Some simple ideas to break your routine

Every now and then I find myself stuck in the same routine and my training starts to get a little boring. Here are some things I do to vary my workouts a little to keep them interesting and keep me coming back to the gym.


Keywords :
workout, fitness, workout routine, split routine, handshake, tri-set, split workout


Every now and then I find myself getting stuck in the same routine and my training starts to get a little boring. I know this starts to happen when it becomes easy to miss my regular workout. Recently, I noticed this happening when I easily gave up going to the gym for almost two weeks straight. Clearly something had to change. So here are some ideas that I use from time to time to spice up my training. Try them, and I'm sure you too will find a new boost to your training.

Change your grip!

It's a small change from most others you can do, but one way to spice up your workout from time to time is to change the way you grip the bar when doing dumbbell or machine exercises. One of my favorite holds is the hand hold. In fact, I've read several articles from fitness trainers and other professional athletes who suggest that for exercises like the bench press, you should only use the palmar grip.

So, what is a palmar grip? Let's take the bench press as an example of a grip. Many of us have been guilty of using a standard grip for this exercise, myself included. A standard grip involves wrapping your hand around the bar as if you were holding a baseball bat. If you want a more effective bench press, try not to wrap your thumb around the bar. You may think you'll lose stability by doing this, but I've never had this problem. You may need to bend your wrist a little more to compensate, or lower the weight a little. The main advantage of palm grip for this type of exercise is that by placing your thumb in this position, you reduce the effort your forearms must put in during the exercise. Therefore, your chest and triceps muscles will have to work even harder to complete the lift. Try this, and I'm sure you'll notice a difference the next time you bench press.

Try tri-sets!

You've probably heard of super sets, which involve doing two exercises in a row with no rest in between. Have you ever tried doing three different exercises? This works great with biceps exercises. The great thing about doing a tri-set with a bicep workout is that it allows you to hit the bicep really hard in three different ways. Here is an example of a tri-set for the biceps: standing dumbbell curls, hammer curls, reverse dumbbell curls. You will also notice in this sequence that you need to change your grip with each series of the tri-set. This is the best way to use a tri-set. Here's an example of a tri-set for the triceps: straight bar pushdowns, rope pushdowns, reverse pushdowns. Again, the key here is to change the grip on each exercise. Try them, and I'm sure you'll feel a new pump in whatever body part you use them with!

Change your split!

Have you followed the same splitting routine for two years? Does your split routine consist of doing chest and triceps, back and biceps, or something similar for several months? Try reversing your split or doing a 5 day split instead of a 3 day split. Do chest and biceps, back and triceps, just to mix things up a bit.

These are just a few basic ideas, but it's always good to mix up your routine on an ongoing basis. This way, you can keep your body alert and growing to adapt to the changing demands you place on your muscles.