What to Expect - The Evolve Programme

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Welcome to Day 1 of the ‘Evolve’ Training Programme. This 10 week course is for those who have an advanced level of fitness, are well experienced with exercise and are looking to continue improving with cross-training. Hopefully you’ve had a chance to read through your Welcome Pack, but if you haven’t yet, take some time to do this over the next few days as it provides some helpful information about the App and your programme.

This blog will provide a brief outline of what you can expect over the coming weeks.

This is Week 0. It is a ‘Preparation Week’ where we get the app up and running and collect ‘Pre-Programme’ stats.

Tomorrow we will send you a message with guidance on taking your ‘Starting’ measurements.  From previous experience we have found that the participants who complete this at the start of the programme are more motivated throughout and achieve the best results.

On Wednesday we will message you with instructions on how to assess your starting fitness levels.  These can be really interesting to compare with your results at the end of the programme to see how far you’ve come.  You’ll need to be ready to go outside for a short run as part of the assessment, so have your trainers at the ready.

Over the weekend we’ll send you a short blog on ‘goal setting’ which can go a long way in helping you really progress during this training programme.

Your first official workout is next Monday, which kicks off the start of your training programme but feel free to continue with your own training before then if you have already scheduled sessions in to your diary.

How is each week structured?

Starting next Monday, you will receive 3 workouts each week plus a stretch/release session every Sunday. There will be a balance of upper and lower body strength, cardio, abs, core and recovery workouts to improve all aspects of your fitness ensuring no body part is neglected.

Terminology

Over the next 10 weeks, we will be introducing different styles of workout. Here are some descriptions of training sessions you will see:

  • Circuit - Completing one set of all the exercises and then repeating.  The number of times will be specified within the workout.

  • Tabata - A high-intensity interval training session.  It requires you to perform 8 sets of each individual exercise.  You work for 20 seconds at a high intensity and have a brief rest of 10 seconds between each.

  • Interval - These workouts involve performing high-intensity exercises alternated with periods of rest.

  • Pyramid - This style of training can help you progress your workouts and add variety. A pyramid means big at the bottom and narrow at the top. You start with a high volume of exercises and gradually decrease, dropping an exercise off after each round. 

The combination of these different styles of training will help to improve different aspects of your fitness and will therefore work together to enhance your overall performance.

How are the sessions structured?

No matter what session you are doing, it will always start with a comprehensive warm up to prepare your body for the workout ahead. All of the sessions will finish with a stretch to lengthen tight muscles, to allow the heart rate to drop and to return the body to it’s pre-exercise state. Sessions will last anywhere between 45 – 60 minutes. As the weeks progress we’ll be gradually increasing the intensity of the workouts. If you follow the programme, besides the improvement in your cardiovascular system, your whole body will be stronger.

Nutrition

If you focus on your nutrition and eat a balanced healthy diet, you will notice a bigger difference in how you feel and in your body shape. As part of this programme we do not offer a personalised calorie goal or a nutrition plan (as we do in other programmes) but if you would like this to be added, please let us know ASAP so that we can organise it for you.

How will improvement be measured?

As mentioned above, this week we will be taking your starting measurements and assessing your current fitness levels. This will set a benchmark which we can use to compare against. At the end of the programme we will be re-doing this so you will be able to see how far you have progressed.

The next 10 weeks are going to be challenging and you may experience some new types of training which you haven’t seen previously. These sessions have been put together to strengthen all those muscles which are vital for full body fitness. Make sure to prioritise your sessions, stay consistent and you will see results.  Good luck, we’ll be with you all the way… and we can’t wait to see what you can achieve!

Andy Letham