5 good reasons to periodically change your training plan

Periodically changing your training plan is synonymous with a challenge. If it's good as it is, change it to make it even better!

1. greater adherence. Nobody gives up!

The study was published in the Journal of Sport Behavior, after being presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Association (2000). Men and women, 114 in all, were divided into three groups. One group added different exercises to the training plan. Another kept to the same plan. And a third group didn't follow any schedules or rules. At the end of the study, the conclusions were analyzed: the participants in the 1st group enjoyed their classes 20% more than the members of the 2nd group and 45% more than those in the 3rd group. Variety contributed to greater adherence, according to the researchers. The study from the University of Florida, USA, "confirmed what many had already argued", according to the head of the research, Christine Spain. Christine, who at the time was in charge of studies for the Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, believes that in training, change helps you not to give up.

2. Level up: You can go further!

Some people like routines and the predictability of training. But most runners or athletes like to test the limits. If one day you run 1 km, the next week you might try running 1.5 km. Increasing the intensity of your workouts is also a way of adding variety. When you walk or run, you can always add sprinting or cross-training sessions. Or you can reverse the sequences of your usual workouts. Instead of starting with an endurance exercise, such as running, you start the session by climbing the stairs. Does that make sense? By subjecting your muscles to a new training pattern, you're stimulating them. It's physically more stimulating and challenging. But on a mental level too!

3. More pleasure: More of the same is so boring!

In sport, one of the reasons for giving up is boredom. It's the main excuse for not training! By periodically changing your training plan, you're introducing something new. And new training experiences increase motivation and enjoyment. When you're counting down the minutes to finish your treadmill run, it's a bad sign.

Try other machines in your gym or opt for running outdoor. Change your environment, start training at a different time of day. Scientific studies show that new experiences can activate pleasure centers in the brain.

4. The brain thanks you

If you're loving your training plan and the results, change! What do you mean, change? Your brain needs to be stimulated. Training alone will help keep your brain in shape. But when you change and learn new movements or activities, your neurons are challenged. The number of neural connections increases, which will sharpen your memory.

The dopamine (neurotransmitter linked to the sensation of pleasure) also increases when we are stimulated with novelty! Every two to four weeks, try changing up your training plan.

5. Changing your training plan = fewer injuries

When we subject our bodies to the same movements over and over again, injuries happen. This is what can happen when you only play tennis, only run or only do sit-ups. On the other hand, by periodically changing the training plan and mixing up activities, we'll give the most tired muscles a chance to recover .

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