3452: Training Routine - How to Make Progress Without Adding More Time to Your Workout on Workout Progression

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[00:00:30] Have you ever noticed how a calm mind can really set the stage for a good night's sleep? That's the idea behind our new podcast, Good Sleep. Greg, our host from Optimal Relationships Daily, is here to help ease you into a peaceful night's rest with some positive affirmations. And these affirmations aren't just comforting, they can help ease anxiety and nurture positive thoughts, setting you up for true good sleep.

[00:00:54] So, press play on good sleep tonight, because a good tomorrow starts with a good night's sleep. Just search for Good Sleep in your podcast app and be sure to pick the one from Optimal Living Daily. It's another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, and I'm Dr. Neal Malik. Hey there, happy Friday and welcome to another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily, where I answer your health questions related to fitness, diet and nutrition, and lots more.

[00:01:23] You send in the questions, and I answer them for you. And if you do send in a question, we'll physically mail you a copy of our hardcover workbook, as long as you're in the U.S. and we have some left. Now, if you're outside of the U.S., we'll email you a digital version. Now, I'll tell you how to send in a question at the end of the show. But once a month, usually during the first Q&A episode of the month, I mention a bit about my background and credentials, so you can better understand where my perspectives come from.

[00:01:51] And given this is the first Q&A of the month, it's time. Now, I've always been obsessed with Batman, but I was not always interested in most of the things I talk about on this podcast, nutrition, exercise, health, and wellness. But being diagnosed with a chronic disease at the age of 19 definitely changed my life's purpose. It was then I decided to focus my attention on helping others. That way, I was hoping no one else had to experience a chronic disease diagnosis like I did.

[00:02:19] To do that, I wanted to be sure I had some credibility. This is not meant to be a humble brag, but instead, make sure I have your trust. I received both my master's and doctoral degrees in public health. And to make sure I covered all of my bases, I also became a registered dietitian nutritionist, a certified health education specialist, and a certified exercise physiologist through the American College of Sports Medicine.

[00:02:44] I've been teaching in higher education for a long time now, and I'm currently faculty within the California State University System. I've published peer-reviewed studies, presented at national and international conferences, and have been interviewed by over 70 different media outlets for my expertise on basically everything I talk about on this podcast. So I say all of this so that you know when I provide my commentary after each episode, and answer the questions you send in, I hope you feel as though it's coming from a place of truth.

[00:03:14] My only intention is to help you feel your best. And now, finally, let's get to today's question as we optimize your life. Today's question came via email. Danica from Montreal, Quebec, Canada writes, Hello Dr. Neil. I listen to your podcast every single day during my workout routine, and I really like it. I have a question regarding my training routine. I currently combine yoga and strength training.

[00:03:44] Over time, my workouts have been getting longer and longer. I'm wondering how to continue making progress without constantly adding more time to my workouts. My current routine has evolved quite a bit. I've added jumping exercises and smaller training sessions throughout the day. I also increased my daily step count from 10,000 to approximately 25,000 steps per day. While these changes initially helped, I feel like I may have reached a plateau.

[00:04:13] I'm not sure whether I should continue adding volume or focus on improving the quality of my training instead. What are your recommendations for breaking through a plateau? Thank you for your time and guidance. Hi Danica from Montreal. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast and for taking the time to send in your question. And I'm so glad you find the show helpful. Now, I have to start by giving you some credit. The fact that you work out consistently is fantastic.

[00:04:38] It's not easy to work out consistently, let alone increase your daily step count by 15,000 steps. But it sounds like you're ready to mix things up a bit. And I do have some recommendations for how to go about that. Danica, you mentioned that you combine yoga and strength training for your workouts, along with increasing your step count and incorporating jumping exercises. Now, without knowing specifics, this sounds to me like you're incorporating the major forms of exercise. Flexibility, through yoga.

[00:05:09] Resistance or strength training, also through yoga. And cardiovascular exercise, because of your high step count and incorporation of jumping exercises. So, so far, this is a great start. But even though we may be incorporating all of these wonderful training methods, our bodies can get used to these movements. The trick is to change something. You don't have to have a major change, but just changing something can actually help you break through a plateau.

[00:05:38] So I'll cover some of the basics here. Then you can mix and match these ideas to best suit you. One of the easiest things you can do is switch the order of your exercises. For example, whatever muscles you typically work out first, work them in the middle of the workout or work them last. So if you normally start your workout with, let's say, jumping exercises, you could end the workout with them instead.

[00:06:03] Now, if you haven't already done this, start incorporating some more resistance to your routine. Basically, you could incorporate dumbbells, barbells, wearing a weighted vest, resistance bands, or even use household items. Let's say again, you're performing jumping jacks. Instead of doing them the usual way without any weight, hold two soup cans in each hand while doing them. Or wear a weighted vest while performing them.

[00:06:31] This forces your body to have to adapt to this new stimulus, like soup cans in your hands or a weighted vest. As a result, you're going to find your heart rate is going to go up much faster and you're going to be out of breath much sooner. And this is good because it's forcing your body to respond to this new stimulus. Now, if you're incorporating dumbbells or barbells into your routines, but are noticing you've hit a plateau,

[00:06:58] you can modify the number of repetitions you perform for each set. Some days, you can increase the weight you're using and as a result, decrease the number of repetitions. For example, let's say you normally perform three sets of eight repetitions of bicep curls. To mix it up, do five sets, but only five repetitions each set instead of eight. By only performing five repetitions instead of the eight you would normally perform,

[00:07:27] you'll be able to lift a heavier weight. And if we do the math, you'll actually execute one extra rep by doing five sets of five instead of three sets of eight repetitions. You can also incorporate some of my favorite tricks like pyramids and ladders. A pyramid of bicep curls would be you performing ten repetitions of bicep curls,

[00:07:50] then rest, then perform nine repetitions, then rest, then eight repetitions, then rest, and so on. You go all the way down to one rep. But, along the way, as you decrease repetitions from ten to nine to eight and so on, you increase the weight by a little bit. And, to increase the intensity even more, rest only 30 seconds between each set.

[00:08:18] And, if you follow this pattern, you would have completed 55 repetitions total of just bicep curls. Ten reps, plus nine reps, plus eight reps, you get the idea. Then, if that's not enough, you can go back down the pyramid by performing one rep, then two reps, then three reps, and decrease the weight as the repetitions increase. A ladder uses the same idea, but you don't change the weight.

[00:08:46] So, you can perform one repetition, then two, then three, and so on, but you don't change the weight. You lift the same amount of weight for each set. As if that's not enough, another way to mix things up is to alter your rest periods. So, if you normally rest two to three minutes between exercises, rest for just one minute. Or, maybe rest for just 30 seconds like I recommended when performing pyramids. You can also change the types of exercises you perform.

[00:09:14] I've been using bicep curls as an example. Bicep curls can be performed a number of different ways. You can do them standing, or seated with your back upright. Or, you can perform them at a slight angle when you're seated, but just leaning back slightly. You can also perform concentrated bicep curls using a preacher bench. Or, you can use an easy curl bar instead of dumbbells, or a barbell instead of dumbbells. The American College of Sports Medicine often recommends microcycling to mix things up.

[00:09:44] I'll explain. Microcycles are basically two to four week periods of similar workouts, but increasing the intensity from one workout to the next. Here's an example of a microcycle program that would last four weeks. Microcycle 1 For four weeks, and for all of your major muscle groups, perform three to five sets of each exercise, with the goal of performing 12 to 15 repetitions each. Microcycle 3

[00:10:13] Do this for four weeks. Then, you'll move on to microcycle 2. Over the next four weeks, and for all of your major muscle groups, perform four to five sets of each exercise, with the goal of performing 8 to 10 repetitions. Here, you want to use a heavier weight than the previous four weeks. Again, now follow this microcycle for four weeks, before moving on to microcycle 3.

[00:10:42] Here, you'll perform three to four sets of each exercise, with the goal of performing only 4 to 6 repetitions. Note, the goal is only four to six repetitions, so you're going to use a heavier weight here. Follow this for four weeks, and then move on to the last microcycle. Microcycle 4 Perform three to five sets of one to three repetitions. So here again, we're increasing the weight,

[00:11:09] so that you can only perform three repetitions maximum. Once you've completed these microcycles, you can go back to your regular routine, and see how much you've improved. So, with all of these combinations, and all of these suggestions, you've probably figured, Danica, that the possibilities are nearly endless. The main goal when breaking through a plateau, is to change something. Force your heart rate to increase. Force the weight to go up.

[00:11:38] Force your body, basically, to adapt. And you can do all of these things, without increasing the time of your workouts. Just shorten up the rest periods, for example, in between sets, and you can keep the same total time for your workouts. My suggestion would be, try out just one of these suggestions, not all of them at once. See what suits you best. And then after a while, try one of the other suggestions, and see how that goes. And I wish you all the best, as you smash through your plateaus.

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[00:13:40] Need to hire? This is a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Thank you again for taking the time to send in your question, Danica. Answering your questions is my favorite part of the show. And if you want to send in a question, remember, you'll get a physical copy of our workbook mailed to you if you're in the US, and as long as we still have some available. You can email your question to health at oldpodcast.com or if you want your voice played on the show,

[00:14:08] come by oldpodcast.com slash ask. You can record your question straight from your computer's microphone. You can even play back your message and do retakes before sending it in. Or you can call in your question. The number is 161-ILOVE-OHD. That's 1-614-568-3643. Alright, that'll do it for another Q&A edition of Optimal Health Daily. Thank you so much for listening every day and all the way through.

[00:14:38] I hope you have a great start to your weekend and I'll see you back here tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.