Are You Changing Exercises Too Often?
Here’s how to create a workout program that gets you results AND keeps you from getting bored.
Have you heard of “muscle confusion”? There are a few popular training programs built around this concept, which is that you need to change exercises all the time to keep your body guessing and avoid a plateau. I’ve seen personal trainers and gyms use this same theory in their marketing – “no two workouts will ever be the same!”
Here’s the problem – muscle confusion is nonsense. Well, let me be clear. Changing your exercises and doing totally different workouts all the time is not scientifically supported, and in fact it makes it harder for you to get results.
The Research On “Muscle Confusion”
Despite the dramatic marketing claims, there is actually very little research on the effect of rotating exercises in a workout program.
Here’s an interesting study that sheds some light on this issue.
21 young men who had been strength training at least three times per week for at least 2 years completed an 8-week training program. They were split into two groups and both groups worked out four days per week.
Both groups did two upper body and two lower body sessions each week. In the upper body workouts, both groups did three push exercises and three pull exercises. In the lower body workouts, they did three squat and three hinge exercises.
In the control group the exercises were the same each week, which means they repeated the same 12 exercises over the course of the program.
In the experimental group the exercises for each movement were chosen at random each week from a database of 80 exercises.
Both groups did three sets per exercise with two minutes of rest between sets, and took each set to muscle failure.
Before and after the program, participants completed a questionnaire measuring their intrinsic motivation to exercise, as well as physical measurements.
The Results
Both groups gained about the same amount of muscle, with the control group (the group that did the same exercises) gaining slightly more.
The control group lost a small amount of body fat while the experimental group (the group that changed exercises) stayed about the same.
Both groups got stronger, although the control group gained a little bit more strength.
The experimental group increased their motivation by the end of the study, while the control group’s motivation dropped slightly.
What Can We Learn From This?
Well, on first glance it looks like randomly picking exercises is almost as effective as repeated workouts for building strength and muscle, with the added benefit of increased motivation. Great news for muscle confusion advocates, right?
But hang on a second. These two workout programs were the same in some very important ways.
Both groups trained four times a week, every week for eight weeks. They all pushed themselves in each session. They did the same total number of sets and reps across the program.
Finally, and this is very important, while the exercises were randomized, the movements weren’t. All the participants did the same number of push, pull, squat, and hinge exercises each week. That means, whatever the specific exercises were, they were still working similar muscle groups and motor patterns.
This is different than what happens in commercial programs that tout “muscle confusion” or totally different workouts as a selling point.
I’ve seen those workouts, and while some of them do a good job of making sure that all the major muscle groups and movements are covered, many just mix up exercises from workout to workout without much thought for the big picture.
There’s no overarching structure, there’s no thought to how the program will evolve over the weeks and months.
This is prioritizing novelty over the principles that make exercise work. It’s counterproductive.
Changing Exercises Too Often Takes Away The Opportunity For Progression
I’ve written before about the essential principle of progressive overload. Basically, progressive overload means continuously making some aspect of your workouts more difficult so you’re always challenging yourself.
I wrote about a system for implementing progressive overload in that article.
For that progressive overload system to work, you have to repeat the same exercises regularly so you can track your progress and try to do a little more in each exercise over time.
When you’re constantly switching up your exercises and workouts, you don’t get the chance to use progressive overload. You never get better at any of the exercises you’re doing, and that can severely limit your results.
This would be like trying to learn guitar by practicing the guitar one day, then the banjo the next, then the bass, and the ukulele. Sure, those instruments are similar, but that’s definitely not the best way to get better at the guitar.
Changing Exercises All The Time Is Part Of An Unhealthy Exercise Mindset
The underlying aim of muscle confusion is to constantly keep your muscles guessing, ambushing them with new things so they never get comfortable. It’s like waging war on your muscles.
This is an extension of the idea that exercise is for punishing your body, taming it into submission. That’s not what exercise is about at all.
If you want to get fitter, stronger, and more muscular, you should be working with your body to make it better. You don’t want your muscles to be confused, you want them to have the best chance of success.
How To Get The Benefits Of Exercise Variety Without The Drawbacks
I said earlier that progressive overload is the most important thing for getting results from an exercise program, but there’s actually one other thing that’s just as important.
Consistency.
You have to work out on a regular basis if you want to get fitter and healthier.
A lot of people struggle with consistency, sometimes because they find exercise boring. This is why “muscle confusion” is such a good marketing ploy. People don’t want to do the same thing again and again. They want variety.
If we go back to that study, we can see the value of variety. The participants were more motivated to train when their exercises were varied.
Use this to your advantage by incorporating variety in a smart and systematic way. Like in that study, make a list of exercises for each of the basic movement patterns. I’ve done this for you in my article on training movements not muscles.
I've also provided a list of exercises for each movement pattern in my FREE Strength Training 101 eBook. Download this guide to learn which exercises to do, how to learn good form, and a system for progressing your exercises over time so you get the results you want.
In each workout, choose at least one exercise from each of those movement categories. I recommend you repeat the same main exercises at least once per month.
You can also vary other variables, like the number of sets you do and your rep ranges. Again, you should be doing this in a strategic, thoughtful way.
Here’s what this might look like for your push exercises:
Week 1 – Push Up, Dumbbell Chest Press. 3 sets, 8-12 reps per set
Week 2 – Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Chest Fly. 3 sets, 8-12 reps per set
Week 3 – Bench Press, Push Up. 3 sets, 8-12 reps per set
Week 4 – Dumbbell Chest Press, Military Press. 3 sets, 8-12 reps per set
Week 5 – Bench Press, Dumbbell Shoulder Press. 4 sets, 6-8 reps per set
Week 6 – Military Press, Push Up. 4 sets, 6-8 reps per set
Week 7 – Chest Fly, Lat Raise. 4 sets, 6-8 reps per set
Week 8 – Bench Press, Dumbbell Chest Press. 4 sets, 6-8 reps per set
You’re doing different exercises and different combinations every week, but you’re also repeating the same exercise every few weeks. This gives you the chance to increase your weights and reps and get better at each exercise.
You're also keeping your set and rep ranges consistent for a few weeks before changing them.
The Bottom Line
Don’t buy into pseudoscientific marketing claims and make the mistake of changing exercises too often.
Train smart with a systematic and progressive program that works with your body to make you feel good and get the results you want. If you need help, contact me!