By: Jon Osumi

What do I do when my workout routine feels like it has become too easy, not to mention boring.  This is a common problem especially when you are faced with limited equipment, either at home or in a gym that only has a few machines.  How can you maintain progress, what do you do to change up your routine?  Once a workout routine is completed for over 6 weeks, it may feel like it is losing its effectiveness due to the familiarity of the exercises.  When this happens, we know we are supposed to change things around a bit, but just how do we do it when there appear to be a very limited number of options?

Every exercise can have many varieties just by changing one element about it.  If it is a seated exercise, try performing it standing.  If you have been doing it standing, try sitting on an exercise ball to challenge your core while you do it.  Most exercises begin by using either both arms or both legs at the same time.  Try adjusting the weight and completing the exercise one arm/leg at a time a see how different it feels.  If you are used to completing a consistent number of repetitions per exercise, try completing more or less and adjust the weight to maintain the challenge.  Most people have a particular cadence that they prefer to maintain as they move the weight from point A to point B.  Try slowing the cadence down to half speed for a few weeks and you will be pleasantly surprised with your body's positive response.

These are just a few tricks you can employ to take a familiar workout and make it unfamiliar or challenging to your body.  When the body is making adjustments, it is usually improving as it adapts to the newly introduced environment.  The beauty of adaptation is once your body adapts to the new routine, you can switch back to the old routine again in a few weeks and it will take your body time to adapt back!

Jon Osumi

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