A well-rounded training program is essential to ultimately leave you feeling satisfied with your fitness goals. I have incorporated these elements into all my fitness training programs and, of course, focused on how we want our bodies to look in a fitness perspective.

Various workout programs focus on different aspects of your body. I have included the helix fitness approach, aerobic fitness, strength training, core exercises, balance, flexibility, and stretching exercises to ensure that your program is fully rounded.

The workout program is based on my experiences with a focus on what has proven to work and be sustainable as a lifestyle. It is imperative to become familiar with the workouts and exercises to seamlessly complete the activities listed in the program. Take some time and ensure you know how to do each exercise before starting the workout program; with the help of the provided videos.

Refer back to the Reference Guide when needed. A full explanation of the actual workout plan is given together with the abbreviations used and some essential commonly used terms throughout.

Repetitions, sets, and rest intervals are the basis of weight training programs. You need to know their meaning to effectively work through your workout program. Depending on the exercise, they will differ in the weights used, the number of repetitions or periods of time, sets, rest intervals, and speed or technique required by your daily workout.

A quick overview of Reps, Sets, Rest, and Speed is given here but refer to the Reference Guide for a practical application. The first step is understanding these terms and how they describe your workout program.

The rest interval is the time spent resting between sets that allow the muscles to recover. The rest period between sets is usually in the range of 30 seconds to two minutes. Some exercises also have short rests between reps. The rest period after each set and activity is indicated on the workout program.

The rest period has an effect on the overall efficiency of your efforts and specific stated time periods of rest must be adhered to. They are as important as the actual duration of the exercise. There are mainly three rest areas that I like to refer to, one as a transition area.

1. The time you take to move from one exercise to another within a group of exercises (transition period).
2. The time between sets.
3. The time between activities.

Contraction velocity is the speed at which an exercise is performed. This has an effect on training goals and results. Depending on the type of workout program, the pace or speed should always be slow and controlled. We describe tempo as 3,0,2,0 which means that 3 seconds should be counted for the eccentric (lowering) phase of the movement, 0 seconds which is the pause at the end of the eccentric contraction, 2 seconds should be counted for the concentric (lifting) phase of the movement and 0 seconds which is the pause at the end of the concentric contraction. In simple terms, slow down your movements, perform a pause or no pause and return to the starting position.

Aerobic activity, also known as cardio or endurance activity, forms the basis of all my fitness training programs. Aerobic activity causes you to breathe faster and more deeply, which maximizes the amount of oxygen in your blood and gets your heart rate up, which increases blood flow to your muscles and back to your lungs. In simple terms, it not only keeps your cardiovascular system healthy but trains it to be better.

Aerobic activity includes any physical activity that uses large muscle groups (e.g. running, cycling, or brisk walking) and is incorporated throughout and called for on LISS cardio days in the program.

Low-Intensity Steady State, or LISS, is a method of cardiovascular exercise in which you do an aerobic activity at a low-to-moderate intensity for a continuous period of time. When doing LISS cardio, the goal is to keep your heart rate around 50 to 65 percent of your maximum effort. Think about LISS cardio exercises as a steady exercise that slowly improves your overall health over time. Why it is so effective and why I use it in my training programs:

1. It is an effective way to burn calories and train your aerobic system.
2. It aids in fat burning by improving your body’s ability to get rid of excess body fat.
3. It’s appropriate for beginners, intermediate or advanced fitness levels and is gentle on the body.
4. It allows for easier recovery and can be used as a recovery exercise after a difficult workout.
5. It is a very effective way to build endurance or simply to get and stay fit.

In simple words, LISS cardio forms a progressive foundation for your efforts that continued progress and stay on par with your fitness level.

Another method that is effectively used in my workout program is HIIT cardio or High-Intensity Interval Training. You could say this is the opposite of the LISS cardiovascular training method. The HIIT style of exercise expresses workouts in time or intervals of time. The workouts consist of intense exercise and rest. It is important to note that intense exercise is related to your capabilities. So no need to worry, you won’t attempt something that is above your level of fitness. The goal of HIIT workouts is to get your heart and your lungs working quickly at peak capacity in sustained bursts of intense exercise. When doing HIIT cardio, the goal is to get your heart rate around 80 to 90 percent of your maximum effort or to simply push yourself to as high of an intensity as you can handle at the time.

The benefits of the HIIT cardio training method are as follows:

1. The benefits of HIIT cardio improve your waistline.
2. It increases the number of calories your body burns during and after your exercise workout.
3. Your metabolism increases, allowing you to use fat as fuel and burn more stored body fat.
4. It is most effective when time is of the essence and maximizes your efforts and time spent from your workout.
5. It is an excellent method to combine in a workout program for maximum results.

You can look forward to a well-balanced mix of LISS and HIIT cardio training methods, coupled with resistance training in your workout program.

Muscular fitness is another key component of my fitness training programs. Strength training can help you increase bone strength and muscular fitness and it can help you manage or lose weight. It can also improve your ability to do everyday activities. In simple words, strength training is using weights or any type of resistance and is used in combination with other exercises in my workout programs. Strength training sculpts our bodies and, in combination with cardiovascular exercise, we use strength training to develop our appearance or physique.
By putting our muscles under tension, they learn to adapt to your body’s requirements and if they can’t do something with a certain level of comfort they will grow to meet the requirement. This is exactly how sculpting is achieved. Okay, so why do we incorporate strength training? To increase our physical attractiveness, our general physical health, and performance, and the love of it!

There are various methods, which include free weights, resistance machines, and even your own body weight to engage with this activity. I have selected a group of exercises as part of a workout program that will develop or grow those desired muscle groups to be strong, attractive, and healthy.

For the home-based workout program, we will be using basic free weights and resistance equipment. The equipment required for this workout program are:

• Booty Band
• Ankle Weights
• Long Resistance Bands
• Skipping Rope
• Dumbbells – Beginner: 2kg upper body, 4kg lower body / Intermediate: 4kg upper body, 7kg lower body / Advanced: 8+ kg upper body, 10+ kg lower body. Please note that this is just a guideline on weight selections and you will have to choose a weight that is comfortable, yet challenging.

I recommend having access to a variety of weight selections if your goal is to build muscle.
You will find some form of weighted work in most activities throughout the workout program and although it is home-based, many girls prefer to do their exercises at the gym and will require the following:

• Barbell Pad
• Ankle Strap
• Booty Band
• Skipping Rope
• Lifting Belt (not compulsory)
• Your local gym will have the weight selections available for the gym-based Program.

Choosing how much weight to lift is often based on how many reps and sets you’re doing. The general rule is to lift enough weight so that you can complete the desired number of reps. In other words, you want that last rep to be the very last rep you can do with good form. Choosing the right weights for strength training is a major key to getting the benefits you’re after.

If we want results, we’ve got to challenge ourselves – that means using a weight that is heavy enough to force our muscles to have to adapt and grow stronger. However, you don’t want to choose a weight that is too heavy that makes you compromise your form and start engaging muscles that shouldn’t be working. So to make things simple, here is how you select the weight that is right for you:

1. Your weight should make you work for those last few reps without compromising your form.
2. You will know the weight is heavy enough if you struggle to complete the last few reps.
3. You should be able to keep the correct form right up until your last rep but not much longer.
4. Your weight is too light if you don’t start to struggle during those last few reps or effortlessly complete your reps and can continue.
5. The exercise you’re doing can help determine what weight you will use. The weight should correspond to the strength of the muscles you are working.

Remember, heavy or light only pertains to your perception. Don’t worry about what others are using. I suggest you start with the lightest weights available and apply the aforesaid guidelines. You will be comfortable in no time.

Adding weight or providing resistance with the use of ankle weights and resistance bands is truly a very effective way to exercise those glutes. In combination with normal exercise, it challenges your muscles to ultimately help to sculpture targeted areas. Make sure you have a set of bands and some ankle weights that are indicated in the workout program. This allows you to exercise from home instead of going to the gym.

If an exercise is too difficult, you experience physical discomfort, or don’t have the specific equipment available, then you can easily swap your exercises. Most exercises will have an alternative that will work for the same muscle group and still help you to get closer to your goals without giving you that feeling of missing out!

It may be that you find it difficult to do a specific exercise, or find it more comfortable to use a different weight to do the same exercise, or need to find an alternative exercise to work the same muscles. It may also be that you don’t have a specific weight or resistance equipment, especially when exercising at home.
There are alternatives to almost every exercise and an option to swap to an alternative body weight movement, equipment, or machine to facilitate a regression, progression, or alternative.
Generally, the most appropriate weight or piece of equipment is suggested for a specific exercise and is mostly related to comfort, grip, and purpose. If you feel the need to make a change, simply swap out your exercise. It allows for a body weight
or regression version if required.

The muscles in your abdomen, lower back, and pelvis, is known as your core muscles and help to protect your back and connect upper and lower body movements. Core exercises help train your muscles to brace the spine and enable you to use your upper and lower body muscles more effectively. Most sports and other physical activities depend on stable core muscles.

• Core exercises help to improve your abs by toning the underlying muscles.
• Strong core muscles make it easier to do most physical activities.
• Strengthening core muscles improve and maintain overall posture.
• Core exercises will help you reach your fitness goals.

As part of a well-rounded workout program, I added core exercises to complement any specific focused training program.

Improved balance makes daily activities easier, e.g. walking on stairs, carrying heavy items, and suddenly changing directions. A strong, stable base will allow you to move with more coordination, ease, and fluidity. You’ll also gain stronger and more enhanced movement during athletic activities.

A super fit athlete may have a problem with balance and although most exercises improve your overall balance, a small number of people find that they may need to pay attention to their overall balance, especially when training.

Flexibility is an important aspect of physical fitness. Stretching exercises help increase flexibility, making it easier for you to do many daily activities that require flexibility.
Stretching can also improve the range of motion of your joints and may promote better posture. Regular stretching can even help relieve stress and tension. Stretching is included in every workout program to improve flexibility. Ideally, you’ll stretch whenever you exercise. Refer to the Stretching Guide for additional info and activities on your workout Program that will complement your overall balance and flexibility by utilizing stretching exercises.

It’s important to remember that you break your body down when you train (weights or cardio) – your energy stores are depleted, your muscles and other tissues are broken down and your body is in a fatigued state. It is extremely important to allow recovery time to ensure that our joints, muscles, and body tissues can recover. There are various ways to achieve this and it does not just mean that you will recover in one day if you have exercised the previous day. One way of managing this is by alternating different exercises and muscle groups from one training day to the next. My training Program will offer this by default to prevent your body from becoming exhausted.

Depending on your fitness level, a rest day can also be an active rest day where outdoor activities or a simple jog on the beach can be considered as recovery. The body needs to recover from intense training. At the same time, our bodies are equipped to be active every day without recovery but be cautious as to what is considered ordinary in your day. 
Your body will let you know very quickly that you need to slow down. It is best to plan for recovery and it does not always mean doing nothing for a period of time. The body recovers over time and cannot work its magic in a short period. Have a look at the next section and see how you can help your body to recover on the fly and on a continuous basis quickly and effectively.

Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is muscle pain that begins after you’ve worked out and normally starts a day or two after a workout. This is completely normal and unavoidable. An intense workout’s effect on our muscles is exactly what we require to sculpt them. High-intensity exercise causes tiny, microscopic tears in your muscle fibres. Your body responds to this damage by increasing inflammation, which may lead to a delayed onset of soreness in the muscles.
As you progress and your muscles get used to the level of work, they tend to adapt to the workload. When the workload increases, the same process is repeated. So this comes back to how fit your muscles are in relation to what is required from them. Build your strength and endurance safely while minimizing the effects of DOMS.

1. Stay hydrated by drinking enough water during and after exercising.
2. Warm up by spending 5 to 10 minutes doing some dynamic stretching before each workout or follow the warm-up exercises in your workout program.
3. Cool down with 20 minutes of low-intensity cycling after a strength training session.
4. Always end your cool down with some static stretching. It won’t lessen DOMS, but it can boost flexibility in your joints and muscles.
5. Take your workouts to the next level of intensity one small step at a time.

I have included a complete recovery workout phase that is included in the training program to recover the body, weeks 9-10.
You will note a decrease in the frequency and intensity of training. This is aimed to achieve the following:

1. Giving your body and mind a break.
2. Facilitating recovery.
3. Improving long-term strength and performance.

There are actually five components used to measure fitness levels: aerobic or cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, muscular endurance, flexibility, and body composition. For the purpose of my workout Program, the actual ability to endure or complete a workout is important. Each person should be able to complete the exercises by challenging themselves with regard to added weight and resistance. The ability to be able to work through a workout program seamlessly and understand all the exercises does not mean you are fit. On the other hand, not being able to work through a program because of a lack of understanding of the workout program does not mean you are unfit. So for the purpose of classification, we will measure your fitness levels in these categories:

• New to fitness or exercise – Beginner
• Enjoy a good workout – Intermediate
• I am really challenging myself – Advanced

Although there should be a correlation, it does not necessarily determine your fitness level. A proper fitness level test can be done to determine where your stand in the real sense of fitness level classifications.

There are a few other important aspects that go along with your training Program. Actual training only contributes to 20% of your achievements and, other than your diet, there are a few important aspects. Let’s have a look at them:

Hormones play a major role in determining fat distribution in the body. And any hormonal imbalance can lead to increased hunger, slow metabolism, and increased stress levels, leading to fat accumulation. Being stressed and not getting enough sleep will have a negative effect on your body. When you get enough rest, your body can manufacture the hormones required to keep a better balance naturally.

You need to train to become fit! Cardiovascular exercise or aerobic exercise is an important form of exercise because it increases cardiovascular function, gets your heart beating and your blood flowing faster which brings oxygen to your organs and limbs and, of course, burns fat. These exercises will keep you active and fit and will help you reach your health goals while participating in other training forms or exercises benefiting your body. There are many exercises that will get your heart racing, and there is absolutely no excuse for not benefitting from sweating a little more regularly.

Let’s face it, ladies, no one can reward you in a better way than having some companionship when exercising. The laughs, high fives, and words of encouragement from the bonds people make are priceless. Experience the magic of working out with a friend. It will make you feel elevated. Surround yourself with people that help build your confidence as much as your strength.
Training with a friend is a free motivator that will push you to stay dedicated. Remember we are stronger together and keeping things fun just makes your efforts worth it.

Here, persistence is the key to success. Keep building new and healthy habits while training your body to deliver results over time. Use the experience gained from this Training Program by performing the exercises to build on your future training routine.

By using proper or good form, the risk of injury is lowered. A lack of proper form commonly results in injury or a lack of effect from the exercise being performed.

Good form ensures that the movement only uses the main muscles and avoids recruiting secondary muscles. As muscle fatigue, the body attempts to compensate by recruiting other muscle groups and transferring force generation to non-fatigued units. This reduces the benefits in strength or size gain experienced by the muscles as they are not worked to failure. Do the exercises correctly, even if you have to practice by slowing down your routine, and start incorporating some techniques in the way you exercise that will ensure maximum benefit for your efforts.

It seems silly to think that you have to remember to breathe when exercising. Many people either forget to breathe altogether or take shallow breaths, which limits their oxygen intake and will only result in tight necks and shoulders. Engaging in rhythmic breathing during exercise will work wonders. Match your breath to a certain number of steps or by breathing in on the negative and out on the positive of every rep of the exercise. Just get used to the idea of not forgetting to breathe at first, then focus on your breathing. It also helps to develop a mind-muscle connection.

There are certain key areas of ones physique that simply stand out. These are the ones we find most attractive and, ultimately, where our fitness desires stem from. Like sexy abs, the booty or glutes are one of those areas.
The glutes are a very powerful muscle but they tend to be neglected as there are other muscles that can fill in for them in a way. When not being actively focused on, they tend to develop slowly or, let me rather say, they lack physique.
A very effective technique called glute activation is used to target those glutes, to make sure that they join in the action whenever you do your exercise. The technique primes the muscle to do the actual work during the workout. In simple terms your glutes know you are expecting them to work.
So how do we activate those glutes? The key is to warm them up before exercises so that they can fully participate throughout your workout activity and get the stimulation required to develop, or to be sculpted.

1. Do an isolated glute focused exercise.
2. Add some resistance with a band.
3. Focus your mind on those glutes when doing the exercise and feel them working.

It started off complicated but it is actually really simple. This will allow your glutes to fully benefit from the activities completed in your workout program.

MMC or Mind to Muscle is best explained by giving examples of how to achieve a good MMC relationship. Our brains control everything and when it comes to exercise or specifically training muscle groups, it is no different.

The brain will instinctively engage our muscles in activities but the reality is that when you are focused, what the brain can do is so much better. Being focused on your muscles when training will maximize your effort further and ultimately contribute to achieving your goals.

By focusing on the connection between our mind and muscles, we can use the brain to build stronger muscles. Here are some examples of how to engage your brain in your fitness activity and an explanation of this potent technique:

1. Focus on form. Lose weight and build calorie-burning muscle by learning the proper form for every exercise. Proper form is designed to allow the muscle to operate efficiently. What’s more, using good form reduces the risk of injury.
2. Focus on targeted muscles. It’s possible that you’re wasting energy by tensing muscles other than the ones you’re working on. For example, you might tighten your neck during a bicep curl. Work only on the areas you’re targeting at that moment and relax in any areas not related to the exercise.
3. Focus on breathing. Concentrating on breathing clears distractions from the brain and releases tension that may stop muscles from working efficiently.
4. Focus visually. Put an image in your head of the muscle you are about to exercise. Before workouts, imagine the exercises you’re planning to do. For instance, picture each motion your arm will make during a perfect bicep curl.
5. Focus on your achievement. Focus on one thing at a time, such as the exercise you are attempting, and really try to switch on those muscles with your mind.

As you see results, you’ll be amazed at how well you can get your mind and muscles to work together with you in control.

Another training technique that maximizes the effectiveness of your training session. Time under tension or TUT is a commonly used technique in strength training. Essentially, it refers to how long a muscle is under strain during a set.

By slowing down your rep at the point where the muscle takes the most stress, or rather works the hardest, you increase the effectiveness of the exercise to stimulate and build that muscle. Start with the given exercises and slow the movement down on the eccentric or lowering part of the exercise to half the speed to apply more tension to the muscle that is being worked.

Training in a fasted state simply means exercising after having not eaten for several hours, typically early in the morning when your last meal was dinner. Once the body has stopped processing and breaking down food, your insulin levels are low and there’s no fuel (glycogen) circulating in your blood. Your body has to turn to another source of energy to burn fat as energy to get you through the workout. It is most effective for cardio-type exercises that do not require intense, heavy, or specific weighted exercises, i.e. heavy-weight training.

While your body may turn toward fat for energy, it doesn’t discriminate where it gets the energy from, and may also break down muscle tissue for fuel. So it all comes down to your preference. I like to train in a fast state when cutting. Having a big meal before your training session is an obvious no-go, but fuelling your body with a smaller high-carbohydrate meal before exercise, more than half an hour before is ideal. In the end, your body will tell you what works best for you.