How do you know when it is time to switch things up in your workout routine?
Changing up your workout routine can make all the difference in reaching your goals. The muscles and the heart (which is also a muscle) are adaptive tissues. This means that they have the ability to grow stronger and become more efficient at a given task when it is repeated often enough. If you aren’t seeing changes in your body or reaching your goals it may be time to switch things up
When the body adapts to a particular exercise or movement you’ll find that you begin to see a slow down in the results you saw when you first started the routine. Here are some signs to tell if it is time to shake up your routine… And how!
Your workout becomes too easy.
If you can get through your sets and repetitions without nearly as much effort as you used to it is probably time to increase the weight. How much weight will depend on your goals but in general the last 3 reps should be difficult to complete.
You are getting bored:
No on likes to do something that is boring. You are never likely to give each workout your all or even get to the gym if you are tired of it. Find something new that will renew your interest and excitement to get to the gym. Taking a new class, trying new types of equipment or hiring a trainer to show you some new moves are great ways to add variety that will keep you interested in getting that workout done!
You are getting injured frequently:
If you are doing the same exercises or cardio workouts all the time you might be subjecting yourself to overuse injuries. You can still get great results by doing a different variety of the exercise in your routine.(Ie switching from a forward lunge to a reverse lunge)
You are not getting your heart rate up:
When you have become efficient at an exercise the heart does not have to work as hard to get the same job done and you will not be getting the same benefits from the exercise. This is the time to increase your speed on the treadmill, add an increased incline on the bike or make your bodyweight moves more challenging by increasing the speed, adding some resistance or using larger or multiple muscle groups with each exercise .
You are not sore:
When your muscles are sore this is a sign that your tore down the muscle fibers just enough to cause them to have to repair and get stronger. If you find that you are doing the same routine, the same number of repetitions and the same amount of weight you will find that you no longer get that feeling of soreness you got when your first started. This is because you have already adapted to the stresses you placed on the body and not asked any more of it. At this point you can:
- Change up the type of equipment you use (ie. change from bodyweight to dumbbell exercises),
- Change up the intensity of the exercises (ie. perform a harder version of the exercise as in changing from a knee push up to a full push up),
- Increase the resistance using more weight or adding an incline to your cardio workout,
- Change the type of movements you do. You may notice that you have been working in the forward / backward plane of motion. Add lateral and rotational movements to your plan
You aren’t seeing any changes:
Sometimes we get dedicated to a workout routine that we forget to notice that our body or fitness level isn’t actually changing. When this happens it is time to choose a new goal and find a plan that will help you get there. You can always return to that routine at a later date when it is time to shake things up again. Keep in mind that we do have to give our bodies time to adjust to a new workout to see changes so if you are changing it up too often you may not see the results you want either
You are noticing strength imbalances
is one that is often overlooked. People tend to think that they just have one side that is stronger than the other and that is just the way they are. While this can definitely be the case you can change up your workout by incorporating single limb exercises (ir one arm overhead press). When you focus on one arm or leg at a time you are not only allowing your weaker side to catch up while not allowing the stronger side to take over but you are incorporating the core as you try to balance that offset weight.
Take a look at your current workout routine and see if any of these changes will make a difference.
If you need help designing a plan for use in your own gym or would like to join us here at Missi Balison Fitness fill out an application and we’ll chat to see if we are a fit! Click the image below to head to the application page
