#60: The truth about muscle confusion

Hey Friends,

I get questions all the time about what to do in the gym, and for how long.

Today I’m going to talk through how often you should be switching up a gym routine. I’m also going to talk through the pros and cons of switching up a routine.

Weekly Action Point

Take 5 minutes and reflect on this question: What is my current gym routine?

In this week’s newsletter, I’m discussing how often you should be changing up a gym routine, but before we even get there, we have to start with having a routine.

If you are working out on random days or just exercising whenever you can “fit it in”, this is an awesome place to start for anyone.

If you aren’t sure what your routine is, take 5 minutes to think about how you could find some consistency in your workouts.

Doing things on the same day of the week and the same time of day can be extremely helpful in staying consistent.

How often should you change your routine?

There’s a misconception in the fitness space that in order to see results, you need to be constantly providing your muscles with new stimuli.

People commonly believe that they have to switch up the exercises they are doing, or the types of workouts, or how often they are working out.

In my opinion, people would see better results if they kept their workouts extremely simple and then just stuck with them for an extended period of time.

You could pick a couple of effective movements for each muscle group and focus on getting stronger in those movements for months.

For me personally, I switch up my fitness routine about every 4-6 months.

So, what are some reasons you should stay with your current routine vs picking a new one?

Benefits of Staying with a Routine Long Term

1. Easier to measure progress

If you are constantly switching up the movements in your weight training (or cardio), it is difficult to know if you are improving.

By sticking with the same movements for a longer period of time, you can see if you are getting better at them. Did you lift more weight this week or do an extra rep than you did last week?

This is extremely difficult to gauge if you are always doing different movements, and it can be discouraging if you can’t clearly see where you are improving.

2. Practice makes perfect

Muscles grow via progressive overload, not novelty. Doing the same movements consistently allows you to get practice and improve form, which will result in strength gains.

It’s tough for your body to get a good handle on how a movement is supposed to feel if you are always switching up the movements you are doing.

Let yourself practice the movement over and over to get better at doing it.

3. Less mental energy on each workout

Doing consistent workouts removes the question of “what should I do today?” when you walk into the gym.

Fitness is hard, and giving yourself fewer things to think about simplifies it.

If you can walk into the gym and not have to think about what movements you are doing, it makes your workouts more efficient. It reduces the mental fatigue you get from having to decide every day.

We only have so much mental energy in a day. And it may seem like a really minor thing, but not having to think about what you are doing for your workouts gives you mental energy that you can put towards other things, like deciding what foods you are eating, for example.

Benefits of Switching It Up

1. Break through plateaus

If you stick with a plan for 8-12 weeks, for many people, there comes a point where they won’t be able to continue to get stronger in a certain movement. We all have a cap.

If you stop seeing improvements in your strength, finding different movements can work your muscles differently and help you get back to seeing strength improvements.

New movements, new rep ranges, and more/less days per week are all examples of things that could help break through plateaus.

2. Keeps things fun and interesting

Doing the same thing over and over can get monotonous and take the enjoyment out of a workout.

If you feel bored, you are more likely to skip a workout altogether.

Switching things up can help you stay mentally engaged. Consistency over time beats everything else, so if switching up a workout makes you enjoy it more and causes you to be less likely to skip a workout, absolutely do it.

3. Helps address weak points and strength imbalances

Each movement works your muscles differently. By switching up your movements periodically, you reduce your risk of injury by minimizing your strength imbalances.

Doing a different variation on a movement can allow you to hit a muscle in a way that might be missed by the movement you were doing.

So… How do you know when you should switch?

I presented a couple of pros on each side. There are different benefits to sticking with your current routine vs switching it up.

So how do you know when you should switch things up?

Here are a couple of rules of thumb for you to help guide your decision:

• Every program should be run for 8 weeks (ideally 12) at a minimum. You aren’t really going to see much benefit if you are doing things for less than 8 weeks. Progress takes time in fitness.

• You can stay the course with your program until your progress plateaus, meaning you have 2-3 weeks of no measurable improvement. So, you don’t have to switch your routine at all. If you are seeing improvement, keep at it. For people newer to the gym, this could be as long as 6-12 months.

• After the 8-week minimum, if at any point you start feeling bored, switch your routine. Effort matters more than the program itself. When you are bored, your effort is likely to be lower. Switch things up to keep mental energy high.

• If you want my simplest answer: plan to switch your routine every 12 weeks. That gives you a good balance of seeing the benefits from sticking with a program without going so long that it gets boring.

Ben’s Best

Slow cooker season is officially here! Check out this Thai Red Curry that is extremely simple and easy to meal prep in large quantities.

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That’s all I have for you guys. Have an awesome week! :)

Ben