Changing your daily workout routine is a necessity if you want to continue seeing results and avoid a plateau in your fitness efforts. However, that is often easier said than done as it can be difficult to know what to do; especially when working out is often an accomplishment in and of itself!
Getting fit might seem overwhelming and monotonous at times but if you follow the two simple rules we have outlined below, you will start to see quicker results – leading to increased motivation and enjoyment with your workout routine.
Rule #1: CONSISTENCY
Being consistently inconsistent is not what we are talking about here :).
To reach your fitness goals consistency is paramount – are you showing up? And how often? Now, based on your fitness goals consistency might look different for you than for someone else (3 days a week v.s. 5 or 6 days a week) and of course something might derail you for a day or two or possibly a week. But, having a true and steadfast commitment to your health and goals getting back into your flow should not be a problem – especially if that consistency has developed into a habit! Check out our e-course The Ultimate Habit Builder to learn how to create lasting lifestyle change.
Consistency is paramount for two reasons. 1. We are habitual beings 2. The body can only meet the demands being placed on it.
After about a week the health benefits you gained from consistent exercise start to decrease and the more time you take off the more likely you are to struggle with motivation and muscular and cardiovascular endurance along with an increased risk of injury!
Rule #2: Variety
I am going to go out on a limb and guess that you do not eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single day for months on end. While you may have a few favorites and “repeat” meals it is important to have a variety of foods to get all the necessary nutrients. This same logic applies to workouts. A few things are likely to happen when you repeat the same workout every time you go to the gym:
- Plateau: our bodies are designed to adapt quickly to stimulus.
- Injury: doing the same exercise time and again often leads to overuse injury (e.g. tendonitis)
- Muscle Imbalances: There are different planes of the body and different ways to work & challenge each muscle group.
Keep the above in mind as you give the workout below a try!
Hopefully this workout challenges you and shakes up your workout a bit. Take note of what is difficult and what is easy: Are you struggling with strength but finding the cardio demand easy? Or are the cardio demands making it difficult to get through the full pyramid set? This might be a helpful indication of where you can add more variety to your workout and increase your overall fitness!
Make sure you are using proper form for each exercise and stop and rest if you cannot maintain form. The great thing about intervals is you can always increase the pace/intensity to make this more difficult and push YOUR fitness level. If you need modifications for these exercises feel free to contact us.
