How long has it been since you seen an improvement in you physique and physical ability? Is your strength training program getting boring? Are the results that you once had starting to wane? If your answer to all of these questions is 'yes' then you have fallen into what is known as the weight training rut (also known as the
fitness rut). The weight training rut or
fitness rut not only happens to people who are in strength training programs but to everyone who trains for other reasons such as weight loss, muscle gain and improved speed. People fall into this rut by doing the same old exercises week-in and week-out and too much of the same exercise can actually work against a person's goal to achieve effective physical conditioning rather than work for him or her. "The key to successful training lies in varying the training stimuli," says William J. Kraemer, PhD, professor of applied physiology at the Pennsylvania State University's Laboratory for Sports Medicine.
One way to vary training stimuli is through a process called periodization, which is the most effective way to add variety to your workouts. Periodization is when you make systematic changes to your training regimen at regular intervals of at least three to four weeks. What are the advantages of periodization and how can it help you achieve maximum effort? By regularly changing or even switching your strength workouts on a three-four week interval you are helping yourself avoid plateaus. A plateau typically is the direct consequence of a fitness rut - when an exerciser performs the same workout over and over. The human body is very efficient and quickly adapts to work. Once the body practices the same activity repeatedly, it grows more proficient at performing those moves. So that means it requires less energy and therefore also burns fewer calories.
Periodization of your workout regimen also helps prevent injuries by letting other muscles rest, heal and recuperate. By doing the same old exercises you are then wearing out the muscles that you are working hard to strengthen. This over-usage of the muscle in time will actually weaken the muscle making injuries that much more prevalent. As well, with periodization of your fitness regimen, you will be able to make greater gains in strength power, muscular size and endurance, and even athletic performance. Do you ever wonder why when you first started working out you saw great gains in your physical ability and strength? It is because of the introduction of a new exercise or a new stimulus that gets the muscles going and reacting faster.
There are ways to achieve and maintain overall strength and with a little self discipline and determination you can be well on your way to attaining maximum strength. Here are 7 tips or rules to live by to achieved your goals in the gym.
a) List Goals
By listing your goals and being specific on what you want to achieve, and when, you are making yourself a roadmap to what you need to do to achieve those goals. Goals need not only be looking at where you want to be 1 month, 3 months or even a year from now. A goal can be as simple as what you want to accomplish tomorrow; how many meals, how many glasses of water, or making sure that you will put in maximum effort in the gym. All the little goals that you will be accomplishing day in and day out will eventually accumulate to make up the big goal that you have set for yourself. You can have as many goals as you want so long as they are simple, specific and realistic.
b) Know Your Limitations
A lot of people in the gym always think that they are stronger than they actually are. Is this to feed their ego or is it merely an act of the sub-conscious? Who knows? But we do know this, trying to do too much too soon always leads to injuries. Whenever you begin a new or altered program your strength capacity changes, for example; chest exercise: at the beginning of every exercise you always do the bench press, since you're fresh you can lift more but if you were to change and do bench press last you will not be able to do as much. So always be aware of how much gas you have left in the tank and that it is better to concentrate on proper form than on how much weight you are trying to lift.
c) Variety in Exercise
Having a variety of exercises that you can incorporate in your program every three to four weeks will help you achieve maximum effectiveness. The muscle groups to be trained (based on your goals) should determine the type of exercises you perform.
d) Change of Order
Sometimes you need to put in a little twist into your workout to get the excitement and the blood flowing again. Having knowledge in a variety of different exercises is one way, but changing how your current workout plan is set up can also do the trick. All you have to do is mix it up a little bit by doing the exercises that you usually do last first and the exercises that you usually do first last. If you want to put in a different feel, try changing the number of sets from six to 25 reps depending on how heavy a workout you're going for.
e) R and R
Rest and Relaxation cannot be stressed enough. The body does not build muscle and gain strength during your workout. It does so during your time of rest when it has time to heal. Recovery time is when your body makes the adaptations needed to support further physical development. The body should at least get eight to nine hours of sleep a night to fully recover. In between sets, rest time is usually falls around the one to three minute mark. However, the length of your rest periods should be based on your training goals. Short rest periods (less than a minute) are normally used when the goal is to build local muscular endurance; long rest periods (more than three minutes) are used when the primary goal is to increase strength and power.
f) Self Evaluation
By keeping a log of everything that you are doing in relation to you eating and workout habits it will be a lot easier for you to look back and see just how much you have accomplished. You can also monitor your physical results by taking before and after pictures every three to four weeks because it is easier to compare pictures to see the changes. Evaluating yourself can also be a great motivator when you want see the fruits of you labor.
g) Desire and Purpose
There are going to be days when you think you will not be able to squeeze in a workout because of the weather, if you are ill, or you are hurting, etc... By going back to your goals and reminding yourself of what all this hard work is for and by looking at your before and after pictures you should have no problem keeping that fire burning deep within you to finish what you have started. Give Purpose to Every Workout. The more carefully you plan your weight training program, the more meaningful, exciting and effective each session will be
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