The Benefits of Learning New Equipment

When you have been doing a particular exercise regimen for a long time it can start to feel like you’re stuck in a rut. You may hit a plateau as far as progress is concerned in weight-loss, toning or building endurance. This is a great time to consider trying something new. Not only will you discover exercises that make a difference in your body, you’ll be ensuring that your health maintenance program will continue for years to come.

Try New Equipment

Some people make the mistake of performing a very regular exercise every time they go to the gym. Be it running, cycling or weightlifting, you may start to feel like you’re not getting anywhere. It’s not like in the first few months of a routine, where you can see progress everywhere on your body and also on the scale. Trying a new piece of equipment changes the game for you. It will work different muscle groups and vary the types of cardio you’re doing. That will help you to have better endurance in all your activities. It will also stimulate your mind to think and plan around the new exercise, which switches up the old routine. What was once boring is now engaging.

Maximize Your Time

When you go to the gym, it’s annoying when the equipment you planned to use is taken. When will it be available? It’s anybody’s guess. If you alternate between, say, the treadmill, recumbent bicycle, elliptical trainer and weights, you have a lot of choices. One of them will be available, even if the club is busy. If you like to use several pieces of equipment each day, plan a routine that is flexible enough to switch it around as necessary. As a result, you spend more of your precious time on your workout, and much less time waiting.

Take a New Approach

This is also a good time to reexamine the way you look at workouts in general. If you have typically gone out to exercise and done the same activity for 45 minutes or an hour, it’s time to think differently. These days, interval training is all the rage. With interval training, you perform several exercises in short bursts, with very brief breaks in-between. For example, you might run sprints for a minute or two, then lift some weights, then pushups and stomach crunches. The advantage of interval training is that you get a very high-powered workout in a much shorter time–usually a half-hour or less. In addition, you get the benefit of working a large variety of muscle groups when you used to only stretch and tone one or two.

Exercise is really important to your health and overall well-being. But if you’re not working to stay creative, your workout may become a chore instead of a delight. In time, you’ll start looking for excuses not to do it. Rethink your approach and try some new things. You’ll be glad you did.