Muscle confusion workouts aren’t just a buzzword, they’re a proven way to tackle the dreaded workout plateau and stay committed to getting the most out of your exercise routine. Muscle confusion helps you shock your muscles into adapting and growing stronger, which not only helps you break through that plateau, but become stronger and leaner in the process. With a few smart tweaks to your exercise program, you can change it up and constantly keep your muscles challenged.
What is Muscle Confusion?
Muscle confusion is a concept that was made popular in the mid 2000s by personal trainer Tony Horton who touted its effectiveness in his popular fitness program, P90X. The idea behind muscle confusion is to change your workout routine regularly to “confuse” your muscles and keep them challenged. The belief is that your body gets adapted to the same exercises after a while, so by “confusing” your muscles you can make sure they’re constantly working hard and breaking through their comfort zone, while avoiding dreaded workout plateaus.
How Changing Up Your Workouts Helps
When we do the same type of workouts over and over, our bodies become very good at them and we see a lessening of the challenges it provides. That plateau is caused by the body being so used to the same movements and muscle-building exercises that it requires more than that same routine to further challenge our muscles. That’s why switching things up and adding variation to our workout routine can mean so much to our success.
Exercises That are Ideal for Muscle Confusion
The best workout routines to help increase muscle confusion have exercises that target multiple muscles and use different types of movements. By doing this, you will be able to improve your strength levels in all areas and make sure you’re not just stagnating.
Here are a few exercises you should include in your routine to achieve muscle confusion:
● Squats – Targeting multiple muscles including your glutes, quads, hamstrings, and core, squats are invaluable for building strength and promoting muscular growth.
● Push-ups – Push-ups are a great exercise for your chest, triceps and shoulders, as well as your core.
● Pull-ups – Pull-ups are a fantastic exercise for those looking to build a bigger and stronger back and shoulders.
● Planks – Planks target your core and back muscles, helping to make you stronger and reduce the risk of injury.
● Lunges – Lunge exercises target your legs, glutes and core and improve overall balance and stability.
Benefits of Muscle Confusion
Incorporating muscle confusion into your routine has a number of benefits, including:
● More Effective Results – By constantly challenging your muscles you will be able to see improved results in a shorter period of time.
● Improved Athletic Performance – By performing different types of workouts regularly, you will see an improvement in your overall athleticism and gain the ability to perform multiple activities.
● Increased Energy Levels – Switching up your routine and targeting different muscles can help you feel more energized and motivated to work out.
● Avoid Plateaus – As mentioned, muscle confusion helps you break away from your body’s comfort zone and prevents your progress from stagnating.
Implementing a Muscle Confusion Workout
While muscle confusion can sound intimidating, implementing it into your routine can be simple with a few adjustments.
-
Switch Up Exercises – As mentioned, by incorporating different exercises into your routine you can challenge your muscles from different angles.
-
Increase Weight or Reps – You can also make sure your muscles are constantly challenged by increasing weights or reps for the same exercises.
-
Change Your Tempo – Try slowing down your reps or adding 2-3 second pauses to further challenge your muscles.
-
Change Order of Exercises – You can mix up the order of your exercise routine to make sure you’re not just stuck in the same pattern.
-
Increase Intensity – If you’re used to the same routine, you can increase the intensity of your workouts to further challenge yourself.
-
Take Breaks – Taking breaks in between workouts is essential to make sure your muscles can rest and recover before the next session.
Muscle confusion is an effective way to break through dreaded workout plateaus and keep your muscles challenged. By changing up your routine and targeting different muscles, you can make sure your body is constantly growing and improving. Implementing muscle confusion into your routine may sound intimidating, but with a few simple adjustments, it’s easy to do. Start incorporating these changes into your routine to make sure you’re not stuck in the same routine.
