Routine is the Enemy

ROUTINE IS THE ENEMY

Stuck in a workout rut? Bored of the same old exercises and machines? Maybe you are but you just don't realize it.

If you go to the gym and do the same routine, day after day, week after week, or even month after month, your program may be suffering.

When you do the same exact workout every time, you're basically just going through the motions, i.e.-killing time. If you are not getting bored, your body is anyway. And your results are likely to either be much delayed or suffer. Your muscles and body are going to get used to what you're doing everyday and adapt, thus making them think that's normal for everyday living. In order for muscles to grow, they need to experience change. It doesn't matter if your goal is to get bigger, define your muscles, or slim down, variety is key, and routine is the enemy.

In rare (admitted) cases, one may read this and say, "Well I have been doing the same routine everyday for 15 years and I never get bored and still achieve the results I want."

Perhaps that is true for you, every individual is different, but ask yourself this, "Have I really experienced a major change in my body over these last 15 years? Have I been able to get rid of these last ten pounds, or put up that extra plate on the squat? Have I really taken my body to the next level of fitness? Maybe I can bench 300 pounds but can I complete a boot camp class? Did it take you those 15 years to achieve your results? Do you really want to delay your results for that long?

One may say, "Yes I do the same thing every time I come in and I am much stronger at that exercise than when I first started, so how have I not made any progress?" I do not doubt this is true for a minute. But let me explain my point.

Let's make a John Doe example.

John Doe has been working out at so and so gym for 20 years. John has done the same exact workout routine every time he has come into so and so gym for 20 years. His workout consists of a chest press, a squat, and a back row. Every workout he does 3 sets of 10 of each exercise, and over the years he has been able to increase the weight on his exercises considerably. Has he gotten stronger? Sure. He has gotten stronger at those exercises. He has gotten better at a skill.

John Doe has not necessarily taken his physical fitness level up a notch. And I'd be willing to bet he looks pretty much the same way he did when he first started. Maybe he's a little bigger, maybe he's not. Either way, his "same thing every workout approach" is hampering his progress with his own physical fitness. The body plateaus when you do the same thing all the time, it doesn't think what it's doing is different anymore, so it is not going to change.

Why not change John's bench press to an incline dumbbell press? Change the back row to a pull-up? Why not make the workout more efficient and calorie shredding by supersetting the chest press with the squat? Why not play around with the rep scheme? Instead of doing 3 sets of 10, try 4 sets, one of 5, one of 8, one of 12, and one of 20? How about just two super slow sets? Another nice alternative for resistance-training exercises involves changing the sequence in which you perform the training exercises. By fatiguing the muscles in a new order or pattern, you are requiring them to adapt to a new training stimulus.

Kicking it up a notch does not have to mean just adding more weight; it could mean a variety of things. Change your workout. Make your body more equipped to handle more things physically, in and out of the gym. There are literally thousands of ways to mix up your workout.

The bottom line is if you're bored in the gym, your body is too. If you can't get that last ten pounds off, you may need to play with the intensity on your treadmill jogs. If you can't get that extra plate or two up on your barbell bench press, you may need to take a break from it and try dumbbells for a while, just to shock your muscles. When our muscles are shocked, they change and become stronger.

Other benefits of keeping variety in your workout are that you are less susceptible to injury, you can become a better athlete, and the mainly, as stressed earlier, you can avoid boredom. When we're bored we are less likely to workout.

Keep in mind that doing the exact same workout, day after day is not necessarily a bad thing. Some people enjoy a predictable, consistent routine. They don't mind the possibility of experiencing a training plateau and are content to maintain their health and fitness levels with a comfortable exercise habit. However, many individuals need to push themselves to new levels and try different activities to stay enthusiastic and excited about their workouts. Many individuals want to reach their peak physical condition and get in better shape, not stay in the same shape. By varying their exercise routines, individuals can not only stay physically challenged, but mentally stimulated as well.

Another bottom line is, if you do what you always do, you'll get what you've always gotten.

Again, variety is key, routine is the enemy.