Sample Fitness Schedule

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
One	Strength	High-Intensity Endurance Agility	Strength	Low-Intensity Endurance	Strength
Two	Low-Intensity Endurance	Strength	High-Intensity Endurance Agility	Strength	Low-Intensity Endurance
Three	Strength	Low-Intensity Endurance	Strength	High-Intensity Endurance Agility	Strength
Four	High-Intensity Endurance Agility	Strength	Low-Intensity Endurance	Strength	High-Intensity Endurance Agility
To improve your low-intensity endurance, you should exercise at about 60-75% of your perceived maximal effort for beginners and gradually increase effort as you adapt to the duration of activity. Optimal duration for safely improving aerobic fitness is 20 to 30 continuous minutes 2 or 3 times per week. To improve your high-intensity endurance, do climbing, cycling, swimming, or running sprints (intervals) for 30 seconds and rest (slow down or walk - this is called "relative rest") for 90 seconds. Over several weeks, gradually increase the sprint repetitions from 5 to 10. When you have reached 10 repetitions then decrease your relative rest time to 60 seconds once or twice a week. Improve your muscular strength and endurance by performing 2 or 3 sets of 8 - 12 repetitions (do fewer repetitions with more resistance for strength, more repetitions with less resistance for endurance) to temporary muscle failure 2 or 3 times a week. Improve your agility by performing agility drills once or twice a week. (See the U.S. Army's Physical Fitness School's website for standardized unit training information).

This four-week schedule repeats.

Source: Where is Your Fitness Program Taking You?; PR 36-04; December 6, 2004; PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE, U.S. ARMY CENTER FOR HEALTH PROMOTION AND PREVENTIVE MEDICINE, ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MARYLAND 21010-5403; For more information, call 410-436-2088/800-222-9698/FAX 410-436-4784