Change It Up!

Working full time at a gym, you can be sure that I see some crazy things going on there such as really bad technique & form and women making up some exercises that are much too dangerous for them to be doing. However, more and more frequently I see the same of this....women doing the same thing every single day for weeks and even months! Whether it's doing cardio on the elliptical for 60 minutes straight at the same incline/resistance or doing the same leg routine every week - these women are doing the same thing over and over again, expecting to see changes in their physiques.

I wanted to take the time to write about the importance of changing it up at the gym. You cannot expect to go to the gym every day and do the same thing...this includes both lifting and cardio. If you are new to the gym and working out, you may want to play it safe and stick with 1 piece of cardio equipment like the elliptical until you feel more comfortable to try something new. That is fine. However, switch up your intensity 1 day...maybe you'll start with 20-30 minutes of a steady state pace. When you're in your groove, switch it up with intervals - maybe 1 minute at a higher resistance then 1 minute at a lower resistance and keep alternating.

You see, our bodies adapt quickly to whatever you throw its way, its part of the "survival" game. In order to beat hitting plateaus or getting stuck in a rut, you need to constantly keep challenging your body, keep it guessing as to what you'll be doing next in the gym. With this type of approach, you'll be sure to keep your progress moving forward and most importantly, you won't get bored at the gym!!!

In a week, try to do something different for each cardio workout - you want to try to not do the same thing in 1 week. Here are some ideas for doing cardio 5 days a week:

Elliptical
Treadmill
Stepmill (revolving staircase)
Jump Rope
Arc Trainer

Now the key with cardio machines is to try not to do the same thing/pace/resistance/incline for the whole time you're on the machine. Try to switch it up with intervals. So if you're on the treadmill, try jogging 1 minute, running 1 minute, sprinting 1 minute then recovering with a walk for 1 minute...keep doing that and you'll be sure to burn extra calories! With the jump rope, light skip for 1 minute, then hop for 1 minute then go all out for 1 minute. You could even lay the jump rope on the floor and hop side to side or front and back over it to switch it up.

Next time you go in the gym and start heading for your favorite cardio machine, steer away and head somewhere new. Just try it out! You may find your next favorite thing to incorporate into your future workouts.

Keep switching it up people and enjoy the benefits!