The Importance of Adding Variety to Your Bodybuilding Routines
You can follow the same workout every week, and you’ll get some great gains to start with, but eventually your body will get used to this.
At some point you need to shock your system. This doesn’t mean you need to completely overhaul your workout routine, but experiment with new exercises, learn what feels good to you, and most of all, keep your body guessing.
By changing up your routine, even the order of exercises, you’ll notice that you’re continually feeling sore the next day, and getting the most out of each workout.
Also try playing around with the days in which you do certain muscle groups, just try to keep in mind that in a week you should be doing your large muscle groups (chest and lats) before the small ones (biceps and triceps).
Changing your training routine is the best and quickest way to get off a plateau. The potential variations are endless. Don’t be one of those guys who does only barbell bench presses and barbell curls—always in the same order. Look around the gym. Be creative.
Other good changeups include the following:
- Change your technique. Lift fast and lower slowly. Then switch to slow lifting and slow lowering. Then to fast lifting and fast lowering.
- Change your mechanics. For example, use your legs (when appropriate) for added power. Then quit using your legs for more isolation.
- Change body-part groupings. Work your chest and back on the same days. Later, combine chest, shoulder, and triceps workouts.
- Change the exercise order. Start with a bench press followed by flies. Then reverse the order.
- Change the order of muscle groups. Do chest workouts followed by back workouts. Then start with back workouts and follow with chest exercises.
- Change rep and set numbers.
- Change the amount of rest between sets—anywhere from 30 seconds to 3 minutes.
- Change equipment. Stick to free weights for a while. Then switch to machines.
