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We’ve all been there before. Looking for the holy grail of programs. We find it and give it everything.
Great results follow and you are chuffed that you have finally found THE workout.
But then things change, all of a sudden your trusty workout isn’t delivering the same results as it was before.

You decide to have a break and start seeing other programs, thinking that ‘grass is always greener…’

You get the drift anyway! Find a good workout, go hard at it, but know that it will need changing sooner or later to keep delivering results.

Personally I think 3-6 weeks is the sweet spot for changing your gym workouts. Less and you may not get any progress, any more and you may be holding your progress back (compared to if you changed).

You can go for wholesale changes (as in completely change the workout) or you can make smaller adjustments that will keep you rolling for the next 3-6 weeks.

1. Have a goal weight or reps on a certain exercise. Push yourself extra hard to hit this goal and then set a new benchmark. For instance, you might want to be able to do 50 pushups with your body weight. Once you can, either aim for 60 or use another exercise as your focus. This will get you motivated to work harder on all of the exercises that help with pushups (upper body pushing exercises).

2. Train with odd shaped objects. Still use the same exercises but instead of using the traditional barbell and dumbbell try using kettlebells, club bells, sand bags, aqua bags etc. The movement will be the same, but the training object will provide your body (and mind) with a fresh challenge. For example, bent over rows can be done with all of these objects but will all give you a different workout on the same ‘movement’.

3. Try cables or bands for different angles. Similar to the previous point, but here you just want to make small changes to the angles you are using. If you always do cable presses on the same setting, move it a peg higher or lower. It doesn’t matter which way, as long as it is different than before. Same goes for the bands, change the height of the anchor point (or your body relative to the anchor point) and you’ll be challenging your body in a different position to before.

4. Start supersetting if you aren’t. Pick two exercises and do them back to back. THey can be the same muscle group, opposing muscle groups or completely different muscle groups. It doesn’t matter! What matters is the intensity and the slight variations you are doing. If you normally do squats followed by presses, do presses followed by squats. Simple yet effective.

5. Sweat in the warm up. You shouldn’t lift your first ‘real’ weight until you are properly warmed up. This means you should be warmed up! That means you should be sweating. It doesn’t have to take forever though. Some skipping, rolling, mobility swings, kettlebell swings and presses will get the heart rate up, body temp up and have you ready for your workout in less than 10 minutes.

There you go, 5 quick ways to spice up your workouts. Let me know what you are doing to keep your workouts alive and kicking by leaving a comment below.

Workouts don’t need to be overly complex.

Especially when the goal of the workout isn’t that complex.

If the goal is to get fitter, stronger and leaner, then you want to move as much weight as possible with just little rest in between.

Give this workout template a crack next time you are ready for a change of pace.

After warming up get cracking with the following circuit.

A1: Barbell Deadlift x 6

A2: Chin Up x 6

4 sets, no rest between A1-A2, 60 seconds rest between A2-A1.

B1: Dumbbell Lunge x 12

B2: Push Up x 12

4 sets, no rest between B1-B2, 60 seconds rest between B2-B1.

C1: Barbell Clean and Press x 6

C1: Mountain Climber x 30 seconds

4 sets, no rest between C1-C2, 60 seconds rest between C2-C1.

Now this is where the fun starts and why you never have to be bored with your workout or stuck in a rut.

Follow this workout for three sessions (ideally over a week to 10 days), then push all of the exercises down the list one. So instead of starting with A1-A2, you will do B1-B2, C1-C2 and finish with A1-A2.

Once again do this for three sessions, then bump the exercise order once more. Start with C1-C2, then A1-A2 and finish B1-B2.

This give you nine workouts (three goes at three different exercise orders) to get going with. You can do each one more than three times is you are still making progress with the numbers you are lifting (as in you can lift more weight – not reps- than the last session), but you don’t have to.

When you have had enough of this series of workouts, all you need to do is flip the combos so that your workout will now look like this.

A2 -> A1 rest, repeat

B2 -> B1 rest, repeat

C2 -> C1 rest, repeat

Then, once again you can bump the starting lot down one and do B2-B1, C2-C1 and finish with A2-A1. Do that one three times and you are onto C2-C1, A2-A1 and B2-B1 combo.

Do each of these at least three times each and you have 18 workouts, which is enough for about 6 or so weeks.

Now remember, we have only used six exercises here. After you have completed the 18 workouts, change each of the exercises (like for like, ie front squat for deadlifts, alternate chin grip, bench press for push up etc) and you have another 18 workout ready and waiting for you!

No more excuses to be stale and boring with your workouts. Keep your mind and body progressing and guessing and you’ll find that you are able to take your fitness and strength to new levels.

(Btw, I couldn’t find any relevant pics, so I used some weird ones! – Can you tell?)

Ok straight into it today with another quick, challenging workout. This workout is designed to tick off the boxes of strength, fitness and fat loss. And sitting here writing it up , I’m not sure which is harder, doing the workout or general moving for the next two days!

There are all sorts of names floating about for this type of workouts (complexes, circtuis, Cross Fit Style) but all that matters is that this is one half hour of strength, conditioning and pain that will get you in shape quick!

This workout is a modified version of the Beastly Circuit from Ashley Jones who is the Strength and Conditioning coach with the rugby team, the Crusaders.

Take one barbell (I have done it with 30kgs and 35kgs total weight, trust me, that’s plenty!) and perform the following exercises for six repetitions each before moving onto the next exercise in the series.

1. Deadlift
2. Power Clean
3. Front Squat
4. Push Press
5. High Pull
6. Bent Over Row
7. Romaniam Deadlift

So that’s 42 reps without any rest. Be sure to use a weight that you can lift on your weakest exercise of the series. You might find that your grip struggles at some stage, push through the pain but not if it compromises your safety.

Once you have done your 42 reps, jump on a stationary bike and go as hard as you can stomach for two minutes.

That’s one of six rounds. it should take between 20-25 minutes to complete all six rounds and that’s when the real ‘fun’ begins!

To finish you need to do one round, yes only one (how generous of me!!) of the following:

1. Chin Ups – Max Reps
2. Dips – Max Reps
3. Step Ups – 20 Each Leg
4. Body Row – Max Reps
5. Hindu Pushups – Max Reps
6. Jump Squats – 20 Reps
7. Pushups – Max Reps
8. Static Lunges – 20 Reps Each leg

You are now officially done! Total time should be 30 minutes or just under. If you aren’t questioning why the hell you are doing this workout from about the five minute mark onwards, then you need to lift the intensity.
You should be cursing my name by the time you hit the final stage, and you should be as happy as Larry once you are finished!

Once it’s all over you will have completed one of the toughest workouts I’ve tried and you’ll also be closer to your strength, fitness and fat loss goals.