Hey and welcome back to fit me Turo fitness podcast today, we are diving into a topic that will change the way you approach fitness. Fitness how to build your own workout program based on your goals. So if you have ever felt overwhelmed by workout plans, unsure of what to focus on, or consistently switching routines without seeing results. This episode is for you. We will break down in this episode The key elements every program needs, the 222, and 321, methods for structuring your workouts and how to prioritize different workout phases based on your goals. So whether your goal is building strength, improving endurance, or moving pain free, you will leave this episode with a clear road map to structure your workouts efficiently. So let's get into it. So first of all, I like to talk a little bit about workout goals. So I understand many people are working out towards goal, like fat loss, weight loss, and that is, of course, it's a great goal to have, but it should. You should never, ever just work out because you want to lose weight. The best way to structure this and change the way you think is to work actually focus toward on some kind of performance based goal. So by far, most common ways are just building strength, improving your endurance or cardio or or moving away from pain. So those are by far the three most common ways. And with these tips, what I'm going to share with you, you are going to have a clear road map how to get there, because what, what are then all these three elements. So no matter of your goal, every well balanced workout plan should include these three main components. So number one is strength training. So this is building muscle. It increases your metabolism, so it means that you are able to actually burn more calories while you are not working out. So this is by far the best benefit of doing strength training, and it improves overall function. And the best example is this, that with the strength training like I, of course, I, I used to think strength training that you are, you know, you have, you hit your personal bests and records and and you are able to do get some visible results. But the best examples, what I got are from people who are telling me that they are able to do some things in their life. What they haven't been able to do before, it could be just the simple tasks, like one of my I still vividly remember it. One of my clients, Samia, told me that she was first time able to put her luggage into a plane, on up herself and that those are kind of things or opening just with your own hands. If you were never able to, you always had to ask help or carry your groceries from a supermarket. So those are kind of things that you know, what are, for me, the most important, most valuable examples how that improved strength can benefit you. So if you think that you have to do it because of it helps losing fat, of course, it's a great way of doing it. But there are so many benefits on your overall health, overall well being, and things you are able to actually do in a real life, because strengthening it's not about only about how much you are able to get bench press, how much is your personal record for dead leads. Of course, those things are helping to improve, improve it, but the best end result is always the things, what you are actually able to do in your real life. So examples of strength training or resistance training are like simply lifting weights. You could be using resistance bands or body weight exercises. So it doesn't need to be that complicated. And I'm going to cover a little bit, what are like, the most beneficial ways of doing it, and what is that, if you are, if you are someone who doesn't like to go to gym, what the ways are, how you would be doing on yourself or or only at home? So then number two element is cardio. Kind of that, what is like conditioning, so that improves, obviously, as you know, your heart health, endurance and recovery. So examples for cardio training are, for example, running, cycling, heat workouts, rowing, all kind of machines you find at your gym. But for me, the best way is still simply walking. It could be hiking, but it's I will talk a little bit more about it, how to actually implement it, and how to actually do it in your plan. And then element number three, what is often underrated, is your mobility and flexibility. So this is the way of training that keeps joints healthy and prevents injury, so that you are able to be pain free, and if you are having some kind of actions and pains in your body to get yourself actually moving pain free. But the key is always also here is, is is not to do think that you have to do everything at the same time. It's just focusing on prioritizing things. And I'm going to cover in this episode how to actually implement this in your workout routine, and especially if you don't have a lot of time. So this because most of the people are neglecting at least one of these areas, which is then leading to imbalances in your body, injuries or that you are not making progress. So that's where that 222, and 321, method come comes in. So what is this, then this 222, and 321, methods for structuring your workouts. So if you are struggling with balancing that strength, cardio and mobility, though, so this, these are two my favorite methods that will give you the framework and for the actual plan, I will cover some basic basics, what you could be starting to use already, now, and what, what it stands that 222, method stands. It's, it's perfect for beginners or general fitness, fitness goals, if you don't have some specific goal, this is the most balanced option. So it means simply two Strength Systems. It could be, I'm big fan and believer for full body workouts. So it could be, obviously split routines and split routines. I mean that you are training, for example, your upper body lower body in a different days. But if you decide to go with the two strength sessions, I would prefer to do full body workouts, because what happens if life throws something away, you are able to do only one workout per week, and if you are doing just some, for example, upper body workout, upper lower split and You are doing, you're only doing upper body and then you don't basically train your legs for whole week. Or it's actually, if you skip one week of your legs, it's the time when you get your next leg workout done. It's at least two weeks, maybe even longer. So I'm big believer that at least something. So full body routines are great way, obviously, if you I recently found myself like I do now three systems. I have been doing full body workouts for past years, but now do my schedule because I have to do my strength training, or the most days that I'm most likely to actually be able to do it are Tuesday, Wednesday, so two consecutive days. So I had to split little bit, change my split. So I do lower body upper body split, just to try different things for for the moment. But if you have possibility, it's not, if it's for one week or two weeks. It doesn't matter, even you do it in in a days consecutive days, but for a longer period of time, better progress. You will see that when you are able to actually have at least 24 ideally 48 hours between the workout so there is not coming too much load. But that again, Don't over complicate it. If it's one day, then I probably would stick. If it's one week, I would probably stick with the full body workouts as they are doing, like you have at least something. And in the worst days, you get that, in the worst weeks, you get that one routine, at least something, for your full body getting done, then it means also to, as you probably can guess, it means two cardio is so it could be steady state cardio or interval trainings. I'm, I'm, I am big believer of doing a lot of kind of zone two cardio, which is relative which feels, which feels relatively easy for me at the moment, it's either hiking or either walking. But there's a huge benefits of doing some kind of interval training. So interval training, if you are able to do one, interval training, one longer, like a low intensity, steady state cardio, that's a great way to improve, actually, your endurance and cardio. So cardio workouts don't forget them. But if your main focus is, for example, improving your strength, I would personally avoid doing two intense cardio because they are little bit kind of counterproductive. So if your goal is to build muscle, and you are doing too much cardio, it's you are not going to get same results as as if you would when you are setting these priorities and and don't get me wrong, if you are doing this, two workouts, two cardio systems, two strength it's, don't think that I can do. Of course you can. It's not that big difference, and it's always better than to not do at all. But I personally, like I'm talking a little bit later about that automated method, and that this often leads for better, better results when you don't focus and kind of trying to do everything at the same time. Also that to last you, it's, as you can guess, probably it's due mobility or flexibility session. So this is the key of doing, kind of staying pain free, being able to practice and without, without having too many of kind of limitations in your movements. Do not have pain, do not have to take days or weeks or months off from training because you are injured. So mobility training is probably I, I'm I like, kind of stretching when I grew up, it was in 80s. I I'm sure nobody talked about mobility. I didn't even know what is mobility. It was all about stretching. And I'm sure all who have been here around in this fitness thing from 80s, 90s, it was all about stretching. And now I think it's, it's a mobility is even more valuable than stretching. And what is the difference between mobility and stretching? As many people don't know even what is the what is mobility? So mobility is joint movement. It's basically just a couple seconds active, dynamic stretching. So you don't keep it too long. It's like, for example, all kind of your joints, like your shoulder, knees, hips, so you are moving them actively and trying to kind of increase the trains of motion when stretching is more like kind of static what you are doing, like to get your muscles longer, and of course, it feels probably better. And many people who I started working, they were like, kind of like, I needed my stretching, but then somehow I get them to try that mobility. And now they are, after they try mobility training, they are like, that. No, wait, I'm going back for only stretching, that mobility is actually doing so much more than stretching. So mobility is, for me, even more valuable than stretching, not to not to take anything away. And mobility is something that you don't need to do a lot. You just need to do it consistently. Because, especially if your focus is on strength training, and it always leaves your muscles little bit kind of stiff, joint stiff when you are sitting in a same position or or staying in the same position in your work, what you do often, it's you will feel it. You will feel it. And longer this goes. If you are sitting in a car or in a traveling promoting to your work and you are not doing these kind of exercises more, longer you are. If you are aging like we all are, you start to get those problems, pains everywhere. And that's why that mobility is so valuable of incorporating into your workout routine. And I I'm not telling that you have to do it full session only mobility. So if this, this plan is like six workouts per week, and that, as I understand most of my listeners, or if you are listening, you probably don't have a time to do six workouts. So I'm talking a little bit about this examples how you could be adding those things. So so for example, mobility is something, what I personally like to use, and use for many of my clients, is to add them into your strength workout or cardio workout, what you are already doing. So let's say that you are doing three workouts, four workouts per week, and if you do two Strength Systems, part of your warm up or cool down, you could be incorporating some kind of mobility exercises. So how to know what kind of exercises you should be doing. So first, I like to, like most people are struggling to know where they are actually lacking of mobility. So it could be that you have a pain, for example, in your lower back. So you might think that there is something you lifted, something heavy, and your back is now hurting, but more often than not, is the issue is not in your lower back, but it's coming from somewhere else, as that your whole body is there is those chains which are causing that, for example, lower back pain. By far the most common reason where it's coming from is from your hips, so lack of mobility from your hips or or it could be tight hamstring, hamstrings, so that kind of, there is always some kind of root cause. And if you don't fix that root cause first, you will always struggle with the pain. What is been happening somewhere else, I like good example to understand it like that, you might have a headache, and you think that, why the hell I'm having a headache? But it could be there. Of course, there could be a many reasons, but if you just think that, okay, I have to find a cause to treat my headache, and you are just taking painkiller. And it could be, it could be that you haven't been drinking enough water, you haven't been sleeping enough and if you don't go it could be that drinking water solves that problem. So if you haven't found that root cause, you will always struggle with that headache, but you never find that kind of root cause. What is causing? You are just doing something to relieve the pain, but you don't go deeper to understand why it's actually happening. And it's the same thing with that, for example, lower back pain or knee pain. Knee pain, by far the most common cause is lack of mobility from your ankles, and that's why i i have like you could seek yourself with your mobility tests and guides I have created for my membership coaching for my all my clients. It's called balanced lifestyle blueprint. And from there, you have your mobility test guide, self guide, for example, where you can where you go seven areas from your body through and you see if there is some kind of mobility, what it should be, if it feels different, and then correctional exercises. So what I recommend always for my clients that go through that self test and see where you are actually struggling with mobility. So you go through that guide. You take your body through from from your neck to your ankles, all joints, what you have, and see that if there is some kind of issues underlying issues that because it's hard to understand where those problems are coming from. So for example, it's hard to know if you don't have any hip pain, and your hips, they feel okay, but they are causing they are the root cause of your lower back pain. So once you fix your hip mobility, you become more mobile in your hips, often your back pain is gone, and that, together with some resistance training, strength training, that is, that is the key how to actually never suffer that pain anymore. So taking going through your whole body, doing those mobility tests, and then when you know which areas you are lacking mobility, then you start to incorporate those correctional exercises into your workout routine. So if you have like I, when I did for myself this test, I found that I I felt it also in my workouts that my wrists were hurting in many cases, and that was causing in my strength training that I wasn't able to actually perform some exercises. It was hurting so much. And now, when I started, that's already now year ago, when I started to incorporate Nothing crazy, but just a couple of minutes, because good mobility workout is one to seven minutes. It's not that you need whole day time, and it's I like to use this as a part of my warm up, as part of my cool down. And when I started to incorporate, I immediately started to feel better. And now, after year, if I look how much I have improved, that is amazing progress. I don't have pain anymore. I'm able to do my strength training with full range of motion, and I don't have pain anymore. Other issues, what I recently had was my shoulders. So there were I had a some pain when I sleep. I like to sleep my head over my head. And that was always I kind of felt that I didn't feel my arm or it was painful. I didn't have the full range of motion what I needed to have. And now incorporating those correctional exercises to my warm ups and cool downs that have helped me so much to get away from that pain, and those are just and I don't. I haven't been doing like except now recently, I have took time to just incorporate one full mobility workout because I found it so helpful to actually do full mobility workout, and even it means that it's away from something else. But at this point in my journey, I said that I need to do that full mobility workout just to make sure that I'm staying mobile and my joints are okay. And because I'm I'm, I was kind of avoiding those exercises for my workout, I was doing them in some way, but not enough. So i decided i i start to do one full mobility workout. So, so that is, that is kind of thing, what you should be doing, and especially for someone who is, who we are, like aging. I'm 43 earlier. When I was younger, I was thinking that I don't need actually, those exercises, but older, we get more beneficial, more powerful. These kind of exercises are, and they are, in the end, I don't have, at the moment, for me, I don't have any huge goals that I need to get some visible apps, or get as big as possible, or body builder or whatever. So my goal is just to feel good. And mobility workouts are great ways. Of course, there is some other ways, like doing some yoga or static stretching, which are also beneficial. But I'm, I must say, I'm big believer of mobility workouts. Then about this auto method, like, it's kind of similar, but the 321, so it, it's, it has all these same elements, but it says that you change that focus temporarily. And I like to call this like that, if you, for example, if your goal is to improve your endurance, improve your cardio and at the same time build your strength. But I don't like, I like to focus, like, pick one focus. Like, for example, it could be if, if strength is your main focus, and it doesn't mean that you are, you can't do any cardio, but you put just one cardio session and do three strength sessions and two mobility. Keep doing two mobility sessions. If your focus is to get rid of that pain, then it could be probably doing three mobility sessions, two, strength, one, cardio, just changing that kind of priority and focus and this in this way, if you do it like, let's say one month, one to three months, changing that focus. I like to keep it like a little bit longer, like two, three months, at least one kind of split. So focusing on, for example, next three months, I focus on strength. I will do three strength, resistance, uh, maintaining my cardio at this time. And then after three months, I will shift the focus again and do more on cardio. And in this way, you will have it's kind of it stays more interesting the training, and you are also not trying to do everything at the same time, but also making sure that you are maintaining something and getting huge improvements in some other area. So examples for this could be like three string strength sessions, two cardio sessions. It could be one heat session or or some sport specific work, if you your goal is to improve your endurance in your specific sport, and then one mobility session so it could be active recovery. And like I said, it don't. You don't need to use this as a single workout, but incorporating because mobility session is something that that you can do always. There is no time that, because it's not demanding for your body. But for example, if you do intense cardio, you probably are needing a rest day. If you do intense strength training, it's probably next day. You are not feeling like that. You want to do intense cardio, but mobility is something, an active recovery. What You Can you could be doing, and so this is always something, what I like to say that it's not you, it's very hard to over train, but it's often it's under recovering, so making sure that that plan, what you are using, it's having all these elements, but also in a way that allows you to recover. So, so this is, this is just that finding a way to build your own workout program and just focusing on one thing at the time and not kind of trying to do everything. So this is, it's and this is like, what I what I like to use on my workouts, because I'm, I'm I'm kind of person who gets bored very often. Even my goal is not, I'm not athlete anymore. I used to be, but still, I like to dream like an as an athlete as I would have had. Those are kind of kind of things that keeps things interesting for me, I like to try, like, I have created so many programs I don't know, like, probably 50 different kind of programs. So I have in my membership coaching there are like, 20 different or different goals, like improving, like, just the different ways of strength training for just using bands, just using body weight, just using TRX like a suspension trainer, just lifting weights and just working like an athlete, so focusing on different kind of things, what you are aiming for. And then when you longer you do it, it stays more interesting. And in the longer period of time you you get so much, so much better results when you focus on kind of different things, different kind of workout. So it's not always the same that you know you do just the strength training because it's at the gym, but you do, but there are so many different kind of exercises, and I like to incorporate these kind of things into my routine, to keep it to not get bored, because I'm person who gets bored relatively easy, but also to having some kind of structure. And of course, the worst thing what you could be doing is probably that you change every time your workout, so you pick randomly some exercises, try them. And of course, you might feel sore, but there's you don't give your body chance to actually progress if you don't keep the same program for at least couple of weeks. And like I said, usually I like to structure these kind of workouts for several months ahead. So it's going to be 234, months at the time for different kind of goals, and then shifting everything so it stays interesting. And in the long term, let's say six to 12 months, you are able to reach and get all results you are aiming for, but not that. And it's, it's what I like to call working out smarter and not necessarily harder. And this is, this was the hardest thing, really, to understand. For example, for myself, when I was an athlete, and it was all about working harder, but I didn't have a plan in a place, and that was probably like, I work really hard, really many hours, but still were not able to see results. And now, if I think that, I almost feel guilty how little I work, but with the plan, results have been actually greater than in a times that I was practicing two times per day. But I didn't have really, like a structured plan, or plan what was proven by science. So it was just basically doing something and working on but of course, advantage with the athlete method, method, like working harder, is that when you do so many things, there is a chance that you are actually doing something right, and you you get some kind of results. But results are always better when you are having actually plan in a place. So, so this is, this is something, what I what I like to incorporate, and you can always access to methods like depending on your goal, if you don't have any specific goal, that you choose to method is relatively good. If you you have you want to prioritize something, then that changing the priority for 321, for specific outcomes. So I'm telling now a little bit examples, so for building strength and muscle. So I would say that I prioritize that strength training. So strength training, it's, it would be, then, three to four times per week, and the most important thing is to using progressive overload. So what it means? It means that you are increasing weights or repetitions over time. So all resistance if you are using bands, like what I love to use, if you are someone who is working out at home, or you are traveling a lot, resistance bands are great way to do it. And what is actually advantage with the resistance bands is that you don't feel that sore as using weights. So soreness with the resistance bands, it's a lot lower than using actually weights, of course, progressive overload. It's a bit harder with the dams than with the weights, because weights are relatively easy to say that I'm I'm using now two kilo next time, and then going for three, then aiming for four, adding 112, reps there, there. And that's relatively easy and and often it's it's just the body weight. It's also great. Obviously, there you can to add resistance. It's harder, and you have to find exercises that you are able to perform like let's say that you work on different kind of goals that goes. There are couple areas what you should be aiming for. For example, there is a maximum strength, which means you are doing one to five repetitions that you are choosing exercises which are that heavy or using that much weight, that you are not able to do more than five repetitions you are working on increasing your maximum strength. Then next one is kind of hypertrophy phase where you are focusing on building bigger muscles. It's six to 12 repetitions. And then kind of muscle endurance is 12 repetitions or more. Like, I usually like to use around 1520, repetitions for muscle endurance. And those are all kind of things, like, if the hardest thing is to understand is that, for example, if you want to build bigger muscles, you can't just do six to 12 repetitions, even that is the most beneficial reference for that specific outcome. But you have to also use because once you are increasing your maximum strength, you are able to use heavier weights, and when you improve your endurance, you are able to do that. So you should basically include all these areas into your workout routine. So it means that what I how I like to use it, is that that I like to be different kind of phases. So it's going to be one month maximum strength repetitions for most exercises is going to be one to five, especially on compound, like a bigger weight, bigger lifts, where you use kind of more muscles at the same exercise, like exercises, like squats, dead lifts, bench press, or are, are some examples of compound exercises and then, then other, like, I wouldn't do, like, two repetition max for my bicep curls, like, there I would always go for higher range of repetitions. Or you could be other option is to include all these references into one workout routine. So if you do like, for example, heavy dead lifts, then having like, kind of more repetitions in your solar lateral races or or something so, so it doesn't basically matter if you do them within one exercise or one workout. Or if you do it like, like I said, I prefer to do it in, in a in a phases, like one month focusing on maximum strength. Next month, it's going to be mostly six to 12 repetitions that represents you are working on. And then month after that, it's going to be 12 to 20 repetitions, and then you start basically all over. So you have, you are having, you're working on all these references, but not just and not just on one thing at the time. So those are, those are kind of things. And if your goal is to build strength, I would then limit cardio one to two times per week to avoid interfering with the muscle growth. So so just to get most out of that, getting stronger and then maintaining the mobility to prevent stiffness. So it could be then just including those mobility exercises into your warm up into your cool down. So if your goal is then to improve your endurance and athletic performance, I would do it and increase my cardio frequency to three to four times per week, incorporating strength, but keep systems shorter and do it like two to three times per week, so do not feel too much soreness or too tired during your cardio, which is the main priority and mobility becomes crucial to prevent your injury. So that could be again, either doing them part of your warm ups, adding one to two kind of active recovery systems per week for athletes. So this is, this is kind of simple, simple plans how to actually incorporate and and like I said, they are, there's so many different ways how to do it. It's, there's a lot of science behind and if you are advanced, you can try to beat your workout routine for yourself, but especially like for me, I always like to think that I don't like to do everything myself. I rather live like something what I'm not expert at. I leave it for someone else. It's taking kind of that case work away and let some coach who is actually knowing what they are doing leave that job for someone else and just having that program you know exactly what to do, because that takes so much that decision fatigue away when you know what you should be exactly doing, how many repetitions, what exercises, and then if you Have some specific goals in your mind, so you know what to do. And because there is no one size fits all workout plan, what you get it's it have to be somehow individualized based on your injuries background, what equipment you have available, and because ultimately what matters is that you are balancing things right. You are balancing strength, cardio mobility. You are structuring your plan based on your goals, based on equipment, based on time you have available. Because the worst thing is that you try to do kind of everything. But you know that you don't have time, you don't have equipment. So because that's that's the worst thing, like, especially if you are starting, don't try to do everything, build a routine that becomes actually habit. You enjoy doing. You are seeing progress. And then you have a chances to become actually more consistent, because staying consistent is the most important thing in your fitness journey and and all consistency doesn't mean perfection, because you need to adjust your plan when needed. So here is your challenge, pick one method, either it's going to be 222, or 321, and try it for next four weeks. And if you need any help, my next challenge, eight week challenge, where I create this program based on your calls, based on everything you need, starting on March 24 so I will put link how to sign up how to join for the wait list for this challenge. If you are interested, you can also always DM me on my instagram at personal trainer, underline Turo. I will put link also there and tell me what, what your situation, what your new workout plan is looking if you have any questions, because I even if you don't decide to join for my challenge or coaching, because I'm not the I'm not some salesman. I'm ultimately, I'm a coach who loves to help people, loves to talk about fitness, even I'm not getting any payment I don't need for that. I what I love to do is that I love to help people with their struggles, answer their questions, and that is giving me the biggest satisfaction. And of course, it's also my work. But I do it because I actually love it, and I don't think that it's even work if I, if I talk with the people help them with their plan. And if at some point you think that you need actually the plan, you need that accountability to take action, especially in the days when you don't feel like it, and just the ways how you are thinking seeing things differently, of course, then I'm always here to help, and then it's coaching, correct, but I'm a good choice for you, but ultimately, just don't hesitate to send me. DM so thank you so much for listening and if you find helpful. Do me a favor. Subscribe, Terri treat a friend and leave a review. Because those reviews they are helping so much more people to find the podcast. So, thank you so much for listening, and talk to you soon.