Why change your exercise routine? Maintaining variety prevents boredom and delays plateaus. Becoming efficient with your workouts can be a double-edge sword. On one hand, it means you are progressing and getting better. However, on the other hand your body can become too comfortable with your workout routine, which can prevent fitness improvements.
Studies have shown that adding variety to an exercise program can improve adherence. Researchers found that individuals who modified their workouts every two weeks over an eight-week period were reported to enjoy their workouts more and were more inclined to stick with their exercise programs. Varying your exercise programs can also help with staying physically challenged. Many of the body’s physiological system adapts to an exercise program within approximately six to eight weeks. Therefore, not modifying your exercise routine, can result in a plateau. Your body has adapted the repetitive training stimulus. Adaptation means that you will burn fewer calories even when you are doing the same amount of exercise. The solution is to continuously challenge your body in a way that it is not accustomed to. Your body will have to work harder as it adjusts to the new activity, which means that you will burn more calories when you work out.
Regularly changing your workout routine is the key to challenging yourself and keeping your body guessing.
Resource:
Importance of Exercise Routine Variety | ACE Blog (acefitness.org)
Why you need to vary your workout routine – Fit Planet (lesmills.com)
7 Reasons to Switch Up Your Workout | One Medical
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