From Nick Nilsson
Author and Publisher of BetterU News
http://www.fitness-ebooks.com


Yep, seems like a strange question for me to be asking since
basically, training variety and unique exercises are what I'm
known for!

Oddly enough, even though I have a TON of unique exercises, I
have training sessions where I do nothing but basic stuff and
don't even TRY to come up with new twists on anything. Sometimes,
I just take an exercise I know and hammer away at it. Some the
most effective programs I use (including my own programs), have
phases where there is almost NO variety at all!

And it works like crazy.

The basic exercises are basic for a reason....they work and work well!

So how much training variety do I recommend? And when would I
suggest switching things up?

Well, that's a tough question - it depends completely on the
individual, their goals and their situation.

If it's a beginning trainer, extreme variety is not necessary. In
fact, they'll do best by sticking to the basic movements for at
least a few months. When they learn squats, their body is going
to take a long time to develop the proper groove and the proper
execution (hopefully!). That's actually one of the main reasons
I've haven't targeted this site to the beginning trainer -
there's just too much info and variety here. The beginner will
end up bouncing around too much and never develop any groove with
anything!

The beginner improves strength by improving nervous system
efficiency, not by increasing muscle size. It's why a beginner's
arms will shake like leaves when they do bench presses the first
few times! The nervous system isn't co-ordinated and the signals
are all over the place. As that co-ordination improves, the
movement gets smoother.

So back to the main question. If you're more intermediate to
advanced, I would recommend switching up your main exercises at
least every three to four weeks. Even more advanced trainers who
have a solid base of experience can and should change things up
even sooner.

By that, I don't mean do 5 exercises for each bodypart every day
to "hit all the angles". That's not necessary and can actually
work against you. Training variety should have a purpose. Doing
inclines then flat then declines on the bench press in one
session is total overkill. Doing that over the course of 3
different sessions - better idea.

Another point with too much training variety is a lack of actual
training EFFECT. How do you know if you're improving if you never
do the same exercise again any time soon! Your body won't know
what to adapt to and won't adapt to anything.

That's the reason that sticking with just a few exercises can be
so effective - you're only giving the body a few things to adapt
to! Another reason that's so effective is that you're practicing
the movements so much, you're developing the neurological
specificity and efficiency similar to what a beginner sees in
their first weeks of training. BIG strength increases in that
time are the norm.

Don't get me wrong...training variety is also the spice of life!
Personally, I get easily bored with the basics, even though I use
them regularly. I'm always looking for better ways to attack the
muscle - not just for the sake of doing something different but
trying to find ways to make things work better. I encourage you
to do the same!

If there's anything that my stuff is about, it's encouraging you
to throw away the "rules" of lifting and try things out for
yourself. Don't believe a thing I write - try it for yourself and
see if I'm right!

I have a feeling you're reading this article BECAUSE you have a
curious mind and love this kind of physical and intellectual
exploration of training practices.

So when you're using unique, new exercises, try everything but
keep a note on what works BEST for you. Then work the crap out of
THOSE exercises. Not everything works equally well for everybody
but when you find something good, train it! Use it again and soon
so you DO get a training effect and see direct improvements in
it.

A good rule of thumb is repeat 75% of your exercises then 1/4 of
the time, add in something new and see if it's good enough to
replace what you're using.

That being said, if the program you're using calls for specific
exercises for a specific purpose, USE those exercises. I know for
many of my programs, I use specific exercises as tools, for
example, flyes to hit the stretched position of the chest. A
cross-over won't work there.

Experiment within the confines of the program you're using. Heck,
sometimes what I'll do is take a time when I'm between programs
and do a general bodypart split. In that split, I will
purposefully try and invent things. I'll have a week where I
don't do anything twice! These are the fun weeks for me, even
when I find stuff that kills me. This is what keeps me going
mentally and helps me find things that I'll work into a program
in the future.

On a side note to THAT, sometimes I'll set specific conditions on
myself to invent things. For example, a few weeks ago, I limited
myself to two chairs, a broomstick and a sandbag. That's it! I
came up with some great stuff...things I never would have come up
with if I hadn't limited myself to specific equipment.

Bottom line, don't go for extreme variety all the time, even if
you're advanced. You need some consistency to achieve a good
training effect otherwise the body won't know what to adapt to!


Nick

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