For first time strength trainers, adding weights to a workout routine can provide impressive results on your body and on the scale. But it takes regular updates to ensure your training routine keeps your muscles guessing and not coasting on autopilot. Doing the same moves week after week for six months won’t generate the visible results we need to see to stay motivated. So before you grab the nearest bag of cookies to console yourself, consider these suggestions from the experts at Life Fitness on updating your strength routine and energizing your workout:
- Play around with reps and weight: The number of reps is one of the first variables your body gets used to. Try increasing the amount of repetitions to 15 with a lighter weight for a few weeks. The next few weeks after a warm-up try lowering the number of reps using a heavier weight to the point of muscle exhaustion.
- Don’t be afraid to increase the weight: Attention women: just because you increase the weight you’re lifting doesn’t mean you’ll be muscle bound. A new, heavier weight-lifting routine can be just what your body needs to bust through its strength-training plateau.
- Change the exercises you do: If chest press is the only exercise you do to work that muscle area, try switching it up by adding new moves like a chest fly or exercises using a dual adjustable pulley that incorporates functional fitness.
- Go unstable: If you have been standing on solid ground or sitting, you might try getting unstable - physically, not mentally of course! Standing or sitting on a balance ball while doing a shoulder press or bicep curl will make your body work harder to hold its stability.
- Get Help: It’s possible to create your own progressive routines, but a personal trainer can be just what some of us need to get the results we want. If a regular trainer isn’t in the budget, try a fitness Web site like www.virtualtrainer.lifefitness.com for recommendations on how to tune–up and vary your cardio routine.
For first time strength trainers, adding weights to a workout routine can provide impressive results on your body and on the scale. But it takes regular updates to ensure your training routine keeps your muscles guessing and not coasting on autopilot. Doing the same moves week after week for six months won
