I get a lot of questions from people asking how to change up their workout routine. There are a lot of answers to that, but I’m going to focus on one specific way that can reignite your next gym session.
I’m a huge believer in changing up your tempo. Sometimes things get “boring” or monotonous in the gym, especially when we get complacent which happens to all of us at times. Changing up your tempo can feel like a whole other exercise. The muscles will freak out screaming “what are you doing?” This will trigger more muscle recruitment and damage for growth and conditioning.
Sometimes things get “boring” or monotonous in the gym, especially when we get complacent which happens to all of us at times. Changing up your tempo can feel like a whole other exercise.
There are several ways to change up the tempo of the exercise. No matter what you are doing, try doing the exercise slowly. Take about 3 times long as it would normally take to complete the movement. For example: When doing lateral raises, really slow down the eccentric lowering of the dumbbells. You will notice the muscles fighting harder to resist than the gravitational force. This will defiantly set your shoulders on fire forcing more muscle recruitment. Another form of tempo change is to do half reps in-between a normal full rep. For example: When doing a squat movement, perform a half squat or pulse. At the bottom of the squat continue halfway up, then go back down before raising all the way to the top. This will challenge your legs in a different way. This keeps muscles under tension a little longer and will adhibit muscle confusion which causes them to strengthen.
The next time you hit the gym try changing up the tempo. I promise it will feel like you are doing a whole different exercise. You don’t have to do this every time, but it’s a great tool to use for building your physique and fitness in general.
Photo By: Andrew Feraci
