Fail to Plan . . .

Posted Oct 16, 2009 by nia shanks. This entry is filed under strength training and motivation.

photo by joketter via flickr

Sometimes You Should Forget the Plan

One of the most popular phrases I have heard is “Fail to plan . . . plan to fail.”

While this does pertain to what you do in the weight room, I disagree with it at times.

For instance, most people go into the gym without a plan all the time. They may know what body part they are going to work, but other than that they don’t know what exercises they’re going to do, what weight their going to use, how many repetitions, etc.

For the most part, going to the gym without a specific plan could cause you to get less than optimal results.

However . . . and there’s always a however, sometimes I think it’s best to not have a plan at all.

Recently I tweaked my shoulder. I had been doing a specific program to increase my strength in the bench press and deadlift. Well, after tweaking my shoulder I went to the gym and just focused on exercises that didn’t give me any discomfort or pain.

So, I couldn’t really have a “plan” because I didn’t know what would or wouldn’t hurt.

After a week or so of “winging it” I actually started to have a lot of fun in the gym again. In fact, I didn’t write up a program at all, or have a specific plan.

I just made it a point to go to the gym and work really hard for 30 to 45 minutes. Some days that meant doing nothing but bodyweight exercises, other times it meant doing circuits, sometimes I would go outside and run sprints, and so on. I just did what sounded good and felt good for that day.

In fact, I got so crazy a few days that I didn’t even record anything from the workout. That’s huge for me, because I write EVERYTHING down.

You know what happened? I started having fun again in the weight room.

Every now and again, training feels like it’s just another chore that has to be done, and I don’t look forward to it. Well, sometimes throwing the plan out the window and just having fun is what you need to recharge your batteries and revamp your motivation to train.

So what am I suggesting you do? Well, if you’re getting bored with working out, forget about having a set plan. Just go to the gym and work hard for 30 to 45 minutes. Try some new exercises, use circuits, use different repetition ranges, use upper/lower splits, do total body workouts . . . whatever, just do something different so you’re having fun.

Now while I don’t recommend you go an extended period of time without a set plan, sometimes it’s helpful to just relax and have fun doing what you’re doing.

For instance, I have taken a break from squats, deadlifts, and bench presses because I have been doing those movements non-stop for well over a year. Instead of squatting and deadlifting I have been sprinting several times a week, doing one leg squats, box jumps, and other bodyweight exercises.

This change has got me motivated once again, and I’ve actually noticed a change in my body from changing up how I train. Needless to say, the whole process has been fun.

So, if you’re getting burned out, maybe it’s time to change things up and actually have fun.

When you get burned out or bored, what do you do to “recharge” your training batteries?