Not only is it essential to maintain consistency with your exercise routine. But it’s also a good idea to change up your exercises with cross-training and new activities. In addition, varying your movements is vital to improving your results and ensuring a well-balanced workout.

When it comes to fitness, a change in activity can be a good thing. How do you know when you need to switch up your routine? Here are a few things to consider as you are planning your upcoming workouts:

Timeline for Your Exercise Routine

How long have you been following your current exercise routine? Fitness experts suggest changing the routine every six to eight weeks. Even though you are comfortable with your current activities, don’t get stuck in a rut.

Mark the calendar, so you are monitoring how long you are following a specific routine. When it’s time to switch things up, consider talking to a personal trainer or fitness expert for tips that will help you improve your performance and results.

Training for an Event

Whether you are a professional athlete or a weekend warrior, changing your fitness schedule can effectively help you prepare for the big day. Of course, a lot of training goes in before a game or a race. But repetitive motions can take a toll on the body if you aren’t careful.

Make sure to be proactive with cross-training, so you are developing overall strength and flexibility. Even if the exercises aren’t directly relating to your sport, they can be helpful to improve your broad fitness skillset. For example, football players can benefit from dancing practice to be nimbler on their feet when on the playing field.

Fitness Goals are Changing

It’s also important to reassess your fitness goals and make sure your workouts are still lining up with what you desire. For example, you might start your exercise routine to lose weight. But as the pounds begin to melt away, then it might be time to refocus your efforts on muscle building.

The problem is that many people experience results, set the bar higher, but don’t change their fitness routines to match. New goals mean that you need to be putting in a different effort. Doing the same training means that you can expect the same results. Switching up the routine will help you achieve different results.

Be open to ongoing adjustments, so you are staying current with your goals and making the adjustments needed to maximize the results of your workout routine.

Workouts are Too Hard or Too Easy

Pay attention to how your body is feeling after each workout. Are you breezing through the exercises without breaking a sweat? Then it could be a sign that you need to increase the intensity. Remember that the body adjusts to workout routines over time, which means it’s normal for the exercises to get easier.

If you are no longer feeling challenged, then you should increase the intensity of the workouts. High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is a great way to add variety and avoid the fitness plateau. Or you might add more weight or reps to your schedule.

On the other hand, it’s a warning sign if you always feel sore and tired because of your workouts. Feeling like you’ve been beaten up all the time could be an indication of overtraining. Schedule active recovery days or take the intensity down a notch.

Listen to the symptoms and small cues that are happening within your body. You should feel energized and pumped after a workout, not exhausted or drained. If needed, adjust the exercise routine and intensity to optimize your current and future results.

You Want to See Better Results

It can be discouraging to be working out for a while, only to experience subpar results. The truth is that sticking with the same boring exercise routine will often result in a plateau eventually. Instead, track your results and pay attention to how things are working. When you notice that your progress seems to be slowing, it might be time to switch things up.

The body needs a switch occasionally to avoid boredom and maintain progress. People who follow the same workout every day and week are more likely to hit a plateau much sooner. You can prevent these plateaus by switching up your fitness schedule.

Even the most minor change in routine can help you break through the last 5 or 10 pounds that you’ve wanted to lose. Or, you can up-level your performance and start building more strength by changing your activities.

Exercise is Getting Mundane

A 30-minute cardio session can feel like a marathon if you aren’t enjoying the activities. Are you choosing exercises that you enjoy? Maybe you used to love your workouts, but now you are bored from the same-old activities each time.

When it comes to exercise routines, it’s easy to hit a place of boredom. If you are following the same activities, you might have a hard time sticking to the exercises because they are no longer exciting.

One key to exercise success is to make sure you are enjoying the activities you are choosing. If you find that you are starting to lose motivation, it might be a sign that you need to switch up your workouts.

Find something that you love to do so that the workouts are more exciting and fun. The goal is to give yourself something that you can look forward to instead of feeling like you are suffering through every exercise session. Even something as small as jogging outside instead of on a treadmill can be a great way to change the scenery and add interest to your routine.

Personal Advice for Your Fitness Routine

One way to maintain motivation with your exercise routine is to access a fitness facility with high-quality equipment and expert support. So, as you are moving along your fitness journey, we invite you to join Fitness Nation. Not only do we maintain clean, modern facilities, but you can access all the weights and equipment you need. Plus, choose from a variety of classes and personal training options to get personalized recommendations.