Should I Change My Training?

So you’ve been on a training for a while. You’re starting to wonder if the plan you're on is still right for you. Should you stay on the plan for longer? When should you switch up your workouts? Here is a guide to deciding whether it is time to change training plans.

Respond that you agree or disagree with the following statements

1) I feel like my workouts are adequately hard

2) I am enjoying the styles of workouts I do

3) I feel myself getting stronger/things are getting easier

4) I am recovering sufficiently between workouts

5) I have not reached one of my fitness goals

If you disagreed with 1-2 of the statements above you may want to consider changing training plans or at least assessing your progress on your current plan. If you disagreed with 3 or more of the above statements then it’s highly likely that your current training plan is ineffective and staying on it will result in a plateau or loss of fitness.

There are many reasons that it may be time to modify or outright move on to a new training plan. Here are some

-Workouts are feeling easy, you are not getting anywhere close to failure or a high level of tension.

-Workouts are feeling very hard and you are failing sets, having difficulty properly performing the exercise, or not feeling recovered enough by the time you have planned to workout again.

-You feel that you have mastered a movement and it no longer challenges you enough

-Your motivation to attend or complete your planned workouts is low

-When you are working out, you feel like you are ‘just going through the motions.’

-You have achieved a goal that you set out to accomplish at the start of the training plan

In some cases, it may be time to start fresh and start a new training plan that will support your new goal or level of fitness. At Goal Based Training we offer training plans tailored towards specific goals as well as customized training plans specific to your unique goals.

In other cases, you just need to reassess and adjust your training plan. This might be the case if you have not achieved the goal you set out to achieve at the start of the training plan. You may still find value in an exercise, finding it adequately stimulating as well as a movement you enjoy so why remove it. Sometimes the plan needs a modification of the training variables to meet current fitness and needs. For example increasing the weight, number of sets, reps, or variations could all provide adequate adjustment to allow the plan to continue working.

Simple Fixes:

Feeling exhausted- Decrease volume, intensity, or frequency

Too Difficult- Regress to an easier exercise

Still Feeling ‘fresh’- Increase volume, intensity, or frequency

Too Easy- Progress to a more challenging exercise

Boring- Change/add complexity to exercises

The Bottom Line

Wherever you’re at now, take a look at your workouts and ask yourself these questions: Are my workouts feeling productive? Am I making progress towards reaching my goals? If you answered no to either or both of these questions, you may be working against your goal or missing key factors leaving your work less effective than it could be. Identifying the factors holding your progress back will guide you in freeing up wasted energy, and refocusing on what works.