Some advise doing the same exercises consistently and seek to progress steadily workout by workout. Others suggest mixing it up – most famous being Tony Horton’s muscle confusion approach. There’s probably a benefit to doing both.
It’s a point that I bring up because it seems like every workout, I do something a little different. But for me, it has little to do with breaking up the monotony of the same workout day in and day out; or trying to incorporate some fancy training principle into what I do.
It’s just necessity and working with what I got.
And to me that’s key…
Don’t not do something because you’re missing an apparatus or the guy is doing 10 sets of 2 reps with 5 minute breaks between sets on the bench – AND there’s only one bench – wow – change gyms – or is that you?
Oh man, though, before I go any further…somedays, I think I’m getting too old for this. Yesterday, at my “dayjob,” I worked from 11am to about 11pm. Because someone’s trying to kill me, I think; my schedule had me coming back at 3am (to open the store) and work til 1pm.
I got home, had a bite to eat, showered, and rested an hour or so. Then I head back in. By 11am (a mere 24 hours), I was toast. I called it a day around quarter to noon.
Came home, spent some time with the kids before napping from 2pm until about 6.
And surprisingly, I decided to take my Bodylastics bands to the park again around 7. (normally, I’d be, like, yeah, no workout today – just sleep more, but not tonight – I was smokin’ and pumpin’)
Which leads to the question of working out on an empty gut versus eating something before. The last meal I had was at 1am. Since then it was all fluids – water, juice, and some coffee.
Good workout – felt good all the way home. Once home, though, felt about light headed and dizzy. Having showered, and drinking milk with nesquik, I feel much better.
I think I’ll look into the benefits of working out with no food versus eating before. This is interesting.
Back to the workout variations…
- Instead of elevated pushups, did dips on parallel bars – wow – what a pump
- Used ankle straps to do lateral raises again, but this time; did it one arm at a time.
- For both one arm fly and laterals, no rest; did one arm, switched, back and forth until 4 total sets done per side.
- Alternated bent leg raises while hanging from a chin-up and on parallel bars. Leg raises on parallel bars really burned the abs. Good feeling.
- No plank.
With the various bars and apparatus at the fitness park, I actually got better movements versus using the door anchor at either the top or bottom of the door.
Overhead tricep extension, face pulls, shoulder presses all felt much more fluid.
So go to the park and try it there – good for a change. And the fresh air is pretty good too.
