Workout Type Consistency is Vital

As a fitness professional and as an owner of many fitness facilities throughout my career, I am amused sometimes to listen to overzealous trainers and fitness center owners who destroy good workouts because they think that a workout type should be different every time. For example, some will listen to people who think they need a different yoga posture sequence for every workout and these trainers and owners take action based on every ill-informed comment.This “change your workout every time” hysteria is a very naive approach to a single workout type. What people fail to recognize is there are so many ways to progress within a single consistent workout type such as improvements in heart rate, endurance, balance, form, strength, etc. Clients need to see how these metrics are improved by comparing each exercise performance to the same exercise in the previous workouts! Stay on track and don’t succumb to bad advice.Word to trainers and to fitness center owners: You get what you measure! Any good business owner or coach knows that measurement is everything. If your clients can’t properly measure the progress of their workouts, then they will never know where they stand. It is our duty as fitness professionals to understand this, practice it ourselves, and teach the importance of workout type consistency to our clients.Beware of trainers who change workouts on the fly every time. This is a very haphazard approach to fitness. Good fitness programs are always based on principle and discipline. Claiming boredom is no excuse for lack of discipline!Only the naive person would call for a premature change in any given workout type. I see this lack of informed judgement often within the fitness industry and I am amused by it, but it disturbs to no end as a fitness professional. The clients (who are looking for the best advice they can find) need to be instructed as to the importance of the adherence to the full lifespan of a good workout. Trainers should stick to a good workout and change only when a workout has been fully utilized and measured properly by the clients.Gain a deeper understanding of what constitutes a good workout. Demand consistency for measurement and learn to use a workout for all of its potential for progression. Look at your levels of endurance, balance, strength and flexibility as it relates to each exercise within the workout before you utter the word boredom.Use cross-training for variety, but ensure that the individual workout types remain consistent!Steve