If you exercise regularly, but have stopped seeing improvements, you may want to change your routine.
Remember when you started exercising regularly? The first several workouts were tough, you lost your breath, you felt hungrier than ever, and your muscles ached for days afterwards. But soon, you started sleeping better and losing weight. Your muscle tone improved, and you felt great.
Then after several months, your fitness routine became easier. You weren't so breathless each time, and sometimes you didn't even feel sore the next day. You saw fewer results, and by now, you may even be bored with your routine.
What's going on?
You've hit an exercise plateau, and it's time to change your workout. Peter Holmes, exercise physiologist and Vice President of Davol Fitness and Spa in Providence, Rhode Island, says, "Exercise forces 'adaptations' on the body as it tries to meet the demands of the stress you put on it." Muscles, bones, tendons, and ligaments all grow stronger. Lung capacity, circulation, balance, and flexibility improve. These improvements take place until your body can handle your workout, notes Holmes.
Amhal Harik, co-owner of Method Fitness in Providence, agrees. "Change is an essential part of any fitness program," says Harik. "However, that doesn't mean you have to micromanage your workout." Trainers like Holmes and Harik work with clients all the time to avoid or break through plateaus. Even slight variations in your fitness routine can make a big difference. Whether you vary your current program or start a whole new one, there are lots of ways to do this. Here is what Holmes and Harik recommend to their clients.
To vary a cardio workout, try any of these suggestions:
- Increase the length of the workout and decrease the intensity (how hard you're working).
- Increase the intensity of the workout and decrease its length.
- Increase the number of days per week you exercise.
- Introduce a new form of aerobic activity. For example, if you bike, start running. If you swim, try rowing.
To vary a strength training program, try any of these suggestions:
- Increase resistance/weight, and perform your usual number of repetitions.
- Decrease the resistance/weight, and do more repetitions.
- Perform each exercise more slowly than usual. For example, take five to 10 seconds to curl a dumbbell.
- Do the same exercises, using a different technique. For example, if you usually use weight machines, use free weights or try a different type of machine instead.
- If you usually circuit train—go directly from one machine to the next with no breaks in between—take one-minute breaks between sets instead.
- Or do the reverse—if you usually take breaks between sets, try circuit training.
- Change your pattern. For example, if you usually run first and then weight train, weight train first and then run.
- Try a new form of resistance training. If you use weights, try Pilates. If you use bands, try free weights.
- You can also try interval training by interrupting your usual running pace with sprints. You should vary your fitness program at least every four to six weeks. But to maximize your efforts, and keep yourself motivated, try to do something different each time you work out.
