I will be the first to admit that doing the same workout over and over can get mundane and
boring and less enjoyable each time you do it. However, I am also someone who knows that
being consistent in a program means doing the same or similar exercises week to week in order to progress.
There are some people that thrive doing the same workout from week to week (as in Monday is the same as last Monday, Tuesday is last Tuesday, etc, NOT the same workout day to day).
Reasons being:
• They know exactly what they are supposed to do and how to do it
• You can see progress from the week before (ie. Increase in weight/increase in reps)
• There are no surprises
• You already know how the workout will go and feel
That said, to gauge your strength and power, you do need to do exercises consistently in order to compare your numbers from previous workouts. Otherwise, if you're changing exercises all the time, you'd have no way to gauge improvement.
However, most people need some sort of variety that makes them want to come back to the
gym. So, yes, we do need to keep exercises very similar week to week, but there CAN be
variety. There are three different ways I like to do this for people.
1. Same exercise pattern, different variation- One day we will barbell bench press, next week
we will dumbbell bench press, then the week after that back to barbell bench and bounce
back and forth between the two for the duration of the cycle. This can be done with any
exercise as long as it is the same exercise pattern ie. A squat is a squat, a vertical press is a
vertical press, etc. By changing the exercise just slightly, it provides a little bit more pizzazz
to those who need things shaken up week to week.
2. The second way I like to do this is by adding a fun component thats different at the end. The bulk of the exercises in the beginning are the same, but I like to give a little conditioning “fun” piece at the end of the workout and change it up week to week which also helps people stay engaged.
3. Lastly, adding bands or chains to an exercise week to week can help keep it fun and different, but also provides a slightly different stimulus and will also help the client get stronger as well. For example: Bench press one week, banded bench press on the second week, bench with chains on the third week, then back to regular bench press.
The main point is, consistency and compliance is the number one goal when designing an
effective program for someone. If clients are enjoying their program and having fun, they’ll be
consistent and compliant- which will help them improve the most in the larger picture/long term.
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