How To Implement Change In Your Routine?

Though the term is frequently misinterpreted, there are plenty of interesting anecdotes supporting it. Some top-level competitors in bodybuilding and strength sports swear by it while others regard it as total bullshit. Here's what you need to know.
 

- Werner Beukes

An old Chinese proverb says, “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day: teach a man to fish, and you feed him for life.” This sums up the approach many lifters take when it comes to exercise. They know that the probability of achieving any physique-related goals without a workable blueprint for success is slim to none.

A training split, however, only serves as a template and must be customised based on your response. Repeatedly doing the same routine day-in and day-out impedes exercise-induced muscle damage in what is commonly known as the repeated bout effect. In other words, if you follow the same exercise with the same volume and intensity over a long period of time, your muscle gains will decrease.

A well-known gym adage dictates that a programme is only as good as the time it takes for a lifter to adapt to it. However, some change it too often, hopping from one split to the next, never giving themselves enough time to make significant improvement on any given exercise.

DON’T WING IT

The psychological drive to always seek what is new and exciting is an innate one. In this regard, muscle confusion is a training principle that creates variety in your training to shock the body into new growth. While the term is open to misinterpretation due to its ambiguous nature, it would be unwise to totally dismiss the concept without first taking a closer look at how it really works.