Alter Your Workout Next Time You’re at one of Toronto's Gyms

Dec. 15, 2012 - PRLog -- Everyone in Toronto knows that exercise is critical in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Going to the gym and hitting the treadmill, elliptical machine, exercise bike or even the free-weights are beneficial to burning excess calories. But what do you do once you’ve reached a fitness plateau?

Consistency at your gym is the key. Ask any fitness lover, they’ll tell you that getting to the gym is a chore at first, but once you make your appearances regular, a day off from the gym will feel like a wasted day. This is where most people make a mistake: it’s your day off from the gym, your resting periods, where your muscle tissue repairs itself. One should limit their gym appearances to 3-4 days a week, with a rest day in-between each visit.

Choose a program that you can stick to for 2 to 3 months. A program that mixes cardio with strength training. Rotate your body parts being worked on each session. Then change the program up after a few months has passed. Why? Because after doing the same exercises repetitively, your body gets used to the work you are putting into it. Your muscle expansion from the same exercises reaches its peak. At first, these exercises will provide you with immediate physical results, and consistently doing them will improve your stamina and strength. But doing the same activities in the gym will not provide you with new results, or changes.

Changing your workout routine after several months is the secret to altering the shape of your body. Professional athletes and personal trainers will tell you no differently - anyone doing the same routine can’t expect new results. Shocking your body with extra weight, repeated sets or alternative cardio will force your body into providing you with new results. This change-up must be implemented at least 4 times a year. Doing the same routine over-and-over may burn the same amount of calories, but if that’s all you’re doing, you’re coasting. Challenge yourself!

The reason your body adjusts to any routine workout is simple: once it gets used to the work you’re putting into it, it no longer needs to improve. This is why changing up your workout routine every few months is essential: the new stress your body is under, via cardio and strength training, suddenly needs to be accommodated. This is where changes to your body are implemented. One cannot do the same thing, without changing it, and expect new results. To keep improving your body, one has to challenge it.

Get creative when changing your routine. Weightlifters can add extra weight with less sets. New lifting techniques and exercises should be researched. Try a different program on your favorite cardio machine. Jog outside instead of in. There are many options to chose from. Perhaps a change in gyms is necessary, if equipment is an issue. It may even be worth talking to a Toronto personal trainer for professional advice. The bottom line: If your workout starts to become boring, it’s time to make a change.

Find local gyms in Toronto: http://www.ultimatetoronto.com/directory/gyms.html

Find a local gyms in Toronto near you: http://www.ultimatetoronto.com/directory/gyms.html