If you’ve ever attempted to start a fitness plan, or to achieve any goal, you will quickly realize that without a well-formulated plan, your dreams become extremely difficult to accomplish.

In fact, 8 out of 10 persons that join a gym or start working out do so with no plan in place, they may jump on a treadmill, or lift some free weights, hoping that everything will work out okay or believing that they are following a solid plan.

This hardly ever works, especially since your goals are unlikely to resemble every other person at the gym. For example, you may be significantly overweight, in which case the aerobic component of exercise takes precedence over much else; likewise if you’re coming back from injury, flexibility and stretching is integral to full recovery and preventing subsequent injury.

To formulate an effective and well-balanced fitness plan, 5 specific aspects of fitness must be accounted for. Though your particular prioritization of each aspect will differ, all should be included.

Conclusion

Creating a sound fitness plan shouldn’t be rocket science- unless you overcomplicate things.

Take a step back, choose compound exercises that you are comfortable with and you are already halfway there. Of course, the other half requires that you bust your ass in the gym and stay on point with your diet, and you will be rightfully rewarded.

Be sure not to overlook “accessory” training, as simple flexibility and balance exercises could be needed to take your body and performance to the next level.