I often getclients coming in who have been exercising with machine circuit training andare frustrated with the lack of results. What happens too often is we repeat the same exercise routine for aparticular body part or muscle group until the muscles adapt. As a rule of thumb, I always change myexercise routine every month to keep it progressive and making gains. Every once in a while I will do a “special”workout. I’ll do all my favoriteexercises and not the ones I’ve designed into a specific fitness trainingprogram. I do this because it isbeneficial to mix up exercises and equipment on occasion. If you keep repeating the same things andhave done so over time, you have done a good job at maintaining your fitnesslevel and muscles. You certainly havenot challenged them and will not get them to make any gains. Even if you exercise for maintenance, I stillrecommend changing up your exercise routine.
Another way to vary your fitness routine is by changing from exercise machinesto free weights / dumbbells or visa versa. For cardio exercise, move from the treadmill to the stepper, ellipticalor bike. With cardio workouts, I like intervaltraining because it does just that, it varies the workout each time. Instead of always walking on the treadmill atthe same speed and incline or grade, change up your speed and increase yourgrade. This will keep your exercisedynamic and prevent boredom. Moreimportantly it will challenge your muscles, heart, and lunges to work atdifferent levels.
There are many ways to change your exercise routine. Be creative. Try creating a simple six-week training cycle in which you alternatebetween heavy, medium and light training sessions for each body part. Each time you try a heavy day, push yourlimit, leaving your medium and light days for building tendon and ligamentstrength as well as muscle endurance. Atthe end of your six-week cycle, take 2 – 4 days off and allow your body torest. This prevents overtraining andwill help your body with improved performance when you start up again. The cycling approach will be particularlyeffective for preventing injuries to muscle groups and connective tissue downthe road.
Your goal will determine the number of reps you typically use. Different numbers of reps serve differentpurposes. First, know what your goalsare in your training. What are youtrying to accomplish? The standards areas follows: for strength train at 6 to 8 reps; endurance at 15 to 20 reps;toning at 10 to 15 reps; mass and size 6 to 20 reps.
There are also other factors to training in addition to reps. The number of sets is how many times you dothe exercise with rest in between. Intensity is the level of difficulty in performing the exercise usuallystated in a percentage of a 1 to 10 rep maximum. Rest, is the amount of time you wait until youdo another set. All of these factors arecontrolled variables in an exercise program. Knowing your fitness goals will help you or your trainer determine whatthe best mix is for you in designing your exercise program. For more information and tips on exercise, goto http://www.easyexercisetips.com
