There is a tendency to want to constantly vary up the exercise routine—to “confuse the muscle”. This is fine when it comes to cardiorespiratory endurance and, perhaps, muscle endurance, but, to build muscle strength, you have to progressively overload the muscle. Along with progressive overload, you have to consider recovery. Adaptation is stimulated in the gym, but it occurs in the time between exercise sessions.
Novelty, i.e., changes to the exercise routine affect the maximal recoverable volume1. Hence, one should stick to a plan for at least 3-6 weeks (a mesocycle in terms of periodization) to allow for progression. It is difficult, after all, to add weight to an exercise you do only every couple of weeks or more.
For the most part, stick to the basics—squat, deadlift, bench, row, and overhead press—in your strength routine. Plan progression and allow time to adapt. Pick only a limited number of variations of the ‘basic 5’ to perform regularly throughout your mesocycle and allow yourself to get stronger at these.
Strength gains come from both neurological and morphological adaptations. Neurological adaptations require learning and practice—the mastering of technique. Morphological changes, e.g., muscle hypertrophy, requires overload.
Activate the smaller support muscles via high-intensity interval resistance training workout (HIIRT), e.g., burst or “Tabata” training. Train the big muscles consistently and heavy. The quadriceps are being trained whether you are doing back squats, front squats, Bulgarian split squats, or lunges. All that matters for growth is that they are overloaded.
Of course, vary your exercise from mesocycle to mesocycle, and vary some aspects of the exercise (e.g., the tempo or intensity) across the microcycle (i.e., training week), but focus on consistency and progress. Don’t let your desire to make gains be diminished by feelings of boredom. Focus on the long-term goals and stick to the plan.
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
1Mike Israetel & James Hoffman. How Much Should I Train? Renaissance Periodization.