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Tips For Varying Your Strength Training Routine

by Mae Ferguson

If your current strength training routine feels like watching paint dry or you believe you could gain more benefits from adding variety, it is time to be creative in your approach. Fortunately there are seemingly infinite ways to vary your strength training routine and keep workouts interesting.

Go Slow

Super slow strength training is a strategy to change your current routine. To perform this variation, you simply use a current exercise, such as bicep curls, and perform them slowly. The goal is to take longer to raise and lower the weight. In theory, the slower pace of your exercise will encourage your muscles to work harder to perform the same exercise. Unfortunately, there is no definitive proof that super slow strength training genuinely improves strength. You may notice changes in your endurance, since you are forcing yourself to lift the same amount of weight longer. Another benefit of using this technique is simply adding variety to your workout or challenging yourself.

Up The Intensity

Added intensity in your strength training can be beneficial for people who dread working out, often because each workout can feel lengthy. When you find ways to increase the intensity of your workouts, you can gain similar benefits in less time and it is easier to stay motivated. One of the most popular methods of increasing intensity is high-interval intensity training (HIIT), which is ideal if your goal is both improving strength and losing weight. If your major goal is increasing muscle mass, try circuit training with heavier weights and fewer repetitions. Since the goal of circuit training is to keep moving with little or no rest, you can keep the intensity high and do a shorter workout.

Add Fun

Adding variety to your workouts to prevent boredom or acclimation by your body might involve ditching the weights for a while. If the weather is nice outside or you have a good gym environment, try using athletic training events as a model to continue with your exercises while adding variety. One such event that is popular in athletics is the NFL Combine. Prospective athletes participate in sprinting, high jumps, and other forms of exercises to show their strength and endurance to different teams. For added fun, determine what is a good score for each event and try to see if you can match or exceed prospective athletes.

Adding variety to your strength training routine will prevent your body from becoming adjusted to any single workout and reduce the monotony of exercise. There are several ways to spice up your routine and make it more enjoyable, while keeping it challenging.

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