Variety the spice of a fit life

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/09/2014 (4037 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

‘We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we’re curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths’

— Walt Disney

 

A great statement and as true for exercises in the gym as it is for innovative children’s movies and adrenaline-pumping activities such as skydiving. As personal trainers, curiosity by clients constantly challenges us to keep their routines fresh and interesting by providing new exercises and variations.

Variety is healthy and necessary, but unfortunately, curiosity sometimes shifts our focus to finding boredom-beating new exercises rather than paying attention to the other training variables that — when tinkered with properly — can be the difference between success and failure. It doesn’t always have to be about new exercises. It can be a new way of performing or arranging those exercises. Our fitness routines also need routine, and a certain amount of consistency, in order to cause improvement. Whether your goal is fitness or physique, don’t let fickleness be your downfall; instead, tweak these variables to get the most out of your training time.

Workout organization:

Most gym-goers use the ‘straight sets’ method of training, which is simple and effective, but can get boring over time. Three sets of 10, two sets of 15, finish that exercise, move on to the next. Instead, try to add variety to simple exercises; speak with a trainer about implementing other organization methods such as:

• Circuit sets: rotating through a certain number of various, whole-body exercises (such as push-ups, squats, etc.) with little or no rest in between.

•Drop sets: involve performing an exercise until exhaustion with a given amount of weight, and then immediately doing the same exercise with less weight, again until exhaustion. This can be repeated several times.

•Super-sets: are usually mini-circuits of two to three exercises performed back to back with no rest. They can be arranged as upper/lower, push/pull, agonist/antagonist, power/mobility — the list goes on and on.

•Pyramid sets: involve changing the number of repetitions and also the corresponding weight, and doing so in a pyramidal fashion. For example, doing five sets of eight, 10, 12, 10, eight reps — and changing the weight accordingly.

This list is my no means exhaustive. There are plenty of weird, proven or unproven ways to shake things up.

Add some resistance:

As discussed in my last article, many people are afraid of adding more weight to exercises for a variety different reasons. Women fear they will swell up and adorn massive muscled chests and thighs, while the elderly are afraid of injury and often remain at a weight that doesn’t challenge them adequately. Safety is paramount when adding resistance, but the truth is, many can benefit from this variable. Tendons get stronger, muscles atrophy in the aging population is offset, and it can be very psychologically rewarding to lift a lot of weight (safely).

Change the speed:

Doesn’t necessarily involve doing an exercise as fast as you can, but rather suggests you can safely accelerate through part of a movement to challenge yourself differently. Developing power is again an effective training principle for many, including the injured and elderly, assuming they are implemented properly. Consider standing up from a chair and compare it to jumping as high as you can; both involve the same movement, with the difference being how fast your muscles are recruited and therefore contract. There are many ways (other than jumping) to introduce power into your workout routine; any exercise can effectively have a power component tied into it.

Switch the type of resistance:

If you are used to using machines and dumbbells, switch a few workouts to include cables and/or resistance bands, medicine balls, kettle bells, or sandbags. These tools will change the way you lift an implement. Using other devices such as battle ropes, landmines, which have one end of a barbell anchored to the ground, or suspension trainers can also provide a different way to recruit muscle groups. Keep in mind that these specialty items are most effectively used under the supervision of someone who can explain why they are effective. While they provide variation, no one tool will be the answer to your fitness goals.

 

If your curiosity for new exercises has exceeded your YouTube appetite, you have probably enlisted the help of a trainer. Rather than asking for 100 new exercises, ask them how to safely implement some of the strategies we have discussed and you will be able to challenge yourself with workout variations far longer than you will care to workout. We emphasize safety, because there is undoubtedly more inherent risk when adapting these variables.

 

Tim Shantz is a certified athletic therapist and personal trainer. He can be reached at tim@mordenphysiotherapy.ca.