Want to build a workout routine that actually works for your body and goals? The key to making an exercise plan that’s effective is understanding what types of exercise to do, how much to aim for, and when to introduce different training styles.
Read on to discover how to set specific fitness goals and choose the right exercises for your needs, with advice from neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman, and performance coach Tony Robbins.
Table of Contents
Planning Your Workout
Let’s get right into how to make an exercise plan, and then we’ll outline some advice for choosing what types of workouts you should integrate into your routine.
Step 1
First, set goals for your workout routine. Be as specific as possible. Think about questions such as these:
- Are you trying to prevent or heal a specific ailment, such as type 2 diabetes or depression?
- Are you hoping to stay active as you age?
Step 2
Based on your goals, decide what kind of exercise to do. For example, if your goal is to lose weight, Lieberman suggests focusing on cardio. If your goal is to prevent muscle loss, you should incorporate weightlifting. (See more on this below.)
Step 3
Now, decide how much exercise to aim for. Decide on an achievable weekly goal, and consider how many minutes of exercise you should do each day to reach that goal.
Step 4
Finally, build in some motivation for exercising. For example, you might make a standing appointment to go jogging each Tuesday with a friend. Or you might decide not to eat pancakes on the Saturdays of weeks you don’t reach your workout goals.
(Shortform note: Harvard Health Publishing contends that exercise should be a lifelong habit rather than a temporary activity for weight loss or specific events. A Harvard Alumni Health Study showed that maintaining regular physical activity reduces mortality risk by up to 29%. To succeed in sticking with an exercise program, you should personalize your approach by considering your lifestyle, preferences, and physical condition, then strategically integrate exercise into your daily schedule by identifying available time blocks, being realistic about commitments, and looking for opportunities to add small bursts of activity throughout the day. As fitness improves, you can increase intensity without additional time investment, making the routine more efficient and sustainable over time.)
Tips for Choosing What Kind of Exercise to Do
Three experts—neurosurgeon Sanjay Gupta, evolutionary biologist Daniel Lieberman, and performance coach Tony Robbins—all agree on one fundamental principle: The most effective exercise routine includes a balanced mix of different types of workouts. While they emphasize different benefits and approaches, their advice converges on three essential components: aerobic exercise, strength training, and high-intensity intervals.
Aerobic Exercise: The Foundation
Aerobic exercise—also known as cardio—should form the cornerstone of your fitness routine. This includes activities like jogging, swimming, biking, and even brisk walking that get your heart rate and breathing up.
Gupta emphasizes cardio as one of three crucial forms of exercise for brain health. Lieberman goes further, arguing that cardio should be the bread and butter of your exercise routine because it’s crucial for preventing illnesses and managing a healthy weight. While our ancestors went on hours-long walks and runs, you can aim for 10,000 daily steps, a brisk jog, or other aerobic activities you enjoy.
Robbins adds an important metabolic perspective: aerobic exercise trains your body to burn fat as its primary fuel, which promotes fat burning, boosts your energy, supports your immune system, minimizes injuries, and improves endurance.
Strength Training: Building & Maintaining Muscle
Strength training uses weights or your own body weight to gain muscle mass, and all three experts agree it’s essential.
Gupta notes that muscles are crucial in burning calories and maintaining overall metabolic health. Lieberman explains the science behind why it works: resistance training creates microscopic damage that stimulates muscle growth, helping us build and maintain muscle mass. You can replace your ancestors’ resistance activities—such as carrying water for miles—by using machines and free weights at the gym.
Interestingly, Lieberman advocates maintaining moderate strength rather than bulking up, suggesting a balanced approach to muscle building.
High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
Interval training involves alternating between various levels of speed and intensity in your workouts.
Gupta recommends HIIT because it helps challenge the muscles and prevent them from plateauing. Lieberman provides an evolutionary rationale: since humans likely evolved to be capable of both sustained endurance and brief bursts of speed, HIIT satisfies our bodies’ need to perform a variety of moderately challenging physical tasks. He notes that HIIT can improve endurance and enhance muscle performance.
Robbins includes HIIT in the category of anaerobic exercise, which increases human growth hormone (HGH). This hormone improves muscle tone, increases lean mass, and improves flexibility.
| A Special Approach: Building Your Aerobic Base First Robbins offers unique guidance about when to incorporate different types of exercise. He argues that people often prioritize anaerobic exercise (such as strength training, weightlifting, and HIIT) too early because they believe more intense workouts produce better results. However, he warns that intense workouts burn through so much glycogen that your body must use blood sugar as fuel. This is problematic because your nervous system consistently needs two-thirds of your blood sugar. Burning through it with excessive anaerobic exercise can cause health problems, including anxiety, circulation issues, fatigue, headaches, and repeated injuries. Robbins’ recommended sequence: Phase 1: Build an aerobic base (two to eight months)—Do only aerobic workouts such as running, swimming, or biking for at least 30 minutes a day, three times a week. This conditions your metabolism to burn fat efficiently. Phase 2: Add anaerobic exercise—After building your aerobic base, incorporate one to three weekly anaerobic workouts (strength training and HIIT) while also increasing the pace of your aerobic workouts. |
The Bottom Line
While these experts approach exercise from different angles—Gupta from neuroscience, Lieberman from evolutionary biology, and Robbins from performance optimization—their advice aligns remarkably well. A well-rounded exercise routine should include:
- Regular aerobic exercise as your foundation
- Strength training to build and maintain muscle
- High-intensity intervals to challenge your body and prevent plateaus
The main variation lies in how you sequence these activities. If you’re new to exercise or returning after a long break, Robbins’ phased approach of building an aerobic base first may help you avoid burnout and injury. Otherwise, Gupta and Lieberman suggest mixing all three types throughout your routine, with the exact balance varying based on your individual needs and goals.
Explore Further
We drew the ideas in this article from three books. Check out our comprehensive guides to these books to supplement your exercise planning the authors’ advice for how much exercise you should aim for and how to motivate yourself to work out:
- Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
- Exercised by Daniel Lieberman
- Keep Sharp by Sanjay Gupta
