Variety is the Spice of Life

Get out of your workout slump with improved exercise variety and improve the structure of your workouts in new, fun ways.

It is easy to get caught up in doing the same mundane tasks day in and day out. The same is true for exercise. You have finally established a consistent exercise routine and you have been seeing great results from it. However, things are getting old. You find yourself getting bored with the same exercises, the same amount of reps, the same amount of sets, and the same amount of rest. You want to switch things up a bit but you are scared that you won’t see the same results with a different workout structure. So what do you do?

We are here to say, get over that fear. It is actually advantageous for your body to be subjected to a new form of stimuli when you are wanting to see new results. Your body responds most effectively to a stimulus that is novel. What does that mean, though?

Rep Ranges

That means, if you have been training in the same rep range for 6 weeks now, it may be time to change the rep scheme a bit. For example, if you were in a 6 week program that included exercises being performed for 8-12 reps, then your body has most likely adapted to performing 8-12 reps and no longer needs to adapt to perform that rep range. Without having to change a whole lot in the program, you could simply change the rep scheme. Try performing 12-15 reps on your exercises or 1-5 reps. This would create a novel stimulus for your body to have to overcome, leading to new results and more progress in your training.

Weight/Resistance

Another way to mix up your training is to change the weight of your exercises. This goes hand-in-hand with changing your reps since it is unlikely that you can increase your rep range without having to decrease the weight you are lifting. Likewise, if you are decreasing your reps then you can increase the amount of weight you lift for that exercise. The number of reps and the weight you are lifting typically have an inverse relationship. The more reps you do, typically the lighter the load should be. The less reps you do, the heavier the load can be.

Volume

Changing the overall volume of your program can be beneficial as well. Volume is described as Reps x Sets x Weight. So, if you are used to doing 10 reps for 3 sets at 10lbs then your overall volume for that exercise is 300. A simple way to change up your routine is to change one of these metrics or all of them. For example, you could simply add an extra set to increase the volume to 400. This would create just enough of a new stimulus to cause your body to adapt and see new progress.

Tempo

How fast are you moving through your exercises? Is each rep performed at the highest speed possible just because you want to rush through the workout? Well, that could also be hurting your progress. Try mixing up the tempo. Every exercise has a concentric, eccentric, and isometric portion of the movement. Generally, the concentric movement is the portion of the rep in which force is exerted against gravity. This is the “push” portion in a pushup. The eccentric movement is the portion of the rep that acts with gravity. This is the “lowering” portion in a pushup. The isometric portion is the part of the rep during which there is a static muscle contraction and no movement takes place. This is the “pause” at the bottom and top of a push up.

Play with different amounts of time it takes to perform each portion of the movement. Try slowing down the eccentric portion of the movement and speeding up the concentric portion of the movement and pausing for a couple of seconds during the isometric portion of the movement. You will definitely feel the difference!

Rest Period

Try challenging your recovery time in between each set. If you are used to resting 90 seconds in between each set then challenge your stamina a bit by dropping your rest time down to 60 seconds. If you are used to shorter rest periods then increase your time in between sets and notice how much better you are able to perform your exercise!

Exercise Selection

Last but not least is exercise selection. Vary the exercises you are doing by exploring alternatives. If you are used to doing barbell squats for your leg training, mix it up by trying a trap bar deadlift. If you are used to doing crunches for your abdominal training, shake things up by doing plank variations instead.

Give one or multiple of these variations a try in your next workout program. Your body and your progress will thank you for the increased variety in your workouts.

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