Principles of changing a workout plan

Author: Timko Ilya - master of the whole project and fitness trainer.
2012-03-30

All trainers unanimously agree: no matter how good a training plan is, sooner or later, it needs to be changed. I will try to explain what this is all about. As many probably know, it is recommended to change your training program approximately every 2 months, as the body gradually adapts to it, and the program slowly loses its effectiveness.

As I have mentioned several times: training is the process of the body adapting to external influences (physical loads). If the loads are monotonous and equally intense, the body will eventually acclimate to them, and the plan will simply stop working. I think many of you have noticed this after sticking to the same program for half a year.

There are no ready-made recipes for how to modify your program. There are only certain principles based primarily on human physiology. I will now attempt to outline these principles.

1. Change the number of repetitions from workout to workout. This will help prolong the effectiveness of your training plan. By performing a small number of repetitions with heavy weights and a large number of repetitions with lighter weights, you prevent your body from adapting. This creates stress situations for it and encourages your muscles to grow. However, this doesn’t mean that by doing this, you can effectively follow the same plan for your entire life. ))

2. Change exercises to similar ones. This will provide another boost for muscle growth. For instance, if you have been squatting with a barbell on your shoulders for two months, now try squatting with the barbell in front of you. If you have been bench pressing on a horizontal bench, try doing the same press but with dumbbells. Your muscles will still be working similarly, but in slightly different ways, giving an additional push for new growth.

3. Change your focus. For example, if your previous training program emphasized your leg and chest muscles, now remove some exercises for those muscles and focus on your biceps and triceps (for example). The fact is that you simply cannot overload all the muscles of your body at once. You won’t be able to recover adequately. Therefore, each training program should focus on 2-3 muscle groups. As for beginners, I recommend distributing the load evenly across all muscle groups at first.

4. Add exercises that you have never done before. When your body encounters something new, it can provide a significant boost to your results! New exercises always present unfamiliar loads for your muscles. There are hundreds of exercises! Try movements from kettlebell training, weightlifting, or arm wrestling.

5. Change the methods of performing exercises. Have you been performing exercises separately for two months? Now try supersets or circuit training. This will significantly alter the intensity of your workout, which is also an important factor for growth in results.

6. Decrease and increase the number of exercises and sets. Try keeping only the most necessary exercises (3-4 per workout) but increase the number of sets. Or vice versa—8-10 exercises with three sets each. By focusing on a specific muscle group with one compound exercise and a large number of sets, you can stimulate growth in strength or mass. However, by working with 3-4 exercises on the same muscle, you can achieve similar results.

It is clear that you shouldn't just mix everything together. Listen to your body; it will guide you on what changes to make at any given moment. Sometimes, even after 2 months, a plan can still be effective. In such cases, there is no need for radical changes, and you can limit yourself to minor adjustments. Conversely, there are times when everything needs a thorough change. Good luck!