It’s often said that consistency is the most important aspect of exercise.  But this is really only half true.  Yes, it is important to create momentum by using a schedule with a block of time set apart for your Workout, but doing the same thing over and over again can turn what once was momentum into more of a rut.

Fitness gains aren’t made by just doing the same workout at the same intensity week after week.  Yes, that workout will get easier and you will see gains initially, but progress is made by utilizing a cycle of Stress and rest.  Every so often you need to stretch yourself – add weight, distance or speed to your session.  When Weight Training, I like to make an adjustment every week in my regimen – every week I’ll swap out about 1/3 of my exercises for new ones, then every three weeks I have a completely new workout that will challenge my muscles in new ways.

When running, add a half Mile to a mile to your runs every few weeks.  This will stress your Body in new ways as you cycle through these distances.  Also, mix up your distances each week.  If you run 30 miles each week, don’t just do five six-mile runs., or else your body will just get good at running six miles.  Mix it up with short three milers as well as a long 12 mile run on the weekend.

Another way to add variety is to change up your course.  Even the flattest of flatlands have changes in undulations (mini-hills), footing, frequency of turns and even the slope of the road’s crown on different routes.  Even these small changes can affect your fitness and adaptability for race situation.  My mixing up your route, you can work micro-muscles differently giving you just a little bit of an edge in your Training.

When weight training, if you don’t want to radically change your workout, just change your position when lifting.  Try sitting on a bench or exercise ball when doing shoulder presses, do reverse lunges instead of forward lunges or change from an underhand grip to a neutral grip for your curls.  You can also mix in time-saving full body moves like the squat-to-press, bicep curl-to-press or burpees.

There’s a reason that fitness plans like P90X and Core Performance tout the concept of “muscle confusion.”  By making small changes to your workout, you stress your body in new ways that can help you bust through your fitness plateau.