how often should i change my routine

I have talked much on this topic before in here, so you can search some of my previous posts. For me personally, I change my routine up every 3-6 weeks on average if I had to guess. It all depends on the response I am getting from my body, the intensity level of the current program, the mental connection I am having with the routine, and a host of other variables.

Experimentation is the only way you are ever going to find what works for you personally. If I had to prescribe a set time frame for people to switch things up, I would guess 4-6 weeks. However, I don't think it is possible to accurately do this.

You will find people who will tell you they have had great results lifting the same way their entire lives. Then, you will talk to someone else who never trains the same way as he/she did yesterday in the gym.
 
YOu should swap out exercises every two to three months.

You should change set/rep on each day, for example:

Day 1: Push: 3x8
Day 2: Pull: 3x8
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Push: 6x4
Day 5: Pull: 6x4

Also, one day should be devoted to unilaterals.
 
SMax said:
Opinions as well on my workout schedual would be greatly appreciated. I start my workout week on thursdays and this is what it currently looks like:

Thursday: Biceps / shoulders
Friday: triceps / chest
Saturday: quads / calves
Sunday: REST
Monday: hams / glutes
Tuesday: abs / back
Wednesday: REST
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Wrong...wrong...wrong...

Body part splits are less productive than other lifting ideologies.

Read "Essential Reading"

In particular "Body-part Training is Dead."

And though it isn't in the sticky, yet, read: "Program Design for Dummies."

I do two exercises for each muscle. 1 set with a lighter weight, then 3 sets with a heaver weight.
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You may set yourself up for a slow process of overtraining. You have a day for tricep, but when you do bench pressing or shoulder pressing, you're working the tricep again. Same for biceps and pull-ups and rows.

At the very least it'll be a whole week before you work it again.

I'd recommend you read the "Body-Part" link, then at your leisure, go through the "Essential Reading" link.
 
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Hmmmm, interesting link, the body part one. Interesting because I have a routine that I often go back to that nearly matches those ideologies. I find it interesting b/c the link you post is from a magazine, and I NEVER get my workouts from magazines! Nice to see that you can SOMETIMES find useful stuff in them.

I would be careful with preaching one way of lifting though. All workout designs are flawed once your body adapts to them. I don't like programs that proclaim that they have the way to lift and the other way is wrong. There is no such thing when each of us is physiologically different and will respond to different things.

The split that they speak of I have had a lot of success with. However, I have had more success following the split they oppose.
 
I swore I posted to this thread... weird... anyway, I change my routine when:

A) I get bored and don't like it anymore

B) It's been 6+ weeks

C) I stop seeing results and know it's not from my nutrition
 
The same exercise routines can get boring, we all know this. You can perform the same routines but you have to switch up your exercises. If you repeat the same thing day after day, week after week, your body will become use to it and you wont be able to "shock" your muscles anymore. It's not necessarily about routine, it's about variety.
 
stroutman81 said:
Hmmmm, interesting link, the body part one. Interesting because I have a routine that I often go back to that nearly matches those ideologies. I find it interesting b/c the link you post is from a magazine, and I NEVER get my workouts from magazines! Nice to see that you can SOMETIMES find useful stuff in them.
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It's the basis of program design. Compound movements in natural movement patterns with isolation movements to fill the gaps.

I would be careful with preaching one way of lifting though. All workout designs are flawed once your body adapts to them.
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That's why you periodize your workout. You periodize by load, set/rep, tempo, rest and exercise selection.
 
Cynic said:
It's the basis of program design. Compound movements in natural movement patterns with isolation movements to fill the gaps.

Haha, I know the basis of program design, trust me. There was more in that article than this simple notion and that is what I was commenting on.
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stroutman81 said:
Cynic said:
It's the basis of program design. Compound movements in natural movement patterns with isolation movements to fill the gaps.

Haha, I know the basis of program design, trust me. There was more in that article than this simple notion and that is what I was commenting on.
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Then don't take the advice. I put it out to prevent people from doing simple minded body-part splits which artificially isolate muscles and not developing them as they evolved...as synergistic networks.

If you don't like it, don't do it. Do what you've always done. Pretty simple.
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Wow, interesting response. I perform this split on occassion as a macrocycle to my training regiment, as I said already. I was not trying to down the concept, nor your advice! I am all for the philosophy.

I was simply adding some of my own advice. Sorry for touching the bad note! Really was nothing personal.

Dead thread anyway now. Good day.
 
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