Exercise Program Plateaus, Another Sorry Excuse For Ineffective Exercise Programs :

"You have to change your program every six weeks or you will plateau." How many times have you heard this? Lots of times, I'll bet?

While I'm a big fan of variety in exercise program - I'm not a big advocate of or believer in the above statement.

It never made sense to me. It actually seemed counterproductive for many people. One of the reasons I think this is true is that it complicates things. It gives people another reason to give up on trying to stay dedicated to their own fitness program.

This myth was most likely spawned from the old school of personal training with has a heavy influence from the bodybuilding sub-culture. These are simply not principles that should be applied to everyone - especially 'regular people' with real lives to live.

Here is what I do like to teach, when it comes to 'variety' (because it works).

It's called 'micro-varying'.

You take one exercise and create several variations of it. It might be 2 variations - or it might be 11. The key is that you create options without having to overhaul your entire program every 2 or 3 months. Here are 2 examples:

For abs and core - one of my all time favorite exercises is the reverse crunch. Now, most people - if they've even ever heard of the reverse crunch - stop there, and then want to know "another exercise for the abs".

The truth is, the basic reverse crunch can be morphed into at least 4 variations. And, yes, crunches are very effective - when done properly.

These are:

1 - Cross leg reverse crunch
2 - Twisting reverse crunch
3 - Incline/Decline reverse crunch
4 - Side to side reverse crunch

The second example features my all time favorite butt and thigh exercise - the one leg hip extension (OLHE). This exercise is done with a simple floor mat and it can easily be morphed into 3 variations. These are:

1 - OLHE with a stability disk or small ball (soccer ball size)
2 - OLHE with 55cm swiss ball
3 - OLHE using the edge of your couch or an ottoman

Make your program fun and realistic by modifying the exercises you already know how to do - without having to do a complete fitness program makeover every 2 or 3 months. It's easier to stick with and you won't stress out, thinking you 'have to change everything around again' - while still reaping the desired benefit - results.

Sure - we can add a new exercise here and there - or change the sets, reps and rest times - but there is no need to do a complete program overhaul - just when you are starting to get into a groove.

The concept of the 'fitness plateau' is more a myth than a solid fitness principle. Some people even use it as an excuse.

If what you are doing is working - stick with it. If it stops working - try to find out why - before you going changing things around and renovating your entire exercise program. Changing your routine for the sake of change or because you've been fooled into believing the fitness plateau myth is actually true, may only cause you to do something else that isn't going to work for you either.