Like most questions regarding performance and fitness, the answer is gray… a yes or no answer lies in the details.
First... if you have no variation then you can expect boredom, which can lead to lack of motivation.
Second... variation creates confusion, which is beneficial for breaking plateaus. In training plateaus are when you reach a ceiling regarding time and/or weight lifted.
How much exercise variation is really necessary? The answer is some… Fitness allows for more exercise variation than athletics but still shouldn't be all the time.
Basically, with fitness you can get away with more confusion and variation, while in athletics you should be more focused on specific lifts and skills that apply directly to what your needs are athletically.
With all skills, reps on reps are 100% necessary to adapt. For example, regarding the skill of 'sprinting', stop focusing on a wide array of speed drills and only focus on a few. Too many exercises will drastically limit the results. You are better off training with less while using more purposeful drills that you can adapt to, which directly improve the skill.
It is important to note that “variation” should really come from programming in phases for training that work with variables such as intensity, overall volume and rest times. Exercise variation, although necessary to an extent, is secondary to program variable variation. I will lay out an example of program variation with the same exercises selected.
Week One – Day One… this is a lower body focused day, working towards hypertrophy
Glute Raises @ 3 sets of 15 each side
Back Squats @ 4 sets of 10 reps (55-65% 1RM)
Bulgarian Split Squats @ 3 sets of 12 reps each side
Prone Leg Curls @ 3 sets of 15
Week Two – Day One… this is a lower body focused day, working towards strength with hypertrophy
Glute Raises @ 3 sets of 18 reps each side
Back Squats @ 4 sets of 8, 6, 4, 4 (70-85% 1RM)
Bottom Bulgarian Squats @ 3 sets of 10 reps each side
Prone Leg Curls @ 3-4 sets of 12 reps
The exercises selected do not change much, as you can see, but the variables within the workout vary.
Exercise variation is not a bad thing but it is better to improve at a handful of exercises rather than trying to get better at 100 different ones.
Are you drinking a protein shake after each workout???
At minimum everyone should be eating 1 gram of protein per 1lb of bodyweight per day!! Following each workout you NEED to make sure you are focused on getting 25-40g of protein following each workout. NOT ALL PROTEIN IS CREATED EQUAL!! Choose Grass Fed Whey Protein, Isolate...
Pick your flavor:
Any questions on training or programming email me at FMFMark@gmail.com ... thank you for reading!!
