This is actually one of the better questions I’ve received recently. Instinctively, my first thought is NO. More on this in a minute.

If, however, you are new to fitness and just starting to exercise regularly, then by all means do whatever type of exercise you like, even if it means doing the same thing every day. You will eventually reach a point when the results taper off, you lose motivation, get bored, or all of the above. That is when you’ll want to mix it up.

Even if you are a fitness guru, there will come a time when your “normal” workout routine isn’t working, or you suffer from burnout (this is common). To keep your muscles challenged and continue to see results, you need include the following components in your routine:

1. Variety

2. Cardiovascular exercise

3. Muscle strengthening exercise

4. Progression (which is just a fancy word for, “gradually making it harder” so that muscles and/or cardiovascular fitness continue to improve)

5. Stretching

Variety is the spice of life, and also the key to a successful workout routine. By continually surprising your muscles with new challenges, they will in turn adapt and become stronger, more efficient.

To mix up your routine, you  might try martial arts, swimming, weight training, yoga or Pilates, Zumba, BodyPump…you get the picture. This is also called “cross training.”

Cardiovascular exercise is the calorie-burning equivalent of driving your car on the highway. Aim for 30-60 mins on most days of the week.

Strength training is beneficial in many ways. It builds lean muscle, which increases resting metabolic rate. It also helps prevent injury by strengthening the muscles around the joints.

Progression will get you from A to B. You can progress both your cardiovascular and strength training routines, and there are many ways to do it. Read more about how to progress your routine.

Stretching We sit all day, move forward  most of the time, and, as the title of this post would indicate, tend to do the same workouts over and over. As a result, muscles get T-I-G-H-T. Stretching at least a few times a week for 15-20 minutes (2-3 minutes for each major muscle if you do 8 stretches and hold each one 15-30 seconds, and repeat), will go a long way toward improving elasticity, and help prevent injury. I’m a fan of yoga, as well as Pilates, but really, any stretching is good in my book.

You might also like: Is your workout working?and, Strength Training 101

Do you have a favorite “mix it up” routine? What do you do to add spice to your workouts?

Today we have a special treat…a guest post by Peter Engelbrecht, a triathlete and former All-American collegiate distance runner. Peter brings his expertise as a world-class athlete to Speedy Sneakers, a Columbus, OH-based a walking/running club for women that provides coaching and training programs for a variety of distance events. Visit the Speedy Sneakers site to view the current training schedule and learn more about becoming a member. I’m very excited to have Peter offer his insight and running expertise, and am certain you will learn a lot.

So without further adieu, Peter’s insight: TRAINING FOR YOUR FIRST 5K

When I first met my mother in-law, she told me that she had run a marathon. I was very impressed, as I did not realize she was a runner (let alone a marathoner.) After asking her which race she ran in and how her experience was, I found out that the marathon she ran actually was a 10k road race.

It could have been that my mother in-law had referenced her race incorrectly and any race of any type was a marathon or on the other hand since she was not a runner then a 10k was a marathon to her. The time and effort commitment to train and actually compete in the race was every bit of a marathon to her.

You may be in the same boat as my mother in-law, the task of training and running in any race is just as arduous as a marathon would be and I would bet that there are millions of others in the same situation as you.

If this is the case, let us try to make it easier by looking at three key points that you should think of when starting to train for your first 5k.

1. Train consistently

Do elite runners train every day? Some do, but they do not last long. The best of the best know to let their bodies rest and recover. There is no reason why you should need to run every day either. Your body needs rest to get stronger and get ready for your next run.

As a new runner, you should not aim to run every day but rather to be consistent in your running. Consistency will differ for everyone, so find out what it is for you and stick to it. I suggest running no more than three times a week for no more than 15-20 minutes at a time. Progressing to four times a week and an extra 5-10 minutes only when you feel like you have rested enough on the three day a week routine.

The idea here is to run consistently over long periods of time rather than running a lot and then becoming so fatigued or worse injured that you have to take time off. Fitness comes from being consistent over time.

2. Do not overdo it

One of the most common mistakes that new runners make when starting out is to do too much too soon. Since they are new they feel like they have to make up for lost time by running high miles and pushing themselves to their limits. This is a big mistake and one that does not need to be made.

More is not better, actually less is better. At first that may not sound correct and certainly not true. However, it is true and not only true it will serve you best to run fewer miles than you think you have to run.

If you are using a training plan then there is no reason why the first part of your training plan would not read, “1 mile”. Run this one mile until you feel like you can run it in your sleep then progress to two. Run it until you feel like you are strong enough to progress to more. You have heard of “baby steps”, well this is true too in running take small steps in the form of miles and even half miles then progress up slowly.

3. Have Fun

The last key to a successful first 5k or even a successful long-term running career is to just “have fun.” Most people look at running and training in general and think of it as a work task, like digging a hole, hard, arduous and just not fun at all. It does not have to be that way.

Have fun by incorporating family and friends into your running. Have them join you even if it means they bike next to you while you run. It can be great company, and very motivating. Finally make sure you reward yourself. Do not be afraid to eat pizza and ice-cream once in a while if you enjoy it and if you have earned it. Too many times new runners feel they need to be on a crash diet when they are also training this is too hard. Little unknown fact, elite runners eat like pigs at a trough when they are training hard. If they can enjoy life when running 13 -15 miles a day, so can you.
There is no amount of words that can be written in an article, no amount of beautifully scripted speeches that can be spoken that will ever get you across the line. Only you through your own commitment and dedication can achieve your goals. Now get out there and start training.

I have decided that I’m dedicating 2010 to “questioning everything.” For example, it is standard procedure to warm up before and cool down after a cardiovascular workout. The warm up tells the working muscles to wake up, convert 02 into fuel, and to begin using carbs for energy. The standard protocol is to do 5-10 mins of cardio to “warm up” the working muscles. This makes little sense to me if you’re only doing weight training for the workout. If you are going to do an upper body workout, what good does it do to walk on the treadmill or cycle for 10 mins, effectively warming up the…legs? The warm up is meant to warm up the muscles FOR WHAT THEY WILL BE DOING!

So, how do you warm up for a weight training session? By doing 1-2 sets of the same weight training exercises you plan to do, but at 40-50% of your 1 RM. Or, to put it another way, run through your weight circuit with light loads before increasing to the desired weights.

For example: if you’ll be doing 10 reps on the leg press machine @ 150lbs/rep, then your warm-up would be half that: 75-80 pounds. Make sense?

As for the cool down…well, I question the need for that at all. Say industry professionals, the cool down period discourages blood from “pooling” in the limbs after a tough workout. The theory: that you could faint after an intense workout if you just stop cold. I’ve always questioned this though. Most people don’t get off a treadmill and just stand still, waiting to faint. I don’t. I get off, walk to my gym bag, walk to the drinking fountain, and walk to the mats to stretch. Then I walk to the kid room to grab my monkeys, and we walk to the car. I consider all of that my cool down period. I figure, why waste the last 5 or 10 mins of my already time-crunched workout on a cool down? (Note: IF you have underlying healthy conditions, are presently sedentary and just beginning an exercise program, or have only been exercising regularly for a few months- PLEASE cool down.) My point is, don’t end your cardio or weight training session standing still. Keep moving for at least 5 mins, but you don’t have to do this on the treadmill or whatever machine you were just on, and it doesn’t have to be structured time…walk to the drinking fountain and refill your water bottle, do dynamic stretches…you get the picture.

* Note: Blue Sky Gym and the author disclaim any liability for any injury, physical or emotional, suffered during or as a result of exercise or activities recommended. As always, you should use common sense and consult your health professional before beginning any exercise routine or program.