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Change Your Workout Routines Regularly?

The Key To Fast Results...

Or here's a better question...

How OFTEN do you change up your exercise routines? Every 2 months? 6 months? year? never?

Did you know that in order to see continuous progress in your training that you have to change up your training regiment at the very latest, every two months?

To burn fat, you need to change your routine every 4 to 8 weeks.

To build muscle, you need to cycle (aka Periodization Principle) your workouts every 4 to 8 weeks only AFTER you've been training for six  months. When you're first starting out weight training, the body goes through a lot of neuromuscular changes, therefore, you don't need to change up your routines very much. You also need time to learn and execute proper exercise technique, this takes time.

So why should you constantly change your workout routines? Because your body is extremely adaptive!

An exercise routine will only work for a short period of time before your body adapts and progress stops (this is known as the Principle of Variation). Changing to a new training regimen that your body isn't accustomed to is the only way to prevent stagnation.

In short, professional bodybuilding legend and certified fitness trainer Milso Sarcev said it the best:



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How Quickly Does The Body Adapt?

Do you remember how sore you were the morning after you tried a new sport or new exercise?

I can vividly remember the first time my tennis coach made me run "suicide lines" I almost passed out (damn I hate those!) - the next morning I could barely walk! The next time I had us do them, I wasn't even half as sore the next morning. That's how quickly the human body adapts - amazing!

What's happening here is that when you perform a routine or exercise that your body has not performed before, it triggers your body's survival mechanism and adapts to the new stimulus. 

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Cardiovascular Adaptation (Important to know for weight loss...)

The body adapts to cardiovascular training by becoming more energy-efficient. This is good if you're an athlete, but bad if you're trying to lose weight.

I had a friend come to me frustrated because even though she had spent the past six months running on the treadmill five times a week, and is following a very strict diet, she hadn't lost the last ten pounds. Keep in mind that she's been working out and dieting religiously for 3 years.

I told her it was obvious: her body had adapted to her workout routine.

Her body had become so energy-efficient at that activity that she was actually burning less calories than when she first started running on the treadmill (again, this is good for athletes and bad for fat loss). I told her that she wasn't allowed to go within five feet of a treadmill for the next 6 months. I suggested that she change her cardio routine every two weeks.

Here is the two month weight loss plan I made for her:

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Sample Weight Loss Plan

Week 1 to 2 - Swimming

Week 3 to 4 - Jump Rope

Week 5 to 6 - Plyometrics

Week 7 to 8 - Sprints

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Notice how frequently the exercises are changed up. She lost four pounds in two months with the workout plan.

So the important less is to always change things up. You can't workout on autopilot and get the body of your dreams.

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Adaptation to Resistance Training

Your body adapts to resistance training by getting stronger. Perhaps you have been doing resistance training four times a week, but don't see much muscle development. 

Why is this you may ask yourself?

Assuming your diet, intensity, and technique are good, the answer again points back to the frequency in which you change your workouts. At this point it's obvious that your body has adapted to the routine and it's on maintenance mode. If you perform the same weightlifting routine with the same intensity and volume, your body will fully adapted after the fourth workout. All you're really doing after the fourth or fifth workout is maintenance. Your body has reached a plateau.

I hope by this point you really understand how critical it is to keep things fresh in your fitness regiment. 

The whole concept of this website is based on this concept of always changing it up, and keeping your body guessing. Use this website as your resource for new workout routines. Come back to the site every 4 to 8 weeks and try a completely new routine.

I promise you, if you're diligent about trying new workouts, you'll see dramatic improvements in your body and you'll be happy with the results.

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