I Spin everyday and I am in pretty good shape but someone said I need “Muscle Confusion”. Huh?

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I Spin everyday and I am in pretty good shape but someone said I need “Muscle Confusion”. Huh?

By Christina | June 9, 2008

Spinning is a fantastic exercise program because anyone can do it, all levels can ride in one class, the elements are of no consequence and it’s fun. The downside, no one exercise activity is enough to keep you balanced. Spinning for instance is leg intensive. Most of the activity is done while you pedal a bike and obviously, pedaling is done with the legs. This means your arms and core are completely left out.

That said, your question is about muscle confusion which is what you need when your workouts are no longer bringing you the desired effects such as losing weight or increasing your VO2 Max. You must participate in different activities to continually challenge your body. Think of your body and muscles like a business; when you start a new venture, you are not efficient. As you grow and learn you benefit from the economies of scale principle which means you are better at doing what you know and you are making the most of your knowledge and tools. The body is the same.

When you go for your first jog, your legs are thinking “what is going on here?” So they are sore after the first day. Two years and 2000 miles later your legs are pros at running, they slip into auto pilot and do it efficiently, they recruit many fewer muscle fibers to perform the same task.

If you are into weight training, try changing up your routine. If you are doing flat supine bench presses one day than on your next chest day try doing an incline bench press instead. This exercise will still work the pectorials but from a slightly different angle. Other good exercises for the chest include the cable crossover and dumbbell flyes. Mix things up a bit by doing different exercises on different days for the same muscle group. One day you might start off with flat benches followed by dumbbell flyes on an incline bench. The next time you work chest you might try your hand at doing parallel dips followed by some cable crossovers then maybe some pushups. There is no end to the variety of exercises that you can implement.

Another good way to change your routine around is by doing different reps and sets each workout. For instance one workout you could do 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps. Then for your next workout try doing 5 sets of 5 reps with slightly heavier weights. Different rep schemes work different types of muscle fibers. Different exercises work your muscles from different angles. If you keep doing the same exercises every workout than that will lead to a lopsided development and could result in possible injury. If you are injured then you would have to work around that injury or stop working out altogether. This is not a very desireable condition to be in.

Muscle confusion is the principle of changing your routines to keep your body guessing. The human body is very efficient at adapting to its environment and will seek to maintain homeostasis. If you’ve hit a plateau then you will need to make changes in your diet and to your exercise routine. Why limit your choices when you can have it all? So confusion is actually a good thing.

Other ways to add variety to a stalled program:

Switch from free weights to pulley cable exercises
Changing from from machines to dumbells
Cross training is excellent way to add variety to your routines.

This change in routines will also be useful in helping to prevent injury from overuse caused by doing the same exercises.

A good general fitness routine consists of three things; 1) Aerobic exercises to increase cardiovascular fitness i.e. jogging, swimming, biking, etc. 2) Resistance anaerobic strength training to build lean muscle, working all the major core muscle groups including the legs, hips, waist, chest, and back. 3) Stretching everyday for 5 to 10 minutes.

Consistently changing your workout routines encourages your body to adapt and become stronger. Changing the actual exercises will prevent you from hitting a plateau and result in new levels of increased fitness and health for you.

Confused? Seek out the assistance of a certified and trained Personal Trainer.

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