It’s okay sometimes to train without a clear, defined plan. I took this from Andy Baker, in his post called, “How to Train without a Plan.” It’s more appropriate for people who have invested some time in the gym, and who might want shorter, less structured workouts. I trained this way after my daughter was born, and it helped keep me strong without spending too much time in the gym.
Key Points (From Andy’s article):
- Train at least twice per week- preferably with a barbell.
- Keep workouts short- 30-60 minutes at most.
- Work up to a heavy single each session- not an all-out max, just something “heavy.”
- Back off sets are based on the heavy single- 1 set of 2-4 reps at about 90% of the heavy single, and 1 set of about 5-8 reps at about 80% of the heavy single.
- Do assistance work by feel- if you want to do bicep curls, go for it. If you don’t want to do anything, go home.
- Vary the main exercises. Do a paused squat instead of a normal squat. Try a specialty barbell. You get the idea.
This isn’t how I’d like people to train all the time. But for a few weeks, get into the gym and get out. Try new exercises, especially ones you’ve always wanted to do but could never find space in a program. It’ll help break the monotony of training, and, more importantly, it’ll excite you to get back to a more structured program.
