The Benefits of changing your workout routine

Staying motivated to train and eat well is something all of us from time to time can struggle with. One way I find helps me with this is to change/tweak my workout routine every few months. The Benefits of doing this are:

1, Avoid Plateaus
2, Reduce the chance of injury
3, Get excited about exercise again
4, Work on weaker areas
5, Gain knowledge in other aspects of fitness
6, Stay Motivated
And many more.

There are many different things to consider when changing your routine, but one of the most important things to consider is whether or not you have the time to commit to your new regime, because if you don’t then the chances of you sticking with it are slim. Find out more on  goal setting 

Below are two different exercise Splits tailored for two different goals which I set for myself at different times of the year. The first one is where I want to be shredded either for a holiday or a photo shoot, the second one is a more realistic, sustainable goal. As you can see both goals require different methods of training and different commitment levels.

GOAL 1: GET SHREDDED

My split:

Monday:
AM – Cardio (fasted LISS)
PM – LEGS and abs (hamstring focus)
Tuesday: CHEST
Wednesday:
AM – Cardio (fasted LISS)
PM – BACK
Thursday: SHOULDERS
Friday:
AM – Cardio (fasted LISS)
PM – LEGS and abs
Saturday: BICEPS and TRICEPS
Sunday: REST

Why I used this routine

Now the reason I chose to train this way for this goal is because through my experience over the years of trial and error this method of training works best for getting me that ripped look. Now is this split routine perfect for everyone? No. And is this way of training sustainable for me to carry out over long periods of time? Definitely not, however am I able to keep it up for a short time frame to achieve a certain look? YES!

 

Goal 2: To have a nice looking body while staying fit and healthy and enjoying ice cream with my wife and daughter at the weekends 

My split:

Monday: Chest and Back
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: LEGS and Abs
Thursday: Cardio
Friday: BICEPS/TRICEPS and SHOULDERS
Saturday – OFF (family time)
Sunday – OFF (family time)

Why I used this routine

The reason for this new split is because it is much more sustainable for me. I personally find that 3 days a week of weight training and 2 days a week of cardiovascular training gives me a nice balance to help me achieve the look I want while staying fit and healthy. Waking up at 5am to carry out fasted cardio and later on performing weight training on top of training 8-9 clients a day is not something I can sustain.

Summary

There is no one programme fits all. There is more than one way to skin a cat. Plan ahead and make sure your training is specific for your goal and that you have enough time to commit to it. If you find your current workout regime is becoming too much with everyday life then take a step back, reassess what it is you want to achieve and whether it is realistic for the time you have to commit.

Thanks for reading 😊

Matt Hall, personal trainer Loughborough