What does the ideal workout week look like? A lot of you have asked us that, and of course there is no one plan that works for all, but here’s a skeleton structure that you can use to create your own schedule. We looked to Dr. Andy Galpin for professional advice on what components to include in your weekly workout schedule, as well as our own combined 30+ years of experience with movement instruction.
This will probably come as no surprise to you, but it’s all about balance. How many times have you heard that word in the health and wellness world, right!? Well, similar to so many other areas of our lives, we need to find balance in our workouts too. According to Dr. Galpin, our bodies need to be challenged in different ways to achieve optimal health and fitness. Here’s his suggested schedule (with our ideas and comments peppered in).
Monday: Choose your most important workout to do first, or schedule it for the day that it’s most likely to get done. Galpin recommends Strength Training (think squats, deadlifts, and other compound exercises that target multiple muscle groups). Check out the ‘Strength’ folder in our On Demand Library. This should be one of your longest workouts of the week, around 45-60 minutes
Tuesday: High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) - If you’re ready for it, put some HIIT into your schedule! We have some great HIIT classes on the platform, but you could also create your own. Think sprinting, burpees, jump roping, or cycling. The workout should be structured with short bursts of high-intensity exercise followed by periods of rest or low-intensity exercise. Shoot for 20-30 minutes
Wednesday: Endurance Training - Feeling like a hike or speed walk? This is the day to get your steady heart rate training in. A lot of our 45 min cardio classes (check out the extensive selection of ‘previously live’ ones that we have up On Demand) will also do the trick! Ideal duration: 30-60 min
Thursday: Mobility and Flexibility - Your focus on this day will be workouts that improve range of motion, posture, and reduce risk of injury. Our Pilates classes and/or mobility classes are perfect for this. Get in 30 minutes if you can, a little longer if your body is asking for it
Friday: Something Fun/Playful Movement - Grab your ladies and get your freak on at da club! ;) If clubbing isn’t in the cards for you, do something you love. This could be jumping into a tennis or dance class, or, if you’re like me, a fun barre class would also do it for you. The workout should be structured to improve coordination, agility, and balance, but, most importantly, it needs to be fun! Ideal length is 30-45 min
Saturday: Active Recovery - This day should involve low-intensity exercise like walking, light swimming, or a class from the ‘Stretch & Recovery’ folder. Your goal is to promote circulation and reduce muscle soreness. Ideal length is 30-45 min
Sunday: Self-Care - Make sure there’s at least one day a week where you are checking in with your body and honoring what it needs. Maybe this is a cold plunge and rest day for you, or maybe it’s a massage, a yoga class, or a walk on the beach/mountains/etc. Remember, rest and recovery is super important for both fitness goals and your overall well-being, so take what you need, and if it’s a day off of physical exercise, try to get in at least 30 min of self-care in another way.
Of course what works for your body will be different than what works best for someone else, and it may take some time and some tweaking to get to a custom schedule that truly meets YOUR individual needs. Here are some example schedules below that you can use to guide your own schedule creation if you like. You can also use this downloadable PDF from the Huberman Lab for help designing your training program. Good luck and let us know how it goes!
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Tenaya’s ideal workout schedule (all classes are taken on the Movement Co. On Demand platform except for Yoga):
Michelle’s ideal workout week:
Abi’s ideal workout week:
