However, there is another element to achieving exercise success, which I briefly mentioned at the end of that article. I wrote, “any of the exercise types above would also need to follow an appropriate level of program rotation or variation to keep the body stimulated.” So, what does that look like, and what does it mean for you?
The reason we need to rotate our exercise routine is to prevent you from hitting an exercise plateau. This happens when your fitness progress stalls, even if you’re still putting in the effort. When you keep doing the same exercises at the same intensity, your body no longer finds it challenging, and as a result, your progress slows or stops altogether.
This is explained by the theory of exercise adaptation. When you introduce a new stimulus, whether it’s running two miles, lifting an 80 kg weight, or trying something new, your body initially struggles. In response, it adapts by improving the specific physical abilities that were stressed, like increasing your aerobic fitness from running or building muscle from weightlifting. But over time, your body becomes comfortable with the stimulus and stops adapting, even if you continue working out. This means despite sweating or getting out of breath you no longer get faster, fitter or stronger. At this point you need to introduce something new, maybe you jog 3 miles, or lift 90kg. This new stimulus would signal to the body to keep adapting.
This process of continually increasing the exercise demand on the body is called progressive overload. To ensure you apply this principle it is important you use a targeted fitness program. For beginners to exercise, any consistent training will yield results, but as you advance in your fitness journey, a more tailored approach is necessary. This was why I wrote my first book: Rugby Fitness Training: A Twelve Month Conditioning Programme, to give rugby players a road map to make long term fitness gains and not waste years training and being stuck on a fitness plateau like I did. The plan in the book was a periodized training plan. This method is used by professional athletes to ensure continuous progress without stagnation.
Periodization can be as simple as changing your workout every four weeks or varying the number of reps you do. This keeps the body adapting and prevents it from settling into a comfort zone. The same principle applies to cardio, where you could adjust your interval training.
What Does This Mean For You?
If you are working out regularly but not seeing the results you want, it’s likely time to reassess your routine. Instead of working harder, you need to work smarter. By understanding the theory of adaptation and incorporating periodization into your workouts, you’ll keep your body progressing and avoid the frustration of a plateau. Whether you’re a beginner or a more advanced athlete, varying your exercises is crucial for sustained fitness improvements.
A simple way to adjust your weight training is by cycling the target reps. For example, you do 15 reps per exercise one month, the next month 10 reps and the following month aim for 5 reps per set. You can then return to the 15 reps and repeat the three month cycle again. You would obviously adjust the weight used to match your changing reps and increasing strength.
For cardio, you could vary the length of your long run, one month 10km, next 12.5km and final month 15km before repeating the cycle. With intervals you could change the length done that month so you do 1km’s in the first month, 750m intervals the next and the final month 500m. Once again you could repeat this cycle.
While there are many ways to continue to apply progressive overload these simple rotation cycles are easy to implement and work well for regular exercisers. It will allow you to jump up a level with your fitness. Eventually, you will reach a level where a more targeted exercise programme will be essential.
Below is a picture of me at the Essex Games, me and another Ben came 12th out of 146 pairs. It is basically a Hyrox based format (8 x 1km running with an exercise in between) but done in a field in Basildon with a couple of different exercise stations. It was a great day out and part of my preparation for Hyrox doubles in Birmingham and Hyrox Pro in Poland at the end of this month.
Photo – The Essex Games, see here>>
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