Goa: Smash 5 Work outs each week with man smashing

How to build up to 5 exercise classes a week!

Is your 2022 goal to exercise consistently each week? This goal may sound simple on paper but we find that many of our members struggle with getting in the activity levels recommended by the World Health Organisation. Missing workouts happen for a multitude of reasons, but some of the most common reasons to miss a workout (that you can control) are:
  • Lack of motivation or excitement to exercise
  • A busy schedule prevents you from exercising
  • Feeling sore from previous workouts
Combatting these common barriers are key to achieving your goals and being strong enough to handle your lifestyle. So here are our top tips on how to build up to 5 exercise sessions a week and be consistent in your training!
  • Understand and implement the WHO recommendations of physical activity

Current guidelines on physical activity for Australian adults are:

    • 2.5-5 hours per week of moderate-intensity exercise
    • 1.25-2.5 hours per week of vigorous-intensity exercise
    • Or a combination equivalent to the above
    • At least 2 days of strength training
    • Activity on all days
    • Sit less and move more!

By using these recommendations as a guideline to build your training schedule, you’ll easily hit your activity goals. Achieving the recommended activity guidelines will enable you to live a long & healthy lifestyle.

  • Find an exercise that you love! 

If you’re going to be exercising for over 7 hours a week, it better be something that you enjoy doing otherwise you’re not going to do it! Finding movement that you enjoy is half the battle and requires some trial and error. By being a Health Club Member, you have a variety of group classes available to you,  so you can easily trial different types of exercises. Your Health Mentor can also guide you to work out what sort of movement your body enjoys. Our only recommendation is to make sure there is an element of strength training in your routine to hit that WHO recommendation!

  • Don’t go from 0-100 too quickly. Take your time and build up your exercise regime!

When you’re commencing an exercise program, we recommend utilising an exercise professional to help plan your training loads to maintain your motivation and prevent injury. This could initially look like: 1 PT session and a couple of group classes or independent training sessions each week.

Then once you start to feel comfortable, start to incorporate more classes or training sessions gradually. Try adding 1 extra workout in each week over a month to get up to 5 exercise sessions. When you’re at this stage of exercising, it’s important to balance your training loads to avoid injury and severe muscle soreness. A balanced exercise regime can look like 3x intense sessions (e.g. strength class, HIIT, long run) and 2x restorative sessions (e.g. pilates, yoga, bush walks). As your fitness levels increase you can include more intense sessions as long as your recovery is on point!

  • Prioritise your recovery! 

Your recovery post-exercise is just as important as your actual training session. By recovering effectively, you’ll be able to consistently train every day without severe muscle soreness or injury getting in the way! If you’re participating in group classes, we always recommend staying for the cool down component of the class to calm down your breathing and stretch out your muscles before going about your busy day.

Sleep, nutrition and stress are also things that can impact your exercise recovery. We recommended working with a Dietitian and your Mentor for advice on how to manage these factors to improve your performance and achieve your goals!

We hope you found this blog helpful in guiding you to achieve your 2022 goals. Feel free to chat about this with your Mentor and any of our team members. See you in the gym soon!