Routine Question

[darine]

What does a routine means? Does it mean to do the same serie like Intensity Serie or GymStyle Serie for one month or so?

I do my workouts per week. One week more cardio, the other week split weights, the next full body workouts. Is that wrong? Should I repeat the same DVDs or same style of workout for a month and then change? I am confused. Is it better to do the same thing for a short period of time or always change to confuse the muscles?

thx

 

[kathryn]

To me a workout 'routine' would be the exercises and sequencing of one workout.

If you mean a 'rotation,' that means planning a series of workouts to meet ones goals.

What you do depends on your goals. If you are looking for general health and fitness, then just having a balanced program of exercise (weights, cardio, flexibility, balance) is fine. If you have more specific goals, then you would choose the types of workouts that will help you meet those goals. That's kind of what STS is (though it's the weight component only): one cycle focuses on endurance, another on hypertrophy (muscle growth), another on strength. P90X is an example of a 90-day rotation that incorporates all aspects of fitness.

What are your goals?

I personally think one can stick with weight workouts longer than cardio workouts and still get results, since you can increase weights, but the body adapts more quickly to one type of cardio and you become more efficient at it (in fact, I think it's sometimes a good idea to back off one type of cardio for a while, so the body 'forgets,' then when you come back to it, the body has to relearn a bit and is ineffcient. In this case, inefficiency is good, as it means you burn more calories).

 

[LauraMax]

I consider my exercise schedule a "routine." From my perspective, the difference betw. a routine & a rotation is a routine is a very set schedule that's not much subject to change. A rotation is kind of more temporary--like, you'll do a specific rotation for 4-8 weeks & then move on to another rotation.