Variation is The Key

They say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. With exercise this statement is no different.

Have you ever hit a plateau with your training? One moment you are motivated and the next you couldn’t be bothered? Seeing those goals you set months ago slowly drift away. You may have been suffering from a lack of variation in your training regime. Our minds like routine, consistency and set courses of action with training, however our bodies need so much more. When doing the same style of exercise day in, day out, week in, week out your body doesn’t get the different muscles fibre stimulation or cardiovascular stimulation it needs to make progress.

The key is to ensure you are doing a range of exercise styles to ensure your body gets a great overall workout and the best results possible. This level of variation also prevents you from going stale and getting bored with your current workout routine.

If your regime is running based:

• Aim to change the distance or duration of your run
• Change the starting point of your run
• Change the intensity and add intervals to your run
• Perform a sprint session to activate your muscles and lungs differently
• Find a hill to mix up your session and aim to do 6-8 hill sprints over 60 metres

If your regime is more gym based:

• Change the amounts of sets or repetitions of each exercise
• Change the exercises you perform in the gym, or work your routine in reverse
• Reduce your recovery time to activate more muscle fibres
• Take your gym routine outdoors to a local park or your backyard

If you are into general fitness, health and well being:

• Change the weekend sport that you play
• Go for a ride instead of a swim or vice versa
• Enrol in a touch football, basketball, netball or soccer competition

Ensure you enjoy a wide and varied style of routine, too much of one type of exercise can potentially lead to injury so ensure you are mixing it up as much as possible. This will not only challenge your body differently, but keep you fresh and reaching those goals you have set.

Happy training.

-Lukas