Frequency of Changing Routines

[BendtheBar]

How often do you change routines and why?

I get this question a lot from beginners. Many of the muscle mags preach muscle confusion and frequent changing of routines.

Just wondering what you believe and follow?

[BendtheBar]

My story ...I trained using the same basic approach for the first 20 years I lifted. I did split it different, starting at 3 on 1 off, eventually moving to training each bodypart once a week, but I trained using the same exercises and rep schemes.

[onetiredkris]

Never, i have what i like and it works just fine.

People get way to damn into routine work and never ride one out the way it should be anyway. As long as the weights are moving up and your happy + not getting injured = then its all good.

[kman025]

i think it's ok to change as long as you keep progressing... the people who change programs every 3 weeks and then deload each time (as noobs) are wasting their time.

[BendtheBar]

So if you do change routines, what exactly are you changing? I guess that's the key question?

[IronManlet]

I've only changed a routine twice; once because I was stalling on 5x5, and again because the routine I was on was holding me back a bit.

But I think I'll be running the one I'm doing now for a long time. No need to change what works.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by IronManlet

No need to change what works.

I think that's the key statement for me.

I speak from a muscle building standpoint. In that context for naturals, persistence on a core group of quality lifts goes a long way. If someone wants to switch up rep ranges, or play with rest pause, etc., I see no issue with that as long as progression is at the forefront of an approach.

But when someone is thinking about swapping squats for leg extensions in the name of muscle confusion...well, I consider that thinking epic fail.

I know most of us here know better, but it still amazes me how much this mentality is still prevalent in the lifting community.

[strkout35]

Originally Posted by bb.com noob

Keeping the same exercises will make me plateau. Variation is the key. This is why im looking for new shoulder exercises.

just read this in a bb.com thread and facepalmed hard

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by strkout35

just read this in a bb.com thread and facepalmed hard

Yes, exactly. Perhaps he should work in side laterals on an unstable surface...

I hate to sound so cynical, but that mentality really needs to take a long look at pre-steroid era training.

[IronManlet]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Yes, exactly. Perhaps he should work in side laterals on an unstable surface...

I hate to sound so cynical, but that mentality really needs to take a long look at pre-steroid era training.

My thoughts exactly. In fact, many of the fitness models of modern times would be put to shame next to someone like John Grimek, Arthur Saxon, or Hermann Goerner (sp?); who all trained with very basic movements throughout their careers and were strong as oxen.