changing it up

X

xander

0
Hi all,

I know I need to change my routine to avoid plateus, but i am scared of the confusion that may ensue if I change it too much (I am recording everything I do and sticking to a strict plan).

By example: Suppose I want to do bench press, 4 sets of 8 reps twice per week with 1 minute rest between sets.

What factors should I change to avoid sticking - i.e. will making the bench press 3 sets of 12 one week in four be sufficient, or would i need to scrap the benchpress and switch to cables, then switch back again?

I want the transitions to be simple and organised, like bench press 4x8 for 4 weeks, then flies 3x12 for 2 weeks. i dont want to walk into the gym and hit a plateau and have to make it up on the spot every week, like doing different chest exercises every week. i need some sort of planned, organised cycle that will acheive the same results as 4x8 bench press but break up the routine a bit.

hope you understand my problem, I couldnt get it across in words very well!

cheers
 
Xander by no means i am i an expert but as i understand it the way it works is the muscles need to be shocked otherwise like you said they plateu, however i think the level of change is inconsequencial. I have been doing fairly different exercises for a couple of months although they have mainly been the same i change the amount of reps and weights once a week and also the order in which i work the different muscle groups. for example if doing upper sets and ab......start doing sit ups and crounches one day and when i find it easy starting off that way change to bicep curls to begin with and sit ups last. also maybe try alternating days between upper and lower workouts? like i said i am by no means an expert on the subject and please someone tell me if i am wrong but just making sure my body doesnt settle into a routine seems to work for me. Best of luck i know its not a lot of help but hey. good luck man.
 
Thanks.

I am quite an experienced lifter, but I was wondering if anyone knows how much each change would affect it?

Would simply changing the order help? My instinct says no. Perhaps changing the number of sets and reps is sufficient, or the rest time, or maybe changing the exercise altogether.

Also what do people think of a cycle like doing exercise 1 for 2 weeks, then exercise 2 for 2 weeks, then back to exercise 1 again. Do you think an indefinite cycle like that would fight off a plateau, or would you have to have even more change than that...like 3 or 4 different exercises in a cycle.

My point is, i dont want to be changng around so much that all the planning is lost and each workout is a made up on the spot mish mash of different exercises every week. I like routine!
 
i learned a lot from this post. one thing i learned was eat more. since i have started eating more, i have broken through all my plateaus. but is because ive been eating more, or have i just become stronger?

HoLLa BaCk
Nick
 
BuffinUp said:
i learned a lot from this post. one thing i learned was eat more. since i have started eating more, i have broken through all my plateaus. but is because ive been eating more, or have i just become stronger?

HoLLa BaCk
Nick
Click to expand...

sorry im a little confused.

what post did you learn a lot from?

there are many factors which can cause plateaus...food is one of them but I am working on that. I am now concerned about repeition and breaking up the routine. I havent hit a plateau yet on this, but I might do as my muscles arent getting as sore after the same workout, soemone suggested to em this might be due to me adapting and therefore I need to change it up a bit.
 
Xander,

I don't know if I would recommend changing exercises up every 1-2 weeks. Most likely a minimum of 3 weeks.

In terms of plateauing. Bear in mind, sometimes you have to take two steps back to move one step forward. I.e.

Week 1: 5 sets of 5 reps
Week 2: 3 sets of 10 reps
Week 3: 2 sets of 20 reps
Week 4: 5 sets of 5

etc, and repeat.

If you change the order of exercises up that will influence your progress as well. Workouts in the beginning of the week are usually more productive than workouts on Friday or Saturday. Also, the first one or two exercises you do usually get the most benefit and the greatest intensity or effort.
 
I have the exactly same problem as xander. I'm afraid I will plateau so Im changing it up by using this template. I have started using it this week so I'm not getting any results yet. but ill tell you if this is working or not. This is the template im using... 2 day split workout .......
 
just like xander, im afraid of confusion. I am keeping a log and going by it. Im afraid if I change it up I would get confused and lose track of how much im advancing in my workouts. Hopefully the template that Im using will solve my problems. Should I switch it up every week or every 2 weeks.???
 
You can switch up every workout. For example using chest do:
1. flat bench 5x5 (strength)
2. incline bench 4x12 (endurance)
3. flat bench 2x8, flyes 2x12, pec deck 2x12 (assistance exercises)
4. incline dumbell 5x8 (strength)
5. ...
If you are keeping written records it should not be hard to look back a couple of pages in your log book to see what you did last time you did that set and rep scheme. After 30 years or so of pumping iron I find that kind of continuous rotation fights boredom as well as plateaus.
 
dswithers,

I don't understand your post. You mean every chest workout (so lets say once per week) change the exercise and reps?

I typically recommend to my students/clients that changing it up every 3 weeks minimum with a maximum of 12 weeks. Also, use it until it doesn't work...
 
As long as you are constantly overloading the muscle you will stimulate growth. The whole point is to prevent plateaus, not wait for them to happen and then change something. And plateaus are not just physical, they can be psychological as well. Constantly changing your routine can prevent boredom as well and psychological staleness.
 
But what if you are constantly overloading the muscle with a different stimulus? ie. day 1 is 20 reps of flies, day 2 is 5 reps of bench, etc.

While a training adaptation will occur, how easy will it be to monitor that adaptation if a new or different exercise is performed each week or half-week?
 
Ok. This is what ive made from the replies so far:

Keep 3 differnt routines for each bodypart up my sleeve. Do routine 1 for 3/4 weeks (4 weeks would probably be easier), then switch to routine 2 for 4 weeks, then do routine 3 for 4 weeks, then back to routine 1 and start the cycle again.

Even though you are essentially still repeating the cycle over and over the fact that every 4 weeks is a different stimulus should prevent plateaus. Do you agree?

example for chest:

Routine 1: Flat bench press superset with dumbell flies
Routine 2: incline bench press superset with cable crosovers
Routine 3: decline bench press and dumbell flat bench press
 
This would also be easy to keep track of -I would stick a note in the front of my diary listing the 3 different routines. then on each workout day i could write the rioutine number at the top and record my reps, sets, rest, and weight for each exercise in that routine.
 
what i do is train one cycle for 8 weeks, then take a short break, make changes and go another 8 weeks.

changes in set/rep schemes (5X5, 3X6, 4X8, etc), exercise selection and even different grip and foot stances.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top