It's important to vary your workouts occasionally and do a complete
reevaluation every 4-6 weeks if you want to keep moving towards your
fitness goals. This periodic change in training programs provides the
stimulus required to keep your body from adapting to your usual
routine. Adaptation leads to plateaus in results.
Some of us, however, change too often, flipping back and forth
between different routines every week. Often this is because we want
instant results and our current program doesn't provide them. We
immediately change to the latest exciting exercise program we just
heard or read about.
Changing routines too often can lead to diminished results. You
need to give your workout plan a chance by sticking to it for 3-4
weeks. It takes this long for your body to physiologically respond to
that particular training stimulus. Switching programs before 3 weeks
won't allow you to fully benefit from your workouts and makes it very
difficult to evaluate progress.
During those 3-4 weeks you need to track your results daily.
Record your training program, what you eat and take body measurements.
Tracking progress is one of the most important success factors in
fitness. Studies have clearly shown that people who take the time to
track their progress have greater success rates than those who don't.
Finally, if you don't keep a written log it will be impossible to
decide whether your program is working and what changes need to be made.
When making changes modify only a few variables at a time. You
want to stimulate your physiological system not shock it. Drastic
changes could diminish your overall results and also make you more
prone to injury.
If you give your program 3-4 weeks and have a little patience
you'll be on the right track. Keep a record of the three basic
components (training, nutrition and results) and you'll easily put
together a road map to fitness success.
Dr. Lanny Schaffer is an Exercise Physiologist and the President of The
International Fitness Academy. For more cutting edge fitness
information go to http://www.aerobic-exercise-coach.com
