This article originally appeared on chivmen.com

If you are an avid gym-goer, the same routine on the treadmill can get boring after the third week in a row. If you feel like you’re hitting a fitness plateau and you aren’t seeing the same gains or the same aerobic improvements that you did in the beginning, it can be time to change up your workout.

After all, if you keep doing the same thing over and over again, how can you expect to improve? By lifting the same weights for the same rep range day in and day out, it won’t make your muscles any bigger or any more toned – you will eventually hit a plateau where you stop gaining muscle, you stop cutting down on excess fat, and you stop seeing an improvement in your physique.

But how can you change your workout? You need to add variety into your workouts by using rhyme and reason to create intense, fun, and dynamic routines that are sure to kickstart your health regimen once more.

Let’s see a few ideas of how you can add variety to your workouts for at-home use and at the ever-crowded gym.

It’s time to switch it up – Enough with the same boring workout!

One of the best ways that you can add variety to your workouts is by changing a few different factors that alter the intensity of your exercise plan – you can change the weights, the rep range, the types of equipment used, and the cardio added to your gym routine.

Changing the rep range

One of the main aspects of how you can alter your workout to get a better strength gain is by changing the rep range. The rep range refers to how many times you are going to do a particular exercise. If you do an exercise between 3-5 reps, this is typically perfect for athletes who want to improve their explosiveness and power. If you do between 5-8 reps of an exercise, this helps boost hypertrophy (the size of your muscles). If you do more than 12 reps, this increases the endurance of your muscles.

Weight

The second aspect that you can alter to change your workouts and add variety is the weight of what you are using. If you are using dumbbells, barbells, or resistance bands, you can increase the weight amount so you can increase your strength gains.

Along with changing the amount of weight that you are using in your sets, you can also change the type of weight you use. If you frequently use the barbell, why not switch it up and use dumbbells today instead? Altering how you use weight can keep your muscles guessing – something that is important for constant growth and increased performance in the gym.

For example, try using heavy resistance bands for your exercises instead of using free weights. The act of resistance at every point in the movement can put your muscles under extra load that you would otherwise not have – this can lead to quicker muscle gains and more functional movements!

Cardio

The last way that you can add variety to your workout is by changing the type of cardio you do in your workout. Consider adding intervals to burn fat and increase your aerobic endurance. You can add treadmill sprints, bicycle workouts, and stair stepper cardio routines to increase your cardiovascular health!

Some great examples of home cardio workouts that you can use from your basement, out in the backyard, or in the comfort of your living room include Tabata workouts, core workouts, HIIT classes, and much more. By utilizing just a little bit of space in your house, you can get a full-body workout that is sure to get your heart rate into the red zone in no time. Enough with the same boring workout – change up your routine to burn fat and get toned!

Conclusion

If you are bored of doing the same exercise day in and day out, consider adding variety to your workout to help boost fat loss, increase strength gains, and improve your cardiovascular health. By changing the rep range, increase in the weights that you use, and switching up the carotid added to the bed of your workout, you can end up seeing huge improvements in a shorter amount of time!