That's Fit

In order to take your body to the next level, and to finally break through the wall you may have recently hit, you have to push yourself to reach levels beyond those already reached. Your workout brought you to where you are today, but unless you're amenable to changing things up, it is there where you'll stay.

This is why changing your workout every four to six weeks is so important. Equally as important is that you constantly try to improve upon your previous bests. Otherwise, you'll forever be lifting the same amount of weight for the same number of reps or running the same distance for the same amount of time. This is called maintenance, not progress. For progress to occur, you must always be willing to do even the slightest bit more than you did last time, as it is this incremental change that will ensure improved performance and better health over time.

Simple changes can come in the form of adding a pound or two to weight your currently lifting, increasing the speed on a treadmill by .1 or .2 on your next run, or even adding a 5-minute session of jumping rope to the end of the workout you're currently doing. You can really turn up the dial and try running to and from the gym every day rather than driving; performing walking lunges in between sets as you move from station to station instead of taking a leisurely stroll; and performing your entire workout while wearing a weighted vest.


Whatever method you ultimately decide on, be sure that is both different and more strenuous than the workout you are currently performing. If you avoid the temptation to go overboard and increase the level of difficulty too dramatically all at once, you should be able to safely make the transition without any added risk of injury or over-training.