I've always heard that you need to "change up" your exercise routine. But I have a question about what changing it up actually means. I love the Precor elliptical machine. Due to some physical limitations, I can't do the exercise bike and I just don't like the treadmill. SO, does just changing the settings or the program on the same machine enough to change it up? I try to do a different program or change up the elevation and resistance each time, but I want to make sure it's enough of a change. I do the rowing machine once a week, but I don't like it as much as the elliptical. Any advice?

Mel

Mel,

I see a lot of great responses.. This is what I have found w/exercise in my experience. When I first started back in 2004, I started on the bike and the elliptical. We have one type of elliptical at the gym that both the arms and legs move. the other only the legs, but the incline can be increased. The gym recently purchased a rowing machine. I mostly workout on the elliptical. I think and studies have supported that changing it up is good. When I first started on the elliptical, I could only do a resistance level of 1 or 2 and was not able to even go to the highest level, which is 20.

When I started to feel my cardio was at a plateau a few months ago. I started to mix it up more. I vary the resistance, the incline, even the time at a level. Sometimes I will do 5 minutes for each resistance/level I choose. Other times, I will change it when my CD player goes to the next song. Going backwards is still kind of strange for me. I have also switched by working out on the first type of elliptical and then finish up with the other. This week, I pushed for the first time do to resistance level 10. I have been working on the increased resistance for quite some time. I only worked at that level for a few minutes.. It was very challenging.

I know most people like the treadmill, but I'm like you I really don't like it. I would rather go for an actually walk.

I have recently added walking to my routine. Again to mix it up. I mix it up when I weight train also. I don't always do the same exercises and rarely in the same order. I even vary the types of crunches. I actually haven't been back on the bike in a while. When I get the urge to ride, then I will.

hope this helps!



Serene

quote:

Originally posted by TriGirl:
Maybe once spring comes you can get some outdoor workouts in for variety. But I wouldn't get too hung up on exercising "right" -- if you are doing it regularly, that's what's really important.

Thanks, Jen....acutally, the weather has been so great now (I'm in FL) that I've been thinking of trying something outside. Normally, it's so hot that outside it's not an option. It's been a VERY mild winter and I need to get out more. I guess I'm realizing that I am a creature of habit - even if I don't like to admit it and when the ellipticals are full, I just don't know what to do. I've decided that I'll do the elliptical, but also add some weight training for variety. Thanks for all of hte input, I'm acutally working all of your advice into my "new" routine.

Mel

Maybe once spring comes you can get some outdoor workouts in for variety. But I wouldn't get too hung up on exercising "right" -- if you are doing it regularly, that's what's really important.

I change up my exercise somewhat frequently. I just make it a personal point to not do the same routine twice in a row. Plus, I get easily burned out and/or bored with the same routines. (The same goes for my exercise music.)

So, in the summer, I'll switch between running & walking outside with my outdoor bike and my roller blades.

Right now, I'm spending lots of time roller blading indoors, working out to numerous different DVDs, occasionally recumbent biking or treadmilling and ice skating.

I always play with the settings on the ellipital and staytionary bike. I'll do 4 mins of normal and then 1 min of really difficult. Makes it more interesting.

I haven't gotten to the point where I have to crank it up to the very highest level to get my heart rate up.

The changing up your exercise thing also depends on your goals. If losing and maintaining is your goal, do someing... do anything. You don't have to always be changing up your exercise for weight loss or weight management. Statistics prove that whole "you have to always be changing" theory wrong.

I have never read that the members of the National Weight Control Registry ALL got stuck and HAD to always be changing up their exercise to lose and maintain. I've read the opposite. 75% of the people in the NWCR walk for exercise.

But they do walk way more than the average American and the average NWCR member walks about an hour a day (although some people believe that 1 hour number may be a little over estimated.)

If you enjoy the elliptical and do it, and are motivated to continue doing it, then do it.

And there is nothing wrong with trying other stuff and seeing if you like it.

Mel
Changing your resistance, speed, settings, the direction of your legs are all good things.

I would encourage you though to push yourself to continuing rowing too. It's good to do different movements as it targets different muscle groups.

One of the other reasons you hear people saying to change things up is that most people get bored doing the same thing over and over again.

I also find that on the cardio equipment that I use a lot, it takes much more effort on my part to elevate my heart rate where it needs to be to optimally burn calories because my body has gotten used to that activity.

For example, I use the stairmaster very often and I can easily do 30 minutes or more at the very highest setting. On the other hand, I just recently have been able to jump rope for any relatively decent length of time and it still wears me out very quickly.

I push myself to jump rope because I know that I'm getting more out of it right now and working harder (and burning more).

PS In my opinion, it's more important to change your resistance training program every 3 - 6 weeks because of muscle adaptation. There is lots in the fitness literature that support that.