By Katy Loren
If you ever doubted the permanence of ruts, consider this: Up to 10% of the wagon wheel ruts carved into the ground by the brave, desperate souls heading westward across the U.S. on the Oregon Trail in the 1800s are still visible today. That’s . . . kinda mind-boggling?
The ruts we fall into fitness-wise may not be as enduring as that, but they can still be stubbornly persistent. Sometimes, this is a good thing, especially if a particular training or nutrition rut we’ve fallen into is working for us. That is, you’re staying consistent, meeting your goals, and not burning out.
However, when ruts go wrong, they can go really wrong in a hurry, dropping our progress to zero and pumping up our frustration level to a 10. That’s when a change-up in your routine is in order. Here are five ways to shake up your workouts — and get back on the right track.
1. Wipe the slate clean.
After a few years in the fitness trenches, your workouts typically look much different than when you started. You’ve probably mastered a wide array of challenging exercises, learned the ropes to maximize every set and rep, and tucked a ton of new techniques into your arsenal. But all that advanced knowledge bolted onto your program can make for clunky workouts … and results that don’t equal the sum of all those disparate parts.
It might be time to hit the reset switch and go back to the beginning: That is a simple, no-frills, “Day 1” style workout. It could be a full-body barbell-and-dumbbell routine, a standard upper/lower split, or a machine-based circuit, or even a compendium of classic calisthenics. Here’s an example of a stripped-down plan:
Full-Body Beginner Dumbbell Blast
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Squat | 3 | 10 |
| Stationary Lunge | 3 | 10 |
| Flat-Bench Chest Press | 3 | 10 |
| One-Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10 |
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 10 |
| Alternating Curl | 3 | 10 per arm |
| Kickback | 3 | 10 per arm |
| Crunch (non-weighted) | 3 | 15-20 |
Keep the reps to 10-12, limit your overall training time to 30 minutes or less, and skip the intensity boosters (the drop sets, killer superset combos, etc.). You’re reintroducing your body to the basics and giving it a little bit of a break in the process. You could try it for just one workout, or a week, or a month — whatever it takes to feel refreshed and, most importantly, looking forward to the gym again.
2.Lighten your load.
If you love your current regimen — but are less than enamored with recent results — there’s a less drastic approach than we outlined above. “My number one tip for breaking out of a rut is simple,” promises Nikolai Puchlov, creator of Pro Kettlebell and head of the Neu-Iron 100-Hour Professional Kettlebell Trainer Program. “Decrease the weights you’re using. By lessening the load, you’ll not only allow your body to recover more effectively, but it will also enable you to focus on perfecting your technique, build confidence, and refine your exercise movement patterns.”
To implement this tip, you’ll reduce your average weight by 20% to 40% for all your weighted exercises in your current workouts. “For instance, if you typically use 50 pounds for dumbbell presses, drop it to 30 to 40 pounds.” Apply the same principle to all your sets — if your usual progression is 40, 45, 50, 55, and 60 pounds, you can adjust that to 30, 35, 40, 45, and 50 pounds, reducing your workload by 20%.
“I’ve employed this strategy while coaching powerlifters and kettlebell sport athletes,” Puchlov adds. “I incorporate it regularly as a de-loading cycle in our training regimen, prioritizing speed and technique while allowing the body to adapt to increasing volume.”
3. Give it 100.
We don’t mean 100% — that’s a given. The idea here is to change up your workouts by temporarily putting aside the usual approach to counting reps and taking on a higher-intensity challenge. Instead of doing, say, 5 sets and aiming for a certain number of reps in each one, such as 12, 10, 8, and 6, you’ll approach each exercise with one goal in mind: Finishing 100 reps, no matter how many sets it takes to get there.
If it’s a bodyweight movement, like crunches or push-ups, the protocol is straightforward, as you’ll do as many reps as you can per set until you hit 100 total. You might crank out 25 push-ups to start, then 20, then a couple of sets of 15, two 10-rep sets, and then eke out the last five to finish. For weighted exercises, pick your 10-rep-max — meaning, a weight level you can get 10 reps with before reaching momentary muscular failure. (If that proves too hard, go with your 20RM.)
The rut-busting power of this change-up is straightforward: It forces you to think about your exercises differently and sets a goal to achieve. You might like it so much that you incorporate it into your regular workouts for at least a move or two.
Related: 5 Ways to Increase Your Upper-Body Strength
4. Take it outside.
A change of scenery can do anyone a world of good, and the old adage is no different when it comes to workouts. Now that it’s spring, it’s a perfect time to step out of the confines of your health club or home gym for the great outdoors.
Cardio is easier to translate — you’re simply trading a treadmill for a path or a roadway, a recumbent bike for a mountain or road bicycle, and so on. But what about weightlifting? With a few simple implements and a bit of creativity, you can recreate a training session and work every bodypart. For instance, with a few kettlebells, handled sandbags, or medicine balls, you can do anything that could be done with a barbell or dumbbell: Standing shoulder presses, bent-over rows, squats, lunges, stiff-legged deadlifts, lying flyes, triceps French presses, curls . . . you get the idea.
Sprinkle in non-weighted moves such as push-ups, crunches, burpees, and planks, and you have all the makings of a killer workout from head to toe. Here’s an example, with nothing more than 1-2 sandbags (with weight chosen based on your fitness level), a jump rope, and a park bench:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Burpees | 2–3 | 8–12 (warm-up) |
| Walking Bag Lunge | 3 | 20 steps (sandbag over shoulders) |
| Sandbag Deadlift | 3 | 10 |
| Incline Push-Up | 3 | 10-12 (hands on bench, feet on the ground) |
| Jump Rope | 1 | 2 minutes |
| Bodyweight Bench Step-Up | 3 | 8-10 per leg (can also put sandbag over your shoulders) |
| Bent-Over Bag Row | 3 | 8-10 (hold a handle in each hand) |
| Sandbag Front Raise | 3 | 10 (hold a handle in each hand) |
| Jump Rope | 1 | 2 minutes |
| Bench Dip | 3 | 12 |
| Sandbag Curls | 3 | 12 (hold a handle in each hand) |
| Plank | 1 | 2-minute hold |
Related: Five Great Reasons to Take a Walk Every Day
5. Reassess your fuel-up strategy.
If you have hit an exercise training plateau and are not seeing results with your physical routine, it might be time to reassess your nutrition strategy, suggests OLY and ISSA-CPT fitness trainer Samantha Clayton, owner of Samantha Clayton Fitness in Los Angeles.
“Sometimes it’s not the physical training that needs a revamp — it’s what you’re putting into your body,” Clayton says. “Before trying big training changes, I always do a ‘reset’ with clients on the lifestyle components such as nutrition and sleep to break through the slump. Poor nutrition can zap your energy levels, affect your mood, and hinder your fitness results.”
She recommends “taking charge of the situation” by starting a three-day food journal, including reflections on what you’re eating and when. With that helpful information, you’ll introduce some smart habits to your daily diet. “Prioritize energy-rich options before workouts to fuel your performance, opt for protein-rich snacks post-exercise to support recovery, and don’t forget to stay hydrated throughout the day,” Clayton says. “By nourishing your body properly, you’ll feel better physically and mentally, empowering you to crush your fitness goals with renewed vitality.”
Related: Performance Meal Plan
