If you’re like me, you’ve probably overheard a conversation or two about switching up your workout routine. Yeah, I thought this was a pretty crazy idea too, but to my surprise I have seen the benefits and am here to tell you it really does work. I’d like to go over three main reasons why mixing up your routine will help you in the long run, and also some methods you can use to go
about changing things up, workout wise!
First off, lets get the honest and obvious reason out of the way. Working out can get tedious and frankly sometimes even boring. A great way to fight against these feelings of repetition is to break your mold. Going to the gym and doing the same exercises every week will eventually lose its appeal and just getting there will become a chore. To solve this issue try something new! This might mean trying some different exercises on chest day, or maybe picking an alternate running route to see some new scenery. We all get bored, don’t feel bad, just realize small changes in a routine can promote growth and bring excitement in a very positive way.
Now that we are interested in our fitness again and excited to pursue new things, let us explore the biggest benefit to switching up your regiment. This is seen when one hits a plateau and they notice they are no longer progressing towards their fitness goals. The reason for this is because doing the same workout on a regular basis gives your body too much of a chance to grow accustomed to the activity you are putting it through. In other words, your body is saying its onto your games and will stop responding physically the way you want it to. This is a problem, leading us towards losing motivation and gaining frustration. You are putting in all sorts of work but the results have stopped. Let’s put an end to this and show our bodies who’s boss! During your next workout start with something totally different, something you wouldn’t normally do. Perhaps this means pushing up to a heavier weight or more reps, but also planning out a different set of exercises to target a particular body part. This will shock the muscles and force them to grow. Progressively overloading the muscles gives them no choice but to get stronger. Of course, always remember to research and approach any new exercise knowledgeably. If your aim isn’t in the weight room and you are reaching a point with running or cycling where you feel you aren’t improving. . . you guessed it. . . switch it up! Perhaps try some swimming or twice a week, maybe even some boxing. These new movements and activities can bring benefits to your endurance, flexibility, and performance that you can take back to your running or cycling to break through to the next level!
There are dozens of reasons why it is an awesome idea to change up the game when it comes to the gym, but lastly lets discuss a fun one. Doing something new always brings the pathway to excitement with it. The thought of being your best you, meeting new people, achieving goals you’ve always dreamed of, all start with change. We can lay the foundation for these things by committing to doing whatever it takes to get where we are going, and that means being prepared to make adjustments, you never know just what these changes will lead to!
The Madison Sports Injury Clinic is ready to help push your workouts to new levels. We encourage athletes and anybody who partakes in sports, exercise and self care to be aware of not only maintaining physical health but overall body maintenance. The Madison Clinic offers physiotherapy, naturopathic medicine, kinesiology, massage therapy, chiropractic, treatment and rehabilitation of motor vehicle accidents, WSIB, compression stockings and custom made orthotics. We cater to help your body before and after workouts with our team of enthusiastic practitioners. The Madison Clinic is conveniently located in North York at the corner of Yonge and Sheppard and it takes only minutes by walk from the TTC Sheppard-Yonge subway station.