Same Old Workout Syndrome

There’s a certain trend I have observed in the gym over the course of years. The biggest pitfall for most people may be sticking to the same workout routine long after it’s outlived its usefulness. For some it’s a lack of imagination that keeps them doing the same basics in the same order. For others, a kind of inertia takes over, so they robotically do the same exercises for the same reps with the same weights, giving their muscles no new stress to adapt to. If you’re making continuous progress on a routine, you can stick with it. If you’re not, change it now.

So what shall you do about it? Quite often the problem is a lack of knowledge. Learn more exercises, and find what works for you! Get some help from a professional to make sure your form is correct. You’ll be surprised by all the variations different exercises may have.

Try the different machines in your gym. Sometimes just subtle differences in things like the placement of pulleys and hinges can make a big difference in how two similar machines work your muscles.

It’s not just exercise selection you can alter. A good idea would be to push up the intensity by increasing the number of sets per exercise, working in different rep ranges, changing exercise order or the workout order of your training split. Plus all the intensity booster techniques you can use – supersets, drop sets, rest pause, negatives etc.

Also make sure you mix it up when it comes to cardio. Do some HIIT, skipping, boxing and martial arts, dance or just use all the different machines in your gym. Reading a magazine on the recumbent bike or staying on the treadmill for extended periods most likely won’t bring you the desired physique.