Adding New Exercises

It’s really easy to get in a rut when it comes to working out. You can do the same workouts over and over each week, and it makes it really easy to know what you’ll be doing each day. You don’t have to try to figure out exactly how your workout is going to go, or what new movements you want to incorporate into your routine.

The downside to not adding new routines is that your body will get very used to the movements that you’re doing, and you’ll stop seeing much improvement at all in your body and towards whatever goals you have. Furthermore, you may get bored doing the exact same thing every single day.

You should make sure that you’re regularly adding new exercises to your workout routine, and moving on from previous movements. This will allow you to make better progress towards your goal, and it will keep your body from being conditioned to your standard routine.

In order to add new exercises, you’re going to need to spend a bit more time planning your workouts. You won’t have to spend tons of time everyday, but once every couple of months, you need to take a good look at your routine, and figure out if there’s something that you can swap out to improve.

For weightlifting, you should generally keep your core lifts as part of your workout routine - don’t stop squats, chest press, shoulder press, deadlifts. Continue to incorporate those as your primary lifts, and focus your routine around them. However, you should focus on changing your ancillary exercises. Instead of doing lunges, mix it up with some bulgarian squats. Rather than doing dumbbell flys, switch to doing a wide pushup or bench press exercise. You should plan what exercises you will swap in and out, and then figure out which order you’ll be doing your routine in. Mixing up both will help you to progress further.

For cardio (bike, running, etc.) it’s generally a little easier to mix your workout routine up. You’ll still need to involve some planning, but it should hopefully be a little easier. As an example, for running, switch up the route that you run. Rather than running the same route every single day, run different routes each week. Be sure to incorporate some hills (no fun, I know), and be sure to include some flatter terrain. Mix it up with longer runs, and with shorter runs. You want to get your body used to not having a regular routine - it will allow you to progress faster. If you feel like you're getting tired of the same cardio, swap in a different type of cardio. If that's biking or otherwise, try to keep yourself engaged in your workout routine.

Adding new routines, and mixing up your workouts is critical to making progress. While it will require a little bit of time, it will also allow you to progress further than you would otherwise. Don't be afraid to change your workouts up, even if it means a little temporary pain in your body - it will be good for you.