ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.

COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

DIY STRENGTH TRAINING

Get strong to fight PCOS!

Full Program Guide:
This Guide is my simple, straight forward recipe for -
how to create a strength training program for
yourself. This is as close to a one-size-fits-all
formula as I could create.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

Warm Up
Start With Mobility Exercises
Mobility exercises are repetitive movements designed to
increase range of motion and flexibility in a specific joint.

A good warm up includes mobility exercises that target:

• the shoulders
• upper back
• hips
• ankles

For most of people, the thoracic spine (upper back), shoulders

and hips tend to be areas that have deficient range of motion.

Thus, in preparation for exercise, I like to perform some

movements that help restore the range in these joints.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

Warm Up
You can find some good mobility exercises here on my blog!

My 5 Go-To Mobility Exercises

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Big 5 Moves

The Basics:
Most strength workouts can be broken down
into 5 basic exercises:

• Squat or knee dominant pattern

• Deadlift or hip dominant pattern
• Upper body pushing, like a pushup
• Upper body pulling, like a row
• Core exercise, like a plank

Admittedly, this is an over simplification, but for the purposes of

outlining a basic strength training program it should do just fine.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Big 5 Moves

Knee Dominant
Knee dominant exercises require extending the knee
and hip joints while you press into the ground.

Note: the most common knee dominant movement is standing

up from a seated position.

Common knee dominant exercises:

• Squats
• Lunges
• Step ups

Knee dominant movement patterns can be performed Bilaterally

(on two legs like a squat) or Unilaterally (on one leg like single
leg squats).

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Big 5 Moves

Hip Dominant
Hip dominant movements involve extending through
the hip joint with minimal extension from the knee.

Common hip dominant exercises

• Deadlifts
• Hip thrusts
• Single legged deadlifts
• Hip bridges
• Kettlebell swings

This movement pattern can be preformed bilaterally (deadlifts and

hip bridges) or as a unilateral movement (single leg deadlifts and
some lunges fall into this category). In both the case of knee and
hip dominant exercises, it is important to incorporate single leg
and two legged exercise in your training.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Big 5 Moves

Upper Body Pushing
These exercises involve pushing an outside weight
away from you or pressing your own body weight
away from a fixed point.

Common pushing exercises:

• Push ups
• Bench press
• Overhead presses
• Chest flys

Upper body pulling can be done horizontally (a row), or

vertically (a lat pull down), so you should try to include pulling
exercises that work in both planes.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Big 5 Moves

Upper Body Pulling
These exercises involve either pulling a weight toward
you or pulling your own weight toward a fixed object.

Common pulling exercises:

• Upright cable rows
• Bent over dumbbell rows
• Chin ups
• Lat pull downs

Upper body pulling can be done horizontally (a row), or vertically

(a lat pull down), so you should try to include pulling exercises that
work in both planes.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Big 5 Moves

Core Exercises
There are two basic types of core exercises,
dynamic core work and static core work.

Common Static Core Exercises

• Planks
• Side planks
• Anti-rotational holds

Common Static Core Exercises

• Paloff press
• Wood choppers
• MountainClimbers

The muscles of your core are designed to twist and

bend your torso (dynamic movement) and hold your torso
in place when outside forces act upon you (i.e. a heavy

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

Vanity Work
Vanity Work
If you’re itching to get cut biceps and triceps or if you
are dreaming of chiseled abs and defined calves,
this is the point in your workout where you can throw
in a couple sets that will target your vanity project.

Just don’t over do it.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

Cool Down
Cool Down
Once your heart rate has lowered it is time to stretch.
You may need to “walk it off” for a couple minutes so
that your breathing is steady and you feel relaxed.

Important:
Don’t skip the cool down stretches.
You are not bulletproof.
If pro athletes stretch after workouts, then so should you!

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Plan

Scheduling
• You should have an A day and a B day program to
prevent boredom and cover all your major movements.
• You can alternate between the 2 different workouts.
• Select different exercises for each day’s program
(remember to get in horizontal and vertical upper body
pushes & pulls and also include both single-leg lower
body work along with bilateral exercises like the squat).
• Take at least 24-48 hours off between workouts.
• I find that most trainees see the best results when they
do a strength workout 3-4 times a week.
• In order to keep seeing results, you need to change
your exercise program about every 6-8 weeks.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Plan

Scheduling

DAY A DAY B

Vertical Push Exercise Horizontal Push Exercise

Bilateral Knee Dominate Exercise Unilateral Knee Dominate Exercise

Vertical Pull Exercise Horizontal Pull Exercise

Unilateral Hip Domanant Exerecise Biilateral Hip Domanant Exerecise

Static Core Exercise Dynamic Core Exercise

Extra Vanity Exercise for Arms Extra Vanity Exercise for Abs

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Plan
Sets and Reps
There is no single set and rep scheme that is going to
change your world. The topic of sets and reps could be an
article or guide unto itself, but let’s keep this simple!

For most trainees the set up I have below will be a good

scheme to start using. Be sure to select a truly challenging
weight for each exercise. The last rep of any set should be
tough to complete with good form, but not impossible.

Recommended Set and Rep Schemes:

Beginners:
• 2 sets of 12-15 repetitions of each exercise.
• Rest between sets.
Intermediate/Advanced:
• 3-4 sets of 8-10 repetitions of each exercise.
• Rest between sets.
Advanced Scheme for those looking to get strong:
• 4-5 sets of 3-6 reps at a weight that is very
challenging.

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ERIKAVOLKFITNESS.COM DIY STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDE

The Plan

Sets and Reps

ABILITY
SETS REPS WEIGHT
LEVEL

Beginners 2 12-15 Challenging

Intermediate 3 8-10 Challenging

Advanced 4-5 5 Very Challenging

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Looking for More?

Visit My Site:
erikavolkfitness.com

for lots of info and articles on living

a healthy, PCOS-friendly lifestyle.

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