Avoiding Workout Boredom
We all get to that point at some time or another when our workouts just aren't doing it for us. Week after week with the same routines and we find our strength gains or our weight loss progress is at a standstill. Yet we can't bring ourselves to break out from our comfortable workouts. That's the problem! If your workouts have become too comfortable and no longer challenging, it's time to make a change.
I know I have been guilty of going to my favorite block of training too often. Before too long I feel like Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day", stuck in the same workouts week after week with no way out. So why do I fall into my own personal "groundhog day". Like most people, for me, time is a precious commodity. If I change things up with my training I have to rework my schedule and many times that just isn't possible. Between work, writing, websites, kids, and training clients my schedule gets very tight every day. With my favorite training block I know exactly how long each workout will take and I can fit them into my schedule for the week. Also, the exercises have become second nature. I don't even have to think about doing them. The problem is, there are days when I end up just going through the motions and not getting the most out of my time in the gym. I get in and out and I check off my workout for the day.
So why is it important to keep variety in your training program? What are the risks of doing the same workout or workouts week after week? Here are two of the most prevalent problems with sticking to your workout status quo.
Boredom. If your workouts become too boring, will you really continue to do them week in and week out? For me, I can always tell when it's time for a change when I start to dread doing a workout. This is especially true when I have steady-state cardio like the elliptical or the treadmill scheduled into my program. The single-most important ingredient to a successful training program is participation. If you don't get your butt in the gym you can't improve your health. Don't let a boring, unchanging training program keep you from reaching your fitness goals.
Plateaus. Repeating the same exercises with the same intensity and same volume will cause muscles to adapt. Many times you will see very little gains when you first start a new exercise or program. Your body is learning the movement and like anything else you will get better at performing the movement the more you do it. After the movement is learned then you start to see more gains in strength. Eventually though, many of us plateau we continue with the same movements over an extended period of time. Changing up the volume, intensity, or frequency of workouts can help to break through plateaus. While exercise shouldn't be painful, taking yourself out of your comfort zone may be what's needed to reach the next level of fitness.
How do we go about changing up our training programs? There are several ways you can tweak your favorite training routine to alleviate boredom and avoid plateaus.
Training Volume. Training volume is the amount of work you perform during a workout (Sets x Reps x Weight). Varying the amount of sets, reps, or weight from time to time can help stimulate muscle growth by working different types of muscle fibers. Don't be afraid to take a week and go heavy. There's always a sense of accomplishment in seeing how much weight you can lift. And if you aren't trying to gain muscle mass don't worry, you're not going to get huge because you challenge yourself with higher weights.
Training Intensity. Varying intensity is as simple as increasing or decreasing the amount of rest between sets. With heavier weights and lower reps, rest time is generally greater and with lighter weights and more reps rest time is generally less. Try keeping track of the time your workout takes and try to improve that time, especially when lifting lighter weights.