How to Switch Up Your Workout Routine & Boost Results

Small Changes = Big Gains

We’ve all been there—you exercise consistently but feel like your progress has plateaued. It’s frustrating when results don’t match the time and energy invested. As a nutrition coach, I’ve got some good news for you: sometimes a few small tweaks to your workout can completely change the game!

Here are a few small strategies that can lead to big gains.

Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a simple but powerful technique that keeps your muscles guessing—and growing. It’s easy to implement: gradually increase the amount of weight, reps, and intensity of your workouts over time. Your body adapts to demands you place on it, so when you consistently challenge it with slightly heavier weights or adding a few more reps each session, you’ll see results. Start with just a few more reps, increase duration for a couple minutes, incorporate sprints, or increase weight by 5 to 10 percent. If you add even just one more rep to each set, this action will compound and help make a difference over time.

Focus on Different Muscle Groups

Exercising the same muscles repeatedly teaches muscles to become familiar with the same routines without challenging them. This is a recipe for a plateau! Try swapping exercises that target the same muscle group but in a different way. If you usually do standard squats, try incorporating sumo squats, Bulgarian split squats, or bilateral movements like lunges. If you run 5 days a week for cardio, try rowing, cycling, boxing, or a new class. Variety keeps muscles engaged and boosts your overall fitness.

High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)

Short on time? Consider swapping one or two steady cardio sessions for a time-saving HIIT workout, which involves short bursts of intense exercise followed by brief periods of rest or low-intensity recovery. It will change it up, burn a ton of calories, and rev your metabolism for hours on end. HIIT workouts maximize fat-burning and cardiovascular fitness, while reducing stress and helping regulate blood sugar levels.

Add Resistance Bands & Bodyweight Exercises

Incorporating resistance bands or bodyweight exercises into your workout offers your muscles new challenges that help break through plateaus, while boosting endurance and functional strength. Resistance bands add tension throughout the full range of motion, while bodyweight exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, planks, and lunges help improve balance, flexibility, and strength. Try adding resistance bands to your strength training moves or replace one day of weightlifting with a bodyweight circuit.

Track Your Progress

Tracking workouts can keep you motivated and accountable. Use a fitness app or workout journal to track your every move. When you can see measurable progress—whether it’s lifting heavier, running faster, or improving endurance—it fuels your motivation to keep pushing forward. Review the log regularly so that you feel good about what you’re doing and can identify areas to adjust and improve.

You don’t need a complete overhaul to see better results in your workout routine— small changes compounded over time lead to real results! The strategies above—and working with a nutrition and fitness coach like me—can help you break through plateaus, stay motivated, and continue to transform your body.