SETS AND REPS: DESIGN YOUR OWN WORKOUT

What do you want from your workout routine? Do you want big, bulging muscles, or the lean body of a runner? Are you cross training for a sport? It takes very little effort to design your workout to give you the body, and athletic performance that you desire. All you need are a few basic facts.

Simplified, the basics are: For big muscles (the bodybuilder look) and strength, do four to five sets of ten reps, using the heaviest amount of weight you can lift while maintaining proper form. Women will not bulk up like men. For endurance, or a leaner look, toned instead of muscular, use lighter weights and do four to five sets of 30-40 reps.

For athletic performance, regardless of the sport, you will need to incorporate agility exercises into your workout, and also plyometrics. "Plyos" are various forms of jumping and leaping. It teaches athletes to flex, or bend, the joints of the lower body---ankles, knees and hips---and straighten them in a powerful movement that propels the body forcefully to where it needs to go. The best way to combine agility with plyos is to use a jump rope.

Getting the right results means having a specific goal that can be stated in terms of the actual result, such as "I want stronger legs." Once you have defined your goal, get a small notebook and write it down. Next, using an anatomy chart or a book that tells what each muscle does, figure out the muscles that you need to work on to get your desired result. Don't forget antagonists, which are the opposing muscles. If you are doing quad exercises, you must also do hamstrings; if doing biceps, you must also do triceps. If one muscle gets a lot stronger than its antagonist, you will be injured.

Design your workout, listing all the exercises you need for the results you want. Write them down in order, starting with the smaller muscles and working each antagonist before moving on to the next body part. Figure out the number of reps and sets you need to achieve your goals.

Your notebook should be with you during every exercise. The routine you designed tells what your next exercise should be. After you've done it, write it down, along with the date. After six workouts, change the routine. This is also a good time to pay for a consultation with a trainer. Have the trainer analyze your workout in terms of your goal. He or she can tell you of important exercises you may have left out.

When designing the next workout, if you've been feeling fatigued and sore, add extra rest days between workouts. Don't push yourself too hard, this too is a temporary workout. You will adjust it as your body adapts to the routine.

After another six sessions, you are ready to design your third workout. Increase the weight by about 10 percent. Add two to four more reps, depending on your goal. Six more sessions, and you are ready for your fourth workout. From now on, make changes every 10-12 workouts. Do a different exercise that works the same muscles; use a different leg press machine.

Within six months, your designer workout will give you the body you have been waiting for.