Changing up your training routines
For those who have been weight training for a while and start to get bored, or find themselves hitting a plateau, it’s worth considering changing up your training.
Now, hear me out. I’m not saying just head to the gym and do whatever exercises you feel like whenever you like. An underlying rule of training is that consistency is king.
Five main movements must always be included:
Push
Pull
Squat
Hinge
Overhead Press
All good plans will revolve around these pillars of strength, and add accessory exercises to complete each workout (for example tricep dips, calf raises, hip thrusts etc). Accepting this limitation, here are just a few ways to change up your routines.
Repetition ranges
The basic concept is that:
1-6 reps are for maximum strength gain
8-12 reps are for hypertrophy (building larger muscles)
12-15+ reps are for muscular endurance (think athletics where you need stamina for longer bouts of muscle use)
Whilst this is a rather simplistic view of the differences, it works as a concept for training. The truth of the matter is that all of these ranges will produce a hypertrophic effect if you train to similar levels of fatigue.
So you can train in your sweet spot one session and endurance the next, and then perhaps add a strength session every other week to go heavy and see if your overall strength has changed.
Supersets
The concept is that you pick two opposing body parts (for example biceps and triceps) then you perform a set for each muscle with no rest in between (think bicep curl and tricep dips). This is quite challenging and also speeds up your sessions by reducing time between sets.
Supersets (agonist)
This is a tougher option where you work the same muscle group twice with no rest (for example tricep extension and tricep dips, or squats and lunges). It can be pretty tough so adjust your weight load accordingly.
Tri-sets
This advanced version uses three different muscle groups for three exercises with no rest in between.
German volume training
If you’ve hit a plateau, this may help you move forward. Pick the challenging exercise and reduce the weight to just below your maximum. Perform ten sets of ten repetitions with as minimal rest as you can.
Tempo training
Most people work at a 2:2 tempo, meaning lowering the weight over two seconds and raising it over two seconds. However, these numbers can be adjusted - for example, lift the weight quickly over 1 second, pause and squeeze for 1 second, then lower over 2 seconds.
You can even add seconds to add a challenge: lift for 2 seconds, pause for 2 seconds, lower for 1 second etc.
Equipment change
A pull is basically a pull - you can perform a row with dumbbells, barbells, machines or cables (slight variations can target more of the same muscle area by changing the angle and grip slightly).
A barbell squat, machine squat, goblet squat, etc, perform basically the same function and can help mix things up whilst staying consistent with working those body parts.
In Conclusion…
Whilst all of these are great options, don’t keep chopping and changing whenever you fancy. You have to follow a plan for a period of time to see real growth - commonly 6/8/12 weeks to really smash it before shaking things up.
New stimulus is a great way to keep those muscle fibres being challenged. But too often and it will harm your results. If you need guidance reach out to a trainer for advice, or feel free to contact me if you have any questions
