All rights reserved. To use our trainers' articles, you must
include the authors' names and show
www.aftacertification.com
under their names.
"Understanding the
Importance of Varying Your Routine"
Throughout my personal life of
exercise, and my career as a trainer, I have talked to numerous
individuals about joint soreness and pains. One person once told me,
"I don't know what is wrong with my elbow. It just started hurting
and I have done nothing different to my workout. I can't figure it
out!" With that statement he explained what was causing his
troubles. After speaking with him, I discovered that he had been
performing the same biceps exercise for nearly five months. The only
thing that he had changed was the intensity.
Performing the same repetitious
range of motion for a prolonged period of time can cause, in some
instances, extreme pain and discomfort. I didn't just learn this from
others. Early in my training I found out for myself!
The amount of sets, reps, and
exercises that you perform during any given training session will
all depend on your own personal goals. However, it would be very
smart to integrate new exercises into your program every 3 - 5
weeks. For instance, if your biceps workout includes preacher curls,
hammer curls, and pull-ups, try to change it up next time to
concentration curls, cable curls, and standing alternating curls.
You will still be targeting your biceps, but slightly hitting them
differently.
Another important reason to
vary your routine is for strength and growth. If I have been
training with basically the same exercises and I am not noticing any
improvements, I will change my routine. After a period of time
your muscles will adapt to the stress that is placed on them,
resulting in a stop in growth. When you vary your workout with
different exercises and resistance, you will force your muscles to
react to the new stress that is being imposed on them; in turn,
stimulating the muscles for new growth.