Variety is the spice of life, so they say. Three weeks into the challenge and unlike Hubby, I hadn’t really ventured out of my comfort zone. I’ve stuck to the good ole elliptical and the same weight machines thus far. Hubby, in the meanwhile, has played racquetball (a sport he only picked up this month), switched up weight machines each leg, arm, and core day, used the stair stepper, and even decided to forgo the elevator altogether to climb up 20 flights of stairs from the gym to our apartment. I’m not the athletic sort, so climbing stairs has the same appeal to me as running a marathon. Let’s be real, I’d be a goner after the 3rd flight of stairs.
Realizing this, I had to wonder, though, whether my lack of variety was hindering my progress. Yes, a body gets used to repetitive exercises, but what at point should I switch up my workout? Enter the F.I.T.T. principle, which stands for frequency, intensity, time, and type. It’s recommended to change at least two of those four elements every four to six weeks. Gladly, I hadn’t reached the four-week mark just yet.
In between changing exercise routines, however, there is a benefit to making small changes to get better results. Micro-progressions are minor alterations in exercise technique that maintain the same pattern of movement, but challenge the body so as to avoid a training plateau. This could be as simple as switching up your stance or hand position. With all this in mind, I skipped the rowing machine and opted to try out two new upper-body weight machines—the shoulder press and the chest press. I also upped the weights on the Pulldown machine to 50 lbs because pulling down 40 lbs became a little too easy. Overall, it was a great workout!
30 Day Life Challenges 