If you’re like me, once you get into a habit of exercising, you like to stick to it. I’m the type of person who’d be content to just jog at the same time and for the same number of miles every day. But doing the same thing day in and day out isn’t the best way to keep your body in shape or reach your weight loss goals.
That’s because the human body is smart and it knows how to adapt to certain exercises over time. Here’s what you should know about exercise adaptation and how to keep pushing your body toward greater gains by mixing up your workout routines.
How Your Body Adapts to Exercises
When you start a new exercise program, you are more likely to see reductions in weight early on. But if you stick with the same exercise routine long enough, you’ll likely notice your results start to taper off. This can be very frustrating but is due to the body’s natural adaptation processes.
There are two primary ways the body adapts to exercise: the chronic physiological response and the acute physiological response. The former refers to long-term adaptations such as improved utilization of blood glucose and muscle glycogen as well as gains in endurance and metabolic changes. The acute physiological response refers to immediate changes in the body’s systems, such as an increased heart rate during exercise.
Both of these adaptations can lead to slower results when exercising. Your body becomes more efficient at performing exercises it is familiar with. To prevent this natural decline in results, it’s important to switch up your exercise routines regularly.
How to Avoid Adaptation
Avoiding adaptation is as simple as switching up your exercise routines regularly. Many experts recommend changing exercises every 3-5 weeks. Some people may be able to go as long as two months on the same exercise routine before finding it necessary to switch things up. Try different lengths of time to see what works best for you.
Changing your exercise routine regularly will help you avoid hitting annoying plateaus on your quest to reach your fitness goals. Alternating your workouts involves changing the exercises you perform, the length of your workouts, and workout intensity.
If you’ve struggled to reach your fitness goals, avoid doing the same exercise routines over and over again. Alternate your workouts to keep your body from adapting so you can keep moving steadily toward your fitness goals.