Change It Up

30/30/30 Challenge
Swim 11
Bike 3
Run 30+

Last week was a nice reminder of why it's good to change up your workout routine every now and then.

I was running on a trail and passed an outdoor workout area with a pull-up bar, so decided to do a quick routine: 5 => 1 => 5 pyramid set of pull-ups with dead lifts in between.  Looking around for something to dead lift, all I found was some small rocks, about 3kg each.  The weight was really low, so I decided to do 12 reps with each set (i.e. 10 sets x 12 reps).

little outdoor workout area with pull-up bar

During the workout, it felt like nothing, but the next day and the next and the next, you better believe I felt it.  I've been doing dead lifts at higher weights in the gym, but the number of reps and sets was a total change.

Moral of the story, change up your workout!  Just like medicine, your body builds up a tolerance and ability to handle the same exercises.  After a while, your marginal improvement is very little or nothing at all.

For my strength and conditioning work, I like to change the routine about every 15 weeks.  For me, this is enough time to see improvement, and it's about the time I start to get bored with a routine.

Most of my workouts come from the sites below or just watching what personal trainers do with their clients at the gym.  My 15 weeks is up in about 2 weeks and it's time to change.  If it's been a while for you, think about mixing it up.

Triathlete.com
Runnersworld.com
MensHealth.com