6 Signs It's Time to Switch Your Workout Routine
A workout program is effective until a fitness plateau happens. Usually, a plateau occurs after six months or more of straightly following a single fitness regime. During this period, your body will be used to the physical demands that you’ll no longer lose weight, burn fat, or grow muscles.
But these are only the common signs that you should change or upgrade your workout routine. What are the others to look out for so you can avoid wasting time and effort? Read on to find out.
1. You’re bored
Most people who haven’t been physically active for a long time dread exercising. But to those who have been working out consistently, it stimulates excitement and motivation. If you’re part of the latter but have noticed boredom as you do your routine, you need to do other forms of activities. For example, if you focused on cardio training before, do more strength training this time.
2. The workouts are easy
As mentioned, one symptom of a fitness plateau is you getting used to a workout routine’s physical demands. Sets and reps that were hard to achieve before are now completed without breaking a sweat. Once this happens, it would be best to add challenges to your program.
Let’s say running for two more miles every morning, lifting heavier weights, or adding more sets and reps per specific exercise.
3. Always sore in the same area or never sore
Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is common after rigorous training and it can be felt in muscle areas that are targeted by your workout routine. However, if the soreness doesn’t go away in a specific muscle group despite recovering for days, it means that you’ve overtrained and need to modify your fitness routine to a more effective one.
4. You’re less energetic
Working out may cause you to spend energy but that doesn’t mean it should leave you drained all the time. On the contrary, exercising should boost your metabolic rate and increase your energy levels. Like DOMS, being perpetually tired after completing a fitness routine is a sign of overtraining. Adjustments should be made by reducing the intensity of the program.
5. Muscle imbalances are noticeable
We’re not just talking about imbalances in your physical performance like a stronger lifting power with low stamina and endurance. What we also mean are imbalances in how you look. The most common imbalance caused by a bad workout program is the “chicken legs” appearance.
Fitness regimens should be complete. In other words, no muscle group should be neglected. Review your training program now and see if the entire routine leads to full body development.
6. Your heart rate doesn’t increase accordingly as your workout
In addition to finding your workout easy as a result of a fitness plateau, you also have the symptom of a normal heart rate (HR) despite doing highly difficult exercise. This can only be noticed if you wear a smartwatch or any device with an HR monitor. And like the problem in #2, it can also be fixed by adding challenges to your workouts.
Knowing the signs of a workout plateau or a bad fitness routine in advance is important for an athlete. By doing so, you can immediately make changes to your exercise program to avoid wasting time waiting for results. You’ll also prevent physical and performance imbalances that would cause problems later on in your pro cheer career.
Need more fitness tips? Check these articles out!
- Electrolytes: Ways to Add Them to Your Fitness and Wellness Routine
- 5 Recovery Tips for Post-Workout Fatigue
- 3 Reasons Consistency Is the Key to Progress in Your Fitness Goals (And How to Develop It)
- How to Burn More Calories Throughout the Day
- Pilates for Pro Cheer Fitness: How to Get Started
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