Casual fitness question

I've spent the last couple years doing basic conditioning. I started doing hiit sprints and that lasted for about 4 months I think before it got too cold. So the last 4 weeks or so I've just done hiit workouts in the house. My question is in regard to 'shifting the order' of exercises. I always stick to nearly the exact same order (this followed by that followed by this then that etc). It's generally upperbody to lowerbody stuff rather than completely random. However, would doing completely random orders help prevent plateauing, or is this something that would actually not be as effective as what I have been doing, ie working on upper body for X minutes then lowerbody for X minutes, rather than say pushups here, then squats, followed by chin ups, followed by burpees, just completely random stuff. Thanks!
 
While I don't think that it is hurting you to maintain the same routine, I definitely think that mixing up your routine is a great way to A) keep yourself interested and not become bored and B) to keep your body guessing. If you continue to do the exact same routine with the exact same amount of weight per exercise, your body will become accustomed to it and you will not see changes or improvements in your body/ability. Maintaining your routine will only help you maintain your current level.

Try to incorporate new exercises, new time frames, different weights and different routines to keep your exercise fresh and exciting. It will help you push yourself further and more effectively. Just be sure to focus on all of your muscle groups equally. And remember to give yourself and your muscles a rest. Taking a break is good for you and your body needs time to regroup and gather energy for your next great workout.

Good luck and I hope this helps!
 
I completely agree with Kate. To improve you must push your boundaries. New exercises, less rest period, longer workouts, higher repetitions. It sounds like your past the biggest hurdle and that's actually creating a habit of weekly exercise, so congrats on that. Mixing upper body with lower body is great because you give yourself a full body workout, but there's also nothing wrong with doing a 4 day split of 1 day lower, next day upper and so on. Just mix it up and do things you've never done :)
 
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