How I plan my workouts

And five big-picture takeaways to help you plan yours, too

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If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll see I do a broad range of movements—yoga, gymnastics, weightlifting, running, hiking, pulling, and more. I’m always mixing things up, trying new moves, and adapting my training to the seasons.

Did you know I have an extensive history with fitness, pre-dating Whole30? I was heavily involved with CrossFit in the early days (2006), and opened my own CrossFit gym in NH in 2008. I traveled throughout New England to help teach CrossFit kettlebell certifications, I was an RKC Kettlebell instructor, and through CrossFit (and later, the Whole30), I had the opportunity to train in-person with some of the country’s top coaches in powerlifting, Olympic lifting, gymnastics, and mobility.

When I moved to Utah, I also trained one-on-one at Gym Jones, a nationally-renowned facility famous for getting the actors in 300 and Superman in shape for their roles. Plus (going back to the early 2000’s), I’d also been consistent with a yoga practice, attending a variety of classes from ashtanga to power flow to yin.

Because of that, I have an extensive library of exercises in my rolodex, and excellent kinesthetic awareness. I know how to look at a new movement and try it safely, how to effectively scale movements as I’m learning them, how to put different exercises together into a routine, and how to apply different movements, techniques, and program structures to reach a goal (if I have one).

I recognize that you cannot pick from my brain or go train with all of my coaches—but “how do you plan your workouts?” is one of the most popular questions I get on Instagram, so today, I’ll answer this question.

TL;DR: It’s part knowing my body, part training experience, and a large part woo.

I don’t follow a program

I spent many years following someone else’s programming: a CrossFit gym’s (including my own affiliate, which I programmed for my athletes, not me), or Gym Jones’s, or my own coach’s if I had a specific training goal.

In 2011, my marriage was falling apart, I was writing It Starts With Food, and the effect of stress on my physical health was obvious. I was still training at Gym Jones, but even my coach was suggesting I needed to dial down the intensity. I decided to take a break, and spent the next few months walking, hiking, and doing yoga; I didn’t set foot in a gym once.

After that, I decided I never wanted to follow anyone else’s programming ever again. I trusted my body to tell me what I needed, and I was going to allow myself the freedom to move in whatever way felt good. I do still occasionally do someone else’s workout—my Gym Jones coach will still text me ideas, and sometimes I’m up for it. But 99% of my workouts are my own, and I don’t even plan my workouts more than a day at a time, if at all.

I also don’t have specific fitness goals, other than to move, feel good, and have fun. My fitness foundation is well-established, and I can afford to mess around with a looser plan without losing too much strength, mobility, or endurance.

Takeaway: This “I do what I want” approach works for me, but will not briskly move you towards a specific fitness goal. If you’re new to fitness, I highly recommend you follow a trusted program, app, or classes for at least your first year. This will help you build a fitness foundation and move your towards your goal, whether that’s running a 5K, building muscle, or practicing yoga. Feel free to sprinkle in fun days, movements, or activities—but a “DIY” approach for someone new can be a recipe for spinning your wheels without much progress to show for it.

I rarely plan my own workouts ahead of time

The most extensive “planning” I’ll do is think about what I may do in the gym the night before, or as soon as I wake up. Some days, I do go in with a “plan,” like “today is a good day to squat.” I’ll then build the rest of my training around that, adding whatever accessory exercises feel right, or adding movements based on where I am in the gym and what equipment is available.

Most days, however, I wake up and think, “How do I feel, what have I already done this week, what else do I have planned this week, and what does my body want?”

• How do I feel: Is any body part sore, banged up, or needing to rest?

• What have I done this week: If I ran Monday and squatted Tuesday, it’s time to give the legs a rest.

• What else am I doing this week: If I have a long hike on Saturday, I’m going to go easier on Friday—no sled pulls, more mobility

• What do I want: Above all, this is most important. Maybe I’ve done heavy breathing things (running, step-ups, sled drags) three days in a row, but if I still want to breathe hard, I’ll honor that. Maybe I haven’t done any heavy breathing all week, but if I feel like my body can’t handle that, I’ll lift weights again. There are also days when I wake up and think, “I just want to go for a long walk,” and walking I go.

This flexibility allows me to honor my body, ensures I enjoy my workout (so important), and lets me adapt on the fly if the gym is especially busy or all the squat racks are taken, so I feel like I still get a good workout in. (So often, if we go in with a rigid plan and cannot complete that plan, we feel like it’s a “wasted” morning. My approach has none of that.)

Takeaway: Even if you do follow a set program or structured workouts, could you still incorporate these questions? Communicating with your coach, trainer, or gym owner (or just checking in with yourself) can help you make small adjustments where needed. Those modifications can make your workouts more effective and supportive of the rest of your life.

I think about the “big picture”

To get more granular, when I’m planning what to do for a workout, I group things into three buckets: upper body, lower body, and breathing. (With a bonus category called “mess-around days.”)

• Upper body includes shoulders, back, chest, and arms, but also includes a category I call “gymnastics” (handstand work, upside-down stuff, hanging stuff, rope stuff). It also includes core that utilizes upper body, like marching, carries, and hanging leg raises.

• Lower body includes squats, deadlifts, lunges, and other leg-related stuff. This also includes core that utilizes the lower body, like L-sits, bridge marches, and leg lifts.

• Breathing is usually broken down into two further categories: Do I want to breathe fast, or do I want to breathe slow? Fast breathing = running, an hour of step-ups, light and fast sled pulls, or intervals on a ski erg. Slow breathing = walking on an incline, heavy slow sled pulls, heavy farmers walks, stuff with my rucksack.

• “Mess-around” is another category that isn’t always its own day, but sometimes is! These days involve lots of mobility work, bodyweight drills (like pistols and balance exercises), yoga, and "flows” (stringing a ton of movements together into a 2-3 minute flow, like they do in yoga). This is also where I’ll dig through the archives to try a movement or exercise I’ve never done, or spend 30 minutes figuring out all of the things I can do (besides just climb) with the giant rope hanging from the ceiling.

There is some overlap of categories; I have some barbell complexes that are upper body + breathing, and some squat workouts that are lower body + breathing, and I may throw a mess-around move anywhere. To be clear, there is no fitness trainer in the world who would categorize their programming the way I do inside my head, but it works for me, given the things I like to do, the equipment I have available, and my extensive experience with a variety of exercise methodologies.

Takeaway: How do you think about your programming? Do you have categories, whether traditional (like “back and bis”), as handed down by your coach, or just in your own head? Would categories help you decide what to do each day? What kinds of categories make sense for your own life and your own training? Should they vary based on any type of season?

I give myself permission to try new things

I scroll Instagram and TikTok regularly to look for new, fun-looking exercises, yoga moves, workout combinations, or mobility drills. (I save them all in a category called “fitness.”) On days when I have extra time, am not sure what I want to do, or just feel like trying something new, I’ll pull out one or two and give them a try.

These movements or workouts don’t have to suit my “goals.” I don’t have to be good at them, or even “get” the move. It may have nothing to do with my current workouts—but if it’s fun, I give myself permission to try, and to fail. I can’t tell you how many times I try a move 10, 15, 20 times and never get it. That’s okay! I’m having a blast, I’m grooving a new neuromuscular pattern, and maybe one day, I will get it (or not). It keeps my training varied and most of all, FUN—which means I look forward to doing something most mornings, day in and day out, year after year. And isn’t that the goal?

Takeaway: Unless you’re getting paid to exercise, you have room in your training to build in fun moments, days, or even seasons! If you’ve always wanted to try “X” but wasn’t sure how it fit into your program or goals, give yourself permission to try it anyway. Even professional athletes will tell you that well-rounded fitness always has its benefits.

I treat my fitness as part of the whole

I don’t follow a periodization schedule. I don’t schedule regular “rest days” or “half intensity weeks.” I don’t make myself go into the gym or work out at all if I don’t want to. I intuitively listen to my body, and if my body says “GO!” we go, for as long as feels good. (At this level, “feels good” means I may be occasionally overtraining, but not so much that I’m hurting myself. I use my WHOOP data and my body to tell me when to pull back.)

Conversely, if my body or brain says, “Nah,” I don’t make myself do… anything. That might happen once a week, twice a week, or for weeks at a time, depending on what’s happening in the rest of my life. I may skip the gym for an entire week and focus on sleep, rest, and home organization. (← Me, upon returning from South Africa.) I may not lift weights for two weeks straight and just walk, run, hike, and do yoga. I may not do any cardio whatsoever and just pop into the gym a few times to lift weights.

My fitness routine is just one part of my life, and has to support my work, hobbies, parenting, physical health, and mental health. With 25+ years of fitness consistency under my belt, I can afford to take a week (or a month) off here and there if that’s what my body and mental health need—so I don’t sweat it.

Takeaway: I’ll keep saying this: Unless someone is paying you for your performance, your fitness goals should support the rest of your life. If your training leaves you too sore to do that hike you’ve been looking forward to, too broken-down to run that 5K with your kids, or feeling like you just CAN’T take the weekend off from the gym to go camping, something is off, said with love. Be dedicated, be committed, be consistent, but remember we’re in it for a long time AND a good time, right?

Takeaways

I can (and will) get more specific around how I specifically plan my training; maybe a fun “week in the life” series on Instagram? For now, I’m hopeful that my plan, though hyper-specific to me, has given you some ideas as to how to plan and adjust your own fitness routine to better support your life. Paid subscribers can share feedback, ideas, and your own plans in the comments.

XO, MU

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