If you are fortunate enough like me, you have time to include different modes of exercise each week.
Maybe a sport? Resistance training? A blast of HIIT or cardio? And if are really lucky, you squeeze in a little stretching or yoga?
With all your efforts, are you getting the results you really want? Stronger? Leaner? Faster? More mobile? Losing weight? Better at your sport?
If you answered no, you are highly likely to be doing the same old exercises and routines that once upon a time worked.
Plateau alert!
Don’t get me wrong, more often than not I include the same 4-6 foundational exercises when planning my program.
The trick however, is that every 2-6 weeks I change the speed/tempo of the exercise, or the weight or the the repetitions, or the rest time.
Other times, I change the way exercises are combined with other exercises and then introduce a few new ones.
You will see what I mean soon.
In my Total Fitness Video Program I use a huge variety of exercises to keep it interesting and challenging. Most of exercises are derived from foundational movements like squats, lunges, deadlifts and push ups.
Furthermore, I make very intentional changes to the exercises and the way they are performed at the end of each four week cycle.
This is how the body continues to change and avoids the ‘dreaded plateau.’
Try the program FREE here to see what I mean.
Recently I put this concept to the test when I added 8 cm to my jump over two months. Anecdotally my core got stronger and leaner with all the explosive movements, and who doesn’t mind that as a side effect!
Broadly speaking this is what I did.
The first two-three weeks included heavy resistance training, 3-5 sets and 4-6 reps.
Movements like deadlifts, squats, thrusters and split squats.
I also performed 1-2 sets of a plyometric exercise like broad jumps before beginning each resistance exercise. This was followed by 90-120 seconds rest periods.
There were very slight improvements in my jump height after this first block of training, which surprised me as I felt a lot stronger and more explosive, I hoped this would be more reflected in my measurements.
Did I stop and say this is not working? Which is often the case when people don’t see results in a short period of time. Of course not, I carried on.
Next I did one week of speed/plyometric training. This consisted of various beach sprints, agility movements, and a variety of jumps. No resistance training.
Then back to two-three weeks of heavy resistance, 3-5 sets and 4-6 reps.
However this time as soon as I finished a resistance set, I would go straight into an explosive movement, for example box jumps straight after deadlifts. Again big rest periods after each set.
After this, back to a week of speed on the sand with a few variations in rest and working time.
Oh and in case you didn’t know, I am a beach volleyball athlete, hence all the sand work and desire for a bigger jump.
Now after this block of training is where the magic happened.
When I measured my block jump it had increased 8cm, my standing jump had increased 5cm and my spike jump had improved 3cm. Totally worth persevering the extra month.
Im into a new resistance block and my jump will stagnate a little until the next block of speed training. It’s a really exciting process.
What I hope you take from this little dive into my training protocol, is the importance of a little planning and intentionally changing the way you train every 2-6 weeks.
Do this and you will have the best possible chance of reaching whatever crazy goals you have your sights set on.
If all this sounds a bit overwhelming and you have no idea where to start, then a can’t recommend enough that you try my Total Fitness Video Program. I have done all the work for you. Of course I’m biased, I created it and it works.
Mwah
Micah
