BY EBENEZER SAMUEL, CSCS
To see success on the path to muscle and strength, we need consistently challenging workouts. Our muscles and cells grow and adapt best when they receive a constant flow of nutrients and healing factors. The eternal challenge though: Finding that consistency over weeks and months and years.
But the most reliable predictor of the workout consistency you need to make long-term gains isn’t what you’re likely thinking. Very often, we’re led to believe that if you see results, you’ll stick with your workout regimen. According to a 2022 study, a different mechanism – exercise enjoyment – is even more important. Researchers set out to uncover why people stick with exercise or quit.
The prevailing answer: Those who stuck with training actually enjoyed their sessions. To succeed in your training, you can’t hate the process. And that means adapting your workouts in three simple but highly beneficial ways.
CUSTOMIZE YOUR WORKOUT INTENSITY
That same 2022 study found that the most critical correlation for subjects was this: Did they enjoy the intensity level of their workouts?
I’ll expand that farther: You know you need hard workouts and challenge to see results, so find the level of challenge that works for you. Some of my clients prefer lighter, high-rep sets. Others would rather face the risk of lifting incredibly heavy for sets of 3 to 5 reps. Both approaches can yield results.
So experiment. For one week, do your favorite workouts with lighter SMRTFT bells for 3 to 4 sets of 8 to 10 reps each. The next week, do the same moves with heavier bells sets of 3 to 5 reps. Chart which one felt more natural to you. Long-term, you’ll want to mix both ideas into your training. But aim to do 2 of every 3 workouts in the rep range that you enjoy.
SPICE UP YOUR MOVEMENTS
Yes, to get proficient in an exercise, you have to repeat it. But repeating the exact same motions over months, for many people, leads to exercise boredom. And that makes it harder to walk back to your dumbbells every day.
To offset that, I often employ what I call “smart variability”. (Let’s make that “SMRT” variability.) Yes, for an entire training block, I’ll start each workout with the same critical exercises, proven basic moves like dumbbell presses, goblet squats, and Romanian deadlifts. But for at least one exercise in any given workout, I’ll change things up.
Sometimes, this requires a little web sleuthing or Instagram scouting. And yes, sometimes this one exercise experiment doesn’t yield max muscle-building stimulus. But it keeps your mind engaged; sometimes, when I get a new exercise, it’s like a new toy, and it instantly amps my workouts.
Don’t be afraid to play with new moves. Just make sure you “earn” them by taking care of that initial fundamental move in every workout first. Here are two variations I’ve been subbing lately for proven strength moves.
PAUSE-AND-TWIST HAMMER CURL
Yes, you’ll need to use less weight for this curl, but it’s a fun way to go lighter and feel your forearms light up. Think 2 to 3 sets of 8 to 12 reps.
MIXED-RACK REVERSE LUNGE
One of the easiest ways to mix up your leg training is to change how you grip your dumbbells; this challenges your core in new ways too. Think 2 to 3 sets of 6 to 10 reps per side.