Maybe you know it’s time for a change in your exercise routine because your body”s not looking the way you hoped it would, or you’re not getting mental satisfaction from your workouts. But even if you’ve achieved the results you’ve aimed for, it still may be time for a change in your exercise schedule.
Indicators for When to Change an Exercise Routine
Good results disappear
Your body or part of the body you’ve been working on seems to have reached its maximum potential in positive looks, strength and flexibility. Furthermore, if you do the same exercises several times a week or several times a month for general fitness, the benefits will probably plateau after four to six weeks.
Exercising isn’t pleasant anymore
You don’t look forward to going to the gym or exercising at home. You skip sessions or cut them short.
Workouts are boring
The mind and the body work together. Your most rewarding routines keep you interested in fitness, and a challenging program can improve your body.
Injury hampers workouts
Getting hurt can prevent you from following your regular training schedule. Of course, there’s nothing wrong with exercising leaving you a little achy, but if you don’t recover in a day or two, perhaps you’re pushing yourself too hard. Overtraining can lead to injury, poor performance and a high resting heart rates.
Modifications are a preventative to overtraining
Take three to seven days off from exercising every eight to 10 weeks. Not changing your routine after many weeks can be the cause of injuries such as bursitis or tendonitis. After all, you’ve done the same exercises repeatedly for a long time.
Maybe you’re fearful about making a change to your exercise routine. Without question, the decision to alter workouts may be tough because you aren’t sure whether the switch will give you a better body or a better mindset.
If your current fitness program is tough for you, you may wonder if you can manage a workout with new components. There’s nothing wrong with questioning whether you’re making the right decision.Try taking the leap. You don’t have to change everything. You can start with small steps, and change can be good.
How to Change Workout Routines?
You don’t always have to make big changes to your workout routine to add variety to it. Small changes can really help. Three ways to alter your fitness routine include changing the duration, the frequency and the intensity of your exercises.
Adding Interval Training
One suggestion is to replace half of your weekly workouts with interval training, which requires working out alternating periods of low intensity with those of high intensity.
For instance, if you’re a walker, walk or run for two minutes, then jog or sprint for two minutes. Continue this cycle for the length of your workout. For an easier routine, make your intervalsthree minutes. For a more difficult one make them one minute.
In another example, swimming with intervals could be swimming at your usual pace forfourlaps followed by swimming quickly forfour laps.Repeat this cycle for the rest of your session. Make this workout easier by increasing the number of laps to six or make it more difficult by reducing the laps to two.
Remember that if you adopt interval training, you can reduce the time you usually exercise. Your previous one hour workout could be reduced to 30 minutes. Refrain from exercise one or two days weekly in order to give your muscles time to recover.
Increasing the Intensity of Cardio Exercises
Aside from interval training, which increases the intensity of an activity, another pathway to a more intense cardio activity is to increase the resistance on a stationary bike or to increase the incline on a treadmill. When walking, increase the resistance by wearing a vest with weights.
Hiking, biking, jogging, handball, basketball, soccer, running, walking and swimming really affect the lower body. Increase the intensity of a cardio workout by adding an exercise for the upper body. If you use machines, try one for rowing or cross-country skiing.
Or, simply swing your arms when on a stair stepper rather than using the rails to hold on. Also add intensity to a cardio workout by incorporating power moves such as squat jumps, long jumps, side-to-side jumps and jumps from a grounded position.
Modifying a Strength-Training Routine
If you lift weights, change your workouts by altering the way you train or how you lift weights. For instance, you can do two exercises that target the same muscle group with no rest between the exercises. Then repeat that superset one or two more times. Movements for a superset include deadlifts/hamstring curls; push ups/chest presses; and squats/leg extensions.
When your focus is lifting heavy weights, pyramid training may be your ticket to amping up intensity. One way to do this with chest presses, for example, is to increase the weight you lift while decreasing the reps, over, perhaps, three sets. So, for the first set, lift 15 pounds for 12 reps; for the second set, lift 20 pounds for 10 reps; and for the third set, lift 25 pounds for eight reps. You can also do the reverse and decrease weight and increase reps.
Choosing a New Activity
If interval training doesn’t interest you, switch half of your workout routine to a new activity. If you usually swim, try biking. If you’re a cyclist, lift those weights or take a break from strength training to try yoga. A yoga lover? Switch to hiking.
For people whose favorite activity is walking, try jogging. Switch out pilates forweight lifting. Another simple way to change a workout is to practice five minutes of a new exercise each week.
If you feel your exercises are too easy, add one day of cardio so your body will burn more calories. With so many exercises and activities to choose from, you shouldn’t feel stuck in any kind of rut that will hold you back from improving your body and mind.
If you’re beginning an exercise routine, it’s probably okay to stick with it until you achieve the results you want. However, once you begin to see good results, few athletic trainers will advise anyone to stick with the same exercises beyond 12 to 16 weeks.
At the very least, small changes in your routine will be called for. Freedom from injury and the improvement of your body and mind are at stake.
