- 10 Ways To Keep Your Strength
Workout Fresh And Effective
- By Lynn Bode
Let's face it. Even the most
devoted exercisers can get bored doing the same workouts week
after week. And, if the mind is getting bored you can bet that
the body is probably too, which means it isn't being challenged
as much as it should.
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But, with the many, many training
options to utilize, being bored should not even be an option.
This is especially true when it comes to strength training. Variety
with resistance training is practically endless - from different
pieces of equipment, training techniques, sequences and more.
Below are 10 ways to change up
your strength workout to ensure your body is optimally challenged
and that boredom is kept at bay.
1) Change your exercises. It's easy to get comfortable
doing the exercises you are most familiar with but it's important
to try new ones. And, there are so many different exercises to
try you could easily try new exercises every week for an entire
year!
2) Try different equipment. Don't get in the exercise
machine rut. Try exercises using dumbbells, resistance bands,
fitness ball, and others. |
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3) Try circuit training. This method requires you
perform a series of exercise moves one right after the other
with little to no rest between the exercises.
4) Alter the order of exercises. Simply changing
which exercise you do first, last and in the middle can have
big results on the effectiveness of your routine.
5) Change the intensity. If you normally push yourself
to lift weights that fatigue you quickly (less than 8 reps),
try lowering the weight size and simultaneously increasing the
number of reps.
6) Try a super set program. This type of workout
technique has you perform several sets of two for agonist and
antagonist muscles (opposing muscles). An example of this would
be leg curls followed by leg extensions.
7) Alter the speed of your training technique. A
typical exercise might require 8 seconds to perform a rep. To
change that up you may try 15 seconds per exercise.
8) Change your workout frequency. Try increasing
from 2 to 3 days per week or instead decreasing the number of
weekly workouts you perform.
9) Don't ignore rest and recovery time. Sometimes
you'll want to keep your rest time between sets to a minimum
and other times you may want it to be as much as 1-2 minutes.
Also, some weeks you may want to allow for several days of recovery
between workout sessions and others may only need 48 hours.
10) Ask for help. To push yourself to your potential,
you may want to occasionally try the assisted training technique.
This requires you have a spotter who assists you to perform an
additional 2-4 reps when you think you have reached your limit. |
