by Bob Lachniet
President -
Fitness 4 Home Superstore
Keeping a regular workout schedule is important for your long term health - we all know that (even if we sometimes forget for awhile). But have you noticed - it’s not during your regular workout that you get hurt - it always seems to be “those other times”.
You know those “other times”. Like reaching for the remote, and ending up on the couch for the rest of the day with a pulled muscle in your back that feels like you were stabbed with an icepick! “Those Other Times” cannot be avoided totally. If you push a muscle beyond its capabilities, you run the risk of injury. So, the secret is - make sure your workouts keep your muscles in peak form to minimize the chance of injury.
One of the best ways to do this is to make a point of staying fit, despite a busy schedule - no excuses to take in a workout. The best workout for your day can depend on many variables. Sleep patterns, how healthy you’ve been eating, your stress level, and overall motivation all come into play. According to Matthew Rhea, Ph.D (he’s the director of human movement at A.T. Still University in Mesa, AZ) - “A savvy exerciser will pay attention to all these factors and adjust his or her training schedule accordingly.”
One way you can adjust your schedule to keep your muscles in peak form - is what’s called “daily undulating periodization”. OK..that’s a lot to remember - so think of it this way. Rather than a truly “set” schedule for the week, that might seem boring and kills your motivation, what you do with this technique is to vary your sets and repetitions with each workout. Something like this:
- Monday: 3 sets of 10 reps
- Wednesday: 4 sets of 5 reps
- Friday: 2 sets of 15 reps
By using a different training scheme each time you workout, you’ll automatically vary the intensity and volume of your workout. You’ll recover faster (meaning you might not be quite as sore as before - or at least - not for as long). And, you’ll have less chance of overtaxing your body. All while allowing your workout to match your mood / motivation / energy for that day.
Think this sounds crazy? Well, members of the Phoenix Fire Department use routines such as this - and these are guys that need to be ready for every challenge! And, researchers have found another benefit from this type of routine - according to Dr. Rhea, this approach increased strength in men twofold compared with the traditional method of gradually increasing sets & reps.
Finally - keep in mind that this type of training applies to both weight training and cardio exercise - so give it a try, and see if it helps jump start this week’s motivation to get that workout back on schedule!
(Parts of this article were adapted from “Secrets From America’s Best Gyms” - Men’s Health, March 2008)
