If you’ve been going for the same cardio class or running the same route, for the same duration, for the same distance every day for the past year, and not getting anywhere near your fitness goals, you need to read this.
Do you ever feel like your workouts are getting ho-hum or boring? Do you feel yourself losing the motivation to exercise? Or has your body ‘stopped responding’ to your workouts, putting you on a weight loss plateau or an inability to change your body the way you want to? When you change up your workouts, you decrease the chances that you’ll get bored with the same old routine. But the benefits go beyond simply entertaining yourself.
There’s a principle in exercise called SAID, which stands for Specific Adaptations to Imposed Demands. SAID means that our bodies eventually adapt to the demands we place upon them. For people who exercise regularly, it means you must constantly alter your routine in some way in order to get results.
So when you change up your workouts, you not only keep your brain guessing, but you also keep your body guessing, which gets you better results!
#1 Change your position
Do you usually sit while doing an exercise? Then stand! For example, a seated shoulder press or seated machine shoulder press can easily be done in a standing position. Too easy? Balance on one leg while you press. Or do a squat before you press. Or get one of those fancy balance devices like a Bosu ball or an air pillow and balance on that with one leg or two legs while you press. You get the idea: there is a multitude of ways to change your position while exercising.
#2 Use a different handle or grip
This story is from the November 2016 edition of Shape Malaysia.
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This story is from the November 2016 edition of Shape Malaysia.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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