My wife relentlessly works out the last few years. She started with simple walking, then moved on to jogging outdoors, then running on a treadmill, and now has progressed on to weights & exercise videos. For awhile though, she was strictly a walking/running enthusiast. She was not interested in any other kind of workout. But eventually she realized she needed to do more.
The reason is because her body had adapted to her regular exercise routine. It had gotten used to the running, so doing it four times a week was no longer a work out, it was a habit. When my wife finally started to explore other workouts, she began to see amazing results in her body. Her muscles started to take shape all through her arms and legs. She was sore for the first time in a long time but it paid off in her figure.
The reason she started to see success is because of the change up. A lot of us get into a routine with our workouts. We have the same weekly plan we have been doing for months on end. When you first started the workout, I’m sure you noticed some nice results. However, as time moves on, the results became less and less noticeable. This is because the human body is quite resilient.
The human body adapts to almost any situation for survival. If you begin running 2 miles every day, eventually running two miles will not do anything for your body. It will be used to the routine. This can play an important part in planning out your workouts. It is important to change up the routine so your body never gets used to the workout. This will help you get the most results out of each workout.
In jiu jitsu, wrestling, and swimming, for example, you never get the same exact workout. That is because it is impossible. When you wrestle or do jiu jitsu, you never know where the match will go because every match is different. Therefore, in each separate match you stress different sets of muscles. In swimming, the water is always moving differently so each stroke, especially for beginners like me, is slightly different than the last. Also, all of these activities incorporate the entire body, which also helps increase variety.
I am not big on weight training (although I love Kettle Bells), but even that requires a change up. Instead of doing the same bicep exercise, you switch it up by using different bars, grips, and ranges of motion. Working out is all about pushing yourself little by little. Each time you push further, your body thanks you for it shortly afterwards. Only changing up your workout will give you the extraordinary results you desire. I recommend changing up your routine at least every 4-6 weeks. The benefits will begin to show immediately.
Just ask my gorgeous wife.
