If you’ve been breezing through your current workout, may I make a suggestion? Shake it up. Try something completely different. One reason is that your body gets used to the same old thing.
Bodies are smart. They figure out what you’re throwing at them, how often, and then they try to plan accordingly. They’re efficient that way. Bodies want to have all the scoop and figure out how many calories you need, how much muscle is required to do what you’re trying to do, and give you just enough to accomplish those goals. So, changing it up gives your body a new message: work harder.
Decide also what you want to work on during this season (the winter months for most of us). Are you still in training for your sport(s) of choice? Are you in maintenance mode? The answers matter.
In my case, I’m off training for running races and on training for losing weight and improving overall body strength. To that end, I’ve switched around the order of my workouts. I now lift weights first and run second, devoting my fresh new muscle to the chore of moving the metal around, and giving my “leftovers” to the running. That doesn’t mean I put in weaker effort during my running, but I do give my weight training central stage, as it’s the area where I hope to make the most gains during this training season.
Yesterday, I announced my goals for 2005. Today, I decided to start the process, especially on the pararescue jumper training goal. I read up on the fitness program associated with passing the Physical Ability and Stamina Test (PAST). They suggested doing sets of 20 pushups throughout the course of the workout instead of training to failure. I did 3 sets of 20, one set of 15, and one set of 10, for a total of 85 pushups within my hour’s workout. I then did 3 sets of 3 “negatives” on the chinup bars. Negatives are where you start in the “up” position, and slowly lower yourself down, effectively doing the “easier” part of the exercise. I might’ve been able to do 3 sets of 5 negatives, but it was close.
I also tried to bang out a 1.5 mile run in under 11:30 (bare minimum), and I missed it by 2/10ths of a mile. Rats. But what a fun goal! I think by next week, I’ll have the minimum of that one done. I haven’t started on the swimming yet, but that looks like it’ll be a real challenge, too.
This workout today was harder than anything I’ve done over the last few months, and it was definitely a call out to my body. I am confident that results aren’t far behind, as my effort to accomplish this work was high.
Have you mixed your own workout up lately?
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