Why progression is important in any fitness routine.

I have been thinking about this topic for awhile now. The start of this year I decided to write/follow a different training plan for my indoor rowing training. Change is not an easy thing in any given situation and for me personally changing a training plan that I have used (and enjoyed) for nearly a year is scary and somewhat intimidating. You tend to become lazy as the sessions are set for you and although there was a lot progress on these plans I needed another focus for this year and I also thought it would help my fledgling business if I were to start really understanding the sessions from the inside out.

I have found my training progressing nicely under the new plans, motivation is good as I want to prove to myself I can do this on my own and I really want to succeed in every area of my business. The sessions are challenging and interesting and I have learnt more about why different sessions call for different pacings etc.

SO..

As my indoor rowing training is progressing I have come to realise that my strength training needs to be mixed-up too. Progression in this area has been fantastic too but now I have got to a point where the lifts are heavy, and although I think I can do them I feel that I want to try some other resistance methods, such as switching it from low reps to high reps and high weight to low weight. I have decided to try this out for 1 month and look at the results/progression. The change in weights to lower ones will give my joints/muscles a break and probably do them some good and with the new routine my strength should stay where it is. For most weight routines its best to 'mix it up' after 3 months as your body gets used to the same lifts and its good to challenge it, it also helps prevent overuse injuries such as tendonitis, builds muscle in different areas, and can also relieve that boredom and re-focus your fitness goals!

Ultimately I will go back to lifting heavy as I need that explosive power and strength for my indoor rowing sprints but my body will thank me for a short break! So next time you're in the gym and you feel your bicep curls are boring you think about switching your routine for a couple of weeks to refocus you,

I guarantee the new challenge will kick-start your enthusiasm for fitness again!