Answer: I like hearing questions like this because it implies that the person already knows that they should not stay on the same program forever. That being said, when I ask them how long they've been on their current program, they will typically respond with anything from 3 months to 2 years (doesn't that get boring?). After hearing their response the next question is, "Why haven't you changed it yet?" Often times they will tell me that the program isn't easy yet, or that they don't know what to change to. Before diving further into those, I'd like to bring up the Kaizen Principle.
Kaizen is Japanese for improvement or change for the better. When applied to your workouts, it means always doing a little more (whether that be 2% more weight or 1 more rep). If it was possible to do 2% more weight, or 1 more rep on the same program forever, it would only take 2-3 years to become a world record holder in weightlifting. Your body will adapt to the stress you put on it. Therefore, if you continually stress it with the same weight, it has no reason to get stronger. Now, obviously you can't progress at the same rate forever. So when does it slow down or plateau? Typically, six workouts is all it takes. My clients will never do the same workout more than six times. It may take them anywhere from two to six weeks for them to do these, depending on how many different workouts they have . Once you've completed all six of the workouts, it's time to move on to a different program. What should you go to next? Well, that's a whole lot more complicated and will need its own post. In the meantime, do your six workouts, apply the Kaizen Principle each time, and enjoy the rewards.
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