What's the best way to mix up exercise routine?

Question

For the past four months, I have done cardio 3 x a week on treadmill (45 min around 3.0 mph) and strength training 2 x a week (30-45 minutes, upper and lower, and core) along with eating healthy. I have been doing well and lost over 25 lbs. However, in the past couple of weeks I have found that I am really bored and it is harder to get my workouts done. What is a good way for me to shake it up schedule wise, without having to do anything crazy that I won't keep up. I do like the treadmill and light weights, I just think maybe the five days in a row is dragging on. Would 3 days on 1 off be good, or 4 days on 2 off? I don't mind working out on weekends.

Any ideas? What has worked in the past to get you out of a rut? Please remember I am still a beginner, and working to get into shape slowly. Also I do work 50 hrs a week so no crazy stuff please. THANKS!

Answer 1

the best way I have found to mix up my workout routine is to try different things. At 7 am on lifetime they run denise austin lite & fit or daily workout, (I tivo it) when I am bored with my regular routine, I pop on the tivo and get cracking, it is not too intense for the beginner, and she mixes it up too with strengh training light cardio and stretching. Great job on losing the 25 lbs, I have lost 15 and plan to keep going for about another 30! Best of luck to you

Answer 2

So you want to shake things up a bit?

3.0 mph for three-quarters an hour on the treadmill is good, but most modern treadmills can do so much more. Many have a plethera of settings and training modes. Who says you have to be stuck at 3.0 mph? Try playing around with the preset workout programs to see which ones you like, or which ones challenge you. Most programs allow you to preset the time so, you can still keep your workout to 45 minutes without changing your schedule.

You've been strength training for 4 months now. Not only are you bored with your routine but your muscles are too. Try switching to free weights, if your not working free weights already. Free weights challenge your muscles more than machines, because free weights require you to control your motion, not the machine.

Look around for lifting exercises you can do that use multiple muscle groups. That way you can lower the amount of time it takes you to do your strength training. Things like pull-ups, push-ups and squats are great for training many muscle groups symoltainously. Working multiple muscle groups will shorten the amount of time you will spend on strength training.

Also, play change the amount of reps you do and the amount of weight you life, so your muscles wont get tired of doing the same thing every work out either.

Most of all make a game of your workout. Try challenging yourself. Try doing something you've never done before. Maybe switch to the stationary cycle or eliptical one day a week instead of the treadmill. Or try running instead of walking, or walking on an incline.

Finally, if you have been working out for the past four months, like you discribed above, it may be time to take a couple weeks off. I've noticed that when I've been going to the gym for long periods at a time taking a couple weeks off every once in a while is beneficial. Although I'm not working out durring that 2 week period, I notice substantial gains in my endurance, strenght, when I return. When I was lossing weight, I would loss most of my weight durring the those 2 weeks when I wasn't going to the gym. I've also read some research studies which back up these findings.

Whatever you do, good luck. You are doing a fantastic job so far.

Answer 3

What I have done in the past, like u stick to a routine then get bored, I tried using different exercise machines, and it brought back the excitement of ecercising on a regular basis. I stuck too it, just try out new things, maybe try joining an aerobics class also. My schedule is work out 4 days - I do Mon thru Thurs and Fridays off, then on Sat/Sun I just go for a 30 min casual walk and stretch for 5 before and after walking. Hope this helps a little and Good luck!

Answer 4

3 days 1 off would help to keep you from being burnt out on your routine. Other things you can try include swapping out your workouts. Alternate between strength training and treadmill for a few days, then trade treadmill for a half hour brisk walk. Simple stretches for twenty minutes can also help you by loosening you up, you could do leg stretches instead of strength training sometimes. Be sure whenever you workout that you have something to entertain you like an iPod. Good luck!

Answer 5

i was in a similar situation. I lost 63 pounds and then stopped going. < i got bored > first of all, you just need to do a cardio for about 10-15 minutes before workout and then 30 min. after. i only do 3 times a week. i did small weights then got addicted to the heavier weights. try a little heavier weightand work your body from the top down or vica versa. The legs should be done before a day off. < you r going to be sore the next day > first do arms, then do back and shoulders, then do legs. you must do a core exercise every time you train and also do a ab workout 3 times a week. some kind.. any kind. good luck to you and don't get bored..

Answer 6

I change up my exercise daily. I try to do things that was fun for me when I was a kid. I do a lot of walking, so I walk in about 5 different neighborhoods with parks in addition to time on the treadmill. Some neighborhoods have schools so I will detour and take a short jogging lap around the track, or do a couple turns on the hopscotch zones. I use park picnic table benches for slanted push ups and chair dips. Alternate days I will add 1-lb weights to my ankles or wrists for my walks and stop in different places and do basic calesthenics for a warm up before hitting the weight room at my local community center. In short, I do almost anything to keep me from getting bored with exercising.

On days where I know I can't get out to exercise as I'd like, I use my break at work to get in a quick quarter mile fast walk on the treadmill - it takes right around 5 minutes.

My general exercise schedule is 3 on, 1 off, 2 on, 1 off and so on and it normally runs me about 30 to 45 minutes.

Answer 7

As your conditioning improves, your workouts will get easier and tend to become boring if you do not change them. So remember to increase the incline or speed on the treadmill and the size of the weights to make it more challenging without it taking more time. When I took the weekend off, I would feel stronger on Mondays. You can consider taking advantage of that rest by increasing your speed and size of the weights the day after a rest. You can also split your rest so that you do cardio on Mon, Wed, Sat, and strength on Tue, Fri. Then you are taking Thur and Sun off, a 3-1-2-1 program.

Answer 8

I wouldnt allow more than 1 day off between too hard to get back to it sometimes. Try replacing the treadmill for the elliptical (total body workout) you could also subsitute the stairmaster I am able to get cardio on both of these.....of course a change in music selection is good too.

Hint: once your cardio is up after 20-30 minutes, take a break and hit the sauna....you burn fat 30% faster

Answer 9

1) try replacing some of your cardio with other activities like: aerobics, cardio kick boxing, swimming, spinning or just exercise biking.

2) 4 days a week would be ok. You're doing AWESOME!!! Don't slip back into doing nothing. Remember, you've made a life style change so stick with it!

3) The interesting part. Look for some competitions in your area. Within 100 miles or so of where you live. Maybe 5K run or something. This will give you a goal to keep you motivated. I find this really helping me when I start getting bored.

Maybe even join up with a running club or a hikers club.

Go on a 15 to 20 mile hike one Saturday. I think you're ready for it.

Answer 10

First of all, good job on starting exercising and sticking with it! You've gotten over probably the biggest hurdle.

What you're running into is pretty common with most people when doing the same routine every time - it can get boring for sure. Futhermore, your body will adapt to a routine as well and that's when you'll find doing the same thing every time will yield fewer results.

So, there are a few options for you. Vary the exercises and cross train. This could mean doing cardio on different types of machines, running outside, or better yet, doing high intensity interval training. HIIT has been shown to actually be more effective for overall fat loss and conditioning than traditional "slow and low" cardio. Incorporating this into your normal routine will not only spice up the routine, but will increase results. The good thing is that you don't have to do cardio as long. Check out these sites for more info:

http://www.musclemedia.com/training/hiit.asp
http://www.ast-ss.com/articles/article.asp?AID=97

Don't be put off that these articles' target audience is bodybuilders, these routines apply to anyone looking to enhance their routine and take it to the next level.

With weights, you won't see much benifit from those using light weights. With strength training, you must employ progressive increases that put stress on the skeletal muscles and central nervous system - this is the only way you'll benifit from this. Otherwise, all you're really doing is a (very) mild cardio workout. The idea of strength training is to stimulate lean muscle growth by applying stress to the muscle tissue, in essence creating micro tears that forces the body to adapt and add muscle tissue in response. Using light weights won't do this at all, so don't be afraid to hit the weights heavy. Also, don't worry about getting big, bulky manly muscles - this is very difficult for women to get as they have 1/10th the testosterone levels men do. Just be sure you're doing weights first before cardio as doing cardio first will use up glucose stores (glycogen), at which point when you hit the weights your body will have to use muscle tissue for energy instead, defeating the purpose of the training.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bbinfo.php?page=FemaleTraining

Since you've been at it for four months already, you can definitely ramp things up some. The only way to see results is to challenge yourself progressively, increasing distance, speed, weight and time.

Good luck!

Answer 11

This is a common problem. You need to "shock" your body by changing your routine- here is an example:

You say you are doing cardio 3x week at about 3 mph for 45 mins. Try going 4 mph for 30 minutes. With weights, change the weight and reps. Try different exercises for each muscle. There are several different ones for each muscle- look some up.

The main thing is- keep exercising! God luck.