for exercise suggestions are ExRx.net and Ace Fitness. Both are searchable by area of the body,contain proper form explanations (most with video), and are well researched. FitnessBlender.com is also a handy resource for those of you who want to participate at home and don’t have a full scale gym in your basement.

None of the calendars include flexibility outright, but that should be part of any program at least two to three days per week. If you are planning on the bare minimum there, stretch on days you are strength training, preferably post workout.

Please keep in mind, these are sample exercise calendars,they do not address nutrition in any way. Most goals will involve some diet tweaks as well. For example, weight loss goals will also need to account for calorie reduction in some way. Training to increase muscle size will run in the opposite direction, with the added challenge of protein consumption.

Also, these calendars are intended as suggestion only. I am not a medical doctor, nor am I YOUR doctor. You know you best, if you have any questions or concerns please check with your doctor and/or another qualified fitness professional in your area.