Exercise Tip: Plan Your Moves with Variety and Purpose

It's good to mix things up when it comes to exercise. But that doesn't mean throw out good exercise principles. There should be a purpose for every move we do.

I have a few principles that drive my every workout and combination of workouts.

First, I never do the same workout two days in a row. In fact, I seldom do the exact same workout within the same week or even series of weeks.

Second, I strive to involve the major muscle groups and their respective opposing muscle groups in each workout. I don't always hit this 100% (for example, the exact opposite of a push-up would be an inverted row, which I don't always do. But I'll usually have a pull-up or chin-up or something like that in a workout to at least come close to providing pulling motions to counterbalance pushing motions.), but I strive to come close.

Third, I do exercises for a specific period of time, but not with attempts to keep besting my previous number of reps for that same period of time. The goal is focused intensity along with a corresponding focus on form, not focused insanity that increases the likelihood of injury.

Fourth, the workout should be as long as necessary but also as short as possible. For me these days that amounts to a 5-minute warm-up followed by a very scripted 9-minute workout, all usually done from the comfort of my own unfinished basement with very little equipment--none of which is expensive.

Fifth, the workout, if necessary, should be able to be done anywhere. When travelling I've done my workouts in hotel stairwells, park shelter houses, play-grounds, or even just in my room. It's not always optimal, but it is always good. Workouts must be excuse-proof if they are going to be consistently done over the long haul, which is what really matters.

Kent Wilson
Founder of "Fit Under the Collar" and creator of "9 Minutes-To-Fit"

PS In case you're wondering, today's workout included a rare 12-exercise set:
--Warm-up followed by:

--Neutral-grip pull-ups
--Front Barbel Squats
--Alligator Push-ups (with feet on skateboard)
--Split-lung jumps
--T-Pushups with light dumbbells
--1-leg stability-ball curls
--cross-body mountain climbers
--inverted rows
--suspended push-ups
--side plank with leg raises
--side plank with leg raises (other leg)
--Turkish Get-ups with Dumbbell.