General adaptation syndrome describes how the physiology of the body adapts to a physical stimulus such as exercise. When beginning an exercise program, there is an initial alarm phase of one to three weeks, where the body recognizes that a new stimulus is being applied. This is followed by an adaptation phase of four to 16 weeks, where the body adapts to the stimulus and becomes more efficient at tolerating it. Finally 12 to 16 weeks, the body reaches what is called the exhaustion phase, where the stimulus no longer has a significant effect.
Whenever we begin a new fitness program whether it be strength training or various modes of cardio, we experience muscle soreness and tightness. Over time the body adapts to the stimulus and is no longer challenged to make adaptations. In order to continue making progress in losing body fat, building muscle or improving speed and strength for a sport, we need to continually change our stimulus thus causing the body to be in a state of hypertrophy or growth.
I see the same people arrive at the gym at the same time, doing the same routine, and always look the same. This would be maddening to me! It is a waste of time, energy and money! By making even simple changes to your workout such as increasing weight, reps, changing your grip during exercises to a complete exercise program overhaul, you can increase productivity and start making progress to reaching your goals.
Here are a few signs it may be time to change up your fitness routine.
1. You're stuck at a plateau.
Things were progressing great, you were losing bodyfat, increasing your strength and doing cardio was fun and exciting. Suddenly however, you notice your strength hasn't increased and the weightloss came to a complete halt. One definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. When you find yourself doing the same routine over and over but getting no results, it would be pure insanity not to change your workout up... even a little bit.
2. You become bored and find excuses not to workout.
We all have life's obligations which can draw our attention from achieving a fit and healthy body. But when you find yourself missing workouts because you are bored, changing the mode of fitness can add a whole new challenge and excitement. The change can be something as simple as using different machines, taking a different class or as extreme as changing from a nautilus circuit workout to crossfit or even joining a total different gym. By trying different classes etc. it causes us to be mentally stimulated as well as physically as we try to master new movements.
3. You have persistent injuries or muscle soreness.
Doing the same exercises over a long period of time can cause overuse injuries such as tendinitis. Doing high intensity workouts such as crossfit may also lead to issues such as shin splints etc. Cross training is a great way to avoid over use injuries and tendon/muscle injury.
4. You achieve achieved your fitness goal.
Your goal may have been to lose twenty pounds or run a 5k race. You have achieved your goal. Now is the time to set new goals, whether it be to continue losing bodyfat or build muscle and tone, to running more races, it is important to always be evolving with your fitness plan. If you're not moving forward,, the rest of the world will pass you by. A great way to keep improving or even maintain the goals you have achieved is to vary your program to keep challenging yourself and body.
There are various ways you can change your workouts to keep improving and moving forward to achieving optimum fitness. It can be as simple as switching a few exercises to every 6-8 weeks switch type of exercise. If you are a runner and enjoy it, to switch to something different like riding a bike may make you miserable. Simply changing your route or distance may be all it takes to break a plateau and keep forward progress. If you prefer strength training, an old bodybuilding trick we used to use is to train according to the season. During the colder winter months focus on lifting heavier weights and then switch to lighter weights with more sets and reps to bring out the muscular definition. Adjusting your diet to meet the workout needs is key as well. Consume more calories during the heavier strength training months and decrease caloric intake to allow for the lighter workouts.
When all else fails, hire a Certified Personal Trainer to take you through a few workouts and develop a new program for you! They are trained and have a wealth of fitness knowledge to help vary your workout and bring new life to your fitness routine. *Some information compiled from ace.org