WHY change your workout routine?

Posts: 33,304
3/1/12 1:12 P

Increasing intensity, resistance, incline etc is more than sufficient "changing it up" for your body.

Just ensure that you challenge yourself. If you like to run then run. That's fine. But make sure that your running isn't the same distance at the same speed for 3 months on end. That's not progress. That's not getting fitter and stronger. That's not challenging yourself.

And yes, you probably would burn a few more calories if you chose to do something else now and then, as you'll become slightly more efficient at running. But not so many that it's worth not running if running is your thing, or that you *have* to do other things if you find routine much easier to deal with.

Just ensure you're always challenging yourself and you'll be getting "enough" of a workout.

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3/1/12 12:42 P

If you never change your routine, your body will get very, very good at it, and consequently, will stop growing, losing weight, and changing. Basically, repetitive workouts make your body very efficient and performing those motions, so you burn less.

By changing it up, you challenge your muscles, and body, and keep your overall momentum moving forward.

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3/1/12 12:40 P

Bad memory- a workout diary is useful
1. date
2. exercise
3. what I did
4. when I advanced
5. how did I feel
6. saw something else I liked while watching the muscle boys work it..

This data can be used to keep track of what you did- and if the structure of a workout is fine I can change out exercises to keep my program interesting..

Thumbing back I can also see how long I have been doing the same old same old before progressing onto a heavier weight or trying something new to make headway.. I also like Fredrik Delaviers workout books- he colour codes his exercises and I can mix my workouts up look where he reckons exercises differ from each other..

I never realised chest press only does the middle region of the chest- to hit top and bottom incline and decline are also great to rotate in to my main frame workout.. There are a few exercises also you youtube.com that don't get used much anymore- but are still very good and relevant to keep a workout up-to-date stuff..





Edited by: REDSHOES2011 at: 3/1/2012 (12:45)

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3/1/12 12:27 P

I'm a creature of habit and due to a bad memory I like to really keep things simple and routine. It really doesn't bother me doing things like that and for the most part it works for me. Others I've noticed have a tough time doing the same thing from one day to the next and love variety. So I've always looked at this as a different strokes for different folks. But I am realizing that I am only half right. I think there is truly a happy median and actually a need for changing up ones routine. One doesn't need to change drastically or even on a regular basis, but due to our bodies memories and such, we do need to change up some and from time to time to continue to reap the max benefits.