One of the principles of exercise is the PRINCIPLE OF ADAPTATION; this essentially means that over time you’re musculoskeletal and your cardiovascular system will start to adapt to your new workout.
Ever notice how you are so sore after a new work out, but after about 2 weeks or so, it gets harder and harder to feel sore? (remember we want to feel sore right!)
This is because your body is just getting immune to the same monotonous workout, and this is when plateaus occur.
To avoid plateauing, mix things up! This is exactly why I went to Martin for a second training session.
I cycled through Martin’s Routine and Martin’s Routine II: Four weeks on the former, and four weeks on the latter.
And every four weeks, without fail, I saw significant changes in my body!
RULE OF THUMB: Variety is the secret to success!
Not only will variety have your body guessing – eliminating the possibility of plateauing, but it will also remove the staleness and boredom that seems to creep up, thus increasing motivation!
Speaking of exercise variety…
As you know, I haven’t been able to post as often as I would like, and I didn’t log my Shoulder & Chest Workout from last week.
This workout was the first day of the new routine.
I started Martin’s Routine II. It is also a 3-day split workout.
You can read a little blurb about how awesome Martin is under Martin’s Routine, and I have linked his website, so be sure to check that out too.
You can find all of that under “Routines” in the “Training” tab.
Incline Dumbbell Flye 12 X 3 @ 15 lbs
Crunches on Ball 25 X 3
Flat Bench 12/10/9 @ 50 lbs
Jackknifes 20 X 3
Shoulder Press on Hammer Strength 9/8/6 @ 50 lbs
Push Up on Balance Board 17/11/9
Lateral Dumbbell Raise on Bosy 12 X 3 @ 8lbs
Followed by the usual HIIT on the treadmill for 28 mins – 30 sec sprints (7.7 mph – 8.7 mph) and 30 sec walks (4.0 mph)
Oh, by the way, I wrote that Biomechanics exam that I was studying for over the weekend. Holy *&^*&%!!
It started off super fun, I was zooming through the exam, hardly thinking…almost like it was second nature…almost like I was a physicists (ha ha yah right!).
And then it came to the short answer and I was like Double U, Tee, Eff.
The very first short answer question had me staring at it blankly for a good 15 minutes. Writing, erasing, writing, erasing….Now that obviously wasted a ton of my time, which caused me to be super rushed on the rest of the short answers (even though I knew how to do them), and then it came to the last short answer, which again, I stared at BLANKLY. Eight marks right there gone. Poop. O well, as long as I pass I am happy (yuck, I hate saying that…but it’s true…I just need to make sure I pass…)
You know in high school when you went to exams and hadn’t studied a wink (or maybe that was just me), and you would stare at the exam blankly, borderline tears, wishing you had actually studied instead of chat on the phone, watch TV, and surf the web????
Well that is EXACTLY how I felt. Kinda…not as bad. but still.
Anyway, enough…I am starting to talk to myself now.
Today I can FINALLY get back to my routine and hit the gym, perhaps go for a nice yoga class in the evening! Woot!
I’ll log todays workout in the evening.
If you’re reading then I am sending love and good energy your way 😉
O and P.S. Sorry for not posting any visuals.
I don’t know about you, but when I read blogs, I usually skim through them and look at the pictures, and only then do I read them.
But the visuals have to catch my eye before I decide to read them hehe.
Blogs with no visuals are no fun right?!
Sooooo, instead I’ll leave you with some audio to substitute for a lack of visuals 🙂 Enjoy!
sweatpantsandeggplants 