As you work towards getting fit, there are a couple of important terms you should know regarding the structure of your workouts.

Most of the workouts that I create for my clients are organized around the following different pieces:

Warmup

Every workout should start with a Warmup, which is a sequence of exercises or low/moderate steady-state cardio that aims to a) get your blood flowing, b) increase your core temperature, and c) get the synovial fluid in your joints more viscous in preparation for the challenging portion of your workout.

Priming

Priming exercises are low-intensity, light resistance exercises that serve to fire up the muscles that you’ll use during your Challenge Sets. They give you a chance to rehearse and practice the technique of an exercise before you add more resistance or increase the intensity. Priming exercises are good to include in your Warmup, but they are also good to include throughout your workout, especially before you start a new sequence. For example, before doing Pushups as a Challenge exercise, you may perform several sets of Planks to fire up your core and practice the positioning of your arms and hips before you add any movement.

Sets (or Rounds)

Sets are the intervals in which you perform your exercises. Sets can be timed (for example, you can perform a wall sit for 20 seconds) or they may be defined by a certain amount of repetitions of the exercise (for example, you may perform three sets of 10 squats, resting for 1 minute between each set).

Reps

Reps (short for Repetitions) are the number of times you repeat an exercise during a Set or Round. “10 reps” of pushups would mean that you perform 10 pushups before you rest or move onto the next exercise.

Rest

Rest is super important, especially for strength training! Rest periods allow your muscles the chance to recuperate and rebuild their stores of ATP (adenosine triphosphate—the chemical that our muscles use for energy). ATP gets drained as you push your muscles during your sets. When you use up all the ATP in your muscles, it can take up to two or three minutes for your body to replenish it. Allowing your body to replenish its ATP stores will allow you to push more during your sets and increase your muscle gains during your strength workouts.

Cool-Down

The Cool-Down is an opportunity to bring your body back down towards a resting state after your workout. It serves to decrease the heart rate and literally bring your core temperature down several degrees. An effective Cool-Down will help your body to get into its rest-and-recover state to begin working on your muscle gains. A Cool-Down can include low-intensity steady-state activity (like walking for a few minutes), static stretches and mobility exercises like foam rolling. Many people also like to end their Cool-Down with mindfulness meditation practice.

A typical strength training workout for me is going to start the Warmup with some light Steady State Cardio and Dynamic Stretches. Then the workout is divided into several “Challenge” sequences which often include priming exercises specific to the exercises that I’m using for resistance training. After all of the Challenge sequences have been completed, I usually have my clients cool down with some static stretches.

For cardiovascular workouts (like Steady State, Cardio Circuits, or High Intensity Interval Training), the Warmup will often focus on gradually increasing the heart rate, speed, and impact of the exercises to prepare for the Challenge portion (which is the main part of their workout). The Cool-Down is especially important after higher intensity cardiovascular exercise because it gives your heart rate and blood pressure the chance to recover gradually.

About the Author

Jayd Harrison is a personal trainer and content creator. She helps people to build muscle, burn fat, and clean up their diets with her online coaching programs and social media content. Check out some of Jayd’s coaching videos on Youtube, or join Jayd live on Twitch and follow on social media.