Tired of not seeing any progress? This is probably because your body adapts to the same workout routine. If you feel like you've been doing the same workout for weeks or months without results, it's time for a change. How do you break out of your fitness funk?
The first thing you should do is change your workout routine. This doesn't mean you have to start from scratch, but it does mean mixing things up a bit. Try adding in new exercises, changing the order of your routine, or increasing the intensity of your workouts.
If you're unsure where to start, below are tips for changing your workout routine. Be sure to read through them all to maximize your muscle growth.
Related Article: 3 Muscle Building Tips That You Probably Didn't Know
Ways to Switch Up Your Muscle Growth Routine
Following a strict workout routine is crucial if you are trying to build muscle. However, this can get very boring after a while. You may not want to work out as much or stop seeing results as quickly as you would like. This is why switching up your muscle-building routine every now and then is essential. Here are 12 ways to do so:
1. Increase Intensity
Intensity is the key to building muscles. Slow reps, drop sets, and supersets are all the best examples of intensity workouts.
You may also increase the intensity of workouts through decreased rest time, forced reps and circuits, etc. You get stuck when you keep following the same exercises. Despite training hard, your intensity level begins to drop without you even realizing it. This is the time to modify your workouts.
2. Switch Up Your Exercises
Muscle growth requires targeting different muscle groups through different exercises. Some people don't like several workouts and cut them out of their muscle-building routine. Doing so makes them follow the same workout that targets a specific muscle group and avoids the other ones.
It's when changing your workout is needed so you don't ignore any muscle groups, and the focus remains on all of them. This will help you in efficient muscle growth, and practicing different workouts won't make you bored.
3. Introduce Drop Sets
Drop sets are a great way to add intensity to your workout routine. They involve performing a set of exercises until failure and then immediately reducing the weight and continuing to reps until failure again. This is a great way to push yourself past your limits and see results quickly.
You can begin by stripping some weight off the bar and immediately doing another set. Introducing drop sets to your workout program will prevent you from hitting the plateau.
4. Switch the Days You Work Each Muscle
Switching your workout can help fine-tune your muscle building and make steady gains. Most gym goers make this mistake. They work the same muscle two days in a row and then skip it for two days before working it again. This doesn't let your body repair and grow. Switching off days for your muscles will allow them to recover and help you gain more.
5. Perform Supersets
Supersets allow you to perform two exercises back-to-back with no rest in between. This is a great way to save time and increase the intensity of your workout. You either choice two exercise that target the same muscle or two exercises target different muscle groups.
A good example of supersets would be following a compound exercise with isolation movement, such as doing bench-press with flat bench flys. Supersets are highly convenient as they can be done almost anywhere, and you do not necessarily need a piece of equipment for these.
Related Article: Compound Vs Isolation Exercises
6. Change the Number of Days You Workout
In muscle-building training programs, less is more. Many bodybuilders mistake working out more for muscle growth than needed. You don't need to work out more muscles if you want bigger muscles.
Instead, if you work out 4 to 5 days a week, drop it to 3. Decreasing the workout days will help your muscles rest, grow and prepare them for returning to the workout routine.
Related Article: 3 Muscle Building Tips That You Probably Didn't Know
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7. Weekly Rep Cycling
No one knows how many reps you should do for maximum muscle growth. But, ideally, it should be between 6 and 12. You can start the reps like this. Perform 12 reps per set in the first week. In week 2, go with ten reps per set and 8 reps per set for week 3. For week 4, target 6 reps per set, and repeat the same cycle in week 5.
As you begin with 12 reps from week 1 and decrease it to 6 by week 4, keep increasing the weights as you go. It's necessary to keep your diet healthy and, if possible, add pre-workout supplements to your diet. Adding supplements to the workout routine will keep you energetic, while a healthy diet will help you get a healthy and muscular body.
8. Perform Slow Reps
Slow reps involve control and contraction. It includes using a lighter weight with slower movements for performing the same number of reps. Performing slower reps causes your muscles to experience more time under tension as compared to the faster reps.
The time your muscles stay strained beneath a certain amount of weight will increase muscle size. The longer your muscles are forced to work under a particular amount of strain, the more they will grow.
9. Control the Weight
Gaining muscle mass requires control of the movement over the whole range of motion. For example, lowering the barbell to the chest on a two-second count in a bench press can work wonders for increasing muscular growth.
When completing a movement, imagine how the muscles are being used and stretched and how they become tense. This will help you achieve optimal muscle growth.
10. Don't Forget to Warm Up
Many people skip the warm-up and rush into the workout, which makes them more susceptible to facing injuries. So, it is necessary to warm up efficiently for 10 minutes before you start working out. This will help you increase performance and decrease the chances of injury.
Related Article: Why Warm-Up Exercises are Important for HIIT Workouts | DMoose
11. Change the Order of Your Exercises
If you want to make your upper body strong by gaining muscle mass, you need to change the order of workouts. Begin with compound movements followed by isolations. Changing the order of workouts is necessary because your body adapts quickly to the same routine.
12. Take a Break
During the resistance training program, a time comes when your body needs to rest for a while to recover. Performing an intense workout puts stress on your muscles and the entire body. Your mind and body need a break from the challenging routine.
Well, how would you know you need rest? Your body will tell you when it needs rest or as a rough guide every 8 to 12 weeks. So, take breaks, enjoy them and return to your upper body workout routine.
FAQs
1. Is it okay to change my workout routine?
The answer to this question is yes. If you want to change how you feel, look, and perform, forcing your body to adapt to varying stimuli is necessary.
2. How often should I change my exercise routine to build muscle?
You can change your workout twice a week to avoid adaptation. You can make lists of exercises that target different body parts and choose one for each 3-4 days. It's imperative to keep your goals in check.
3. How can I gain muscle mass in a week?
Generally, you can gain a pound of muscle mass each week. Make sure you eat a protein-rich diet and supplements to improve muscle growth.
Conclusion
Muscle building isn't a one-size fits all exercise program. There are many opinions on what exercises work best, but everyone agrees that you need to change things up now and then, or your body will adjust after doing the same workout routine over an extended period. By following some of the advice in this article, you will be able to do just that; increase your chance of making progress and seeing real results.
