When building out training programs for clients, variations in exercises are one of the ways I control the stimulus for the client. The key is changing exercises often enough to keep getting results but not so much as to stop the client from learning. For individuals who have a lot of training experience, continuing to make progress becomes challenging. For these clients, since the body acclimates to change quickly, varying the exercises allows the client to make better progress.
On the opposite side of the spectrum is novice athletes who don’t have much training experience. With these individuals, they need a lot more touches on movements in order to learn correct form and be able to push themselves to cause adaptation in the body.
Clients with moderate training experience fall in the middle and for these athletes I tend to vary their exercise selection every 4-6 weeks. This gives the client enough time gain confidence in the exercises but not so long that the mind and body aren’t challenged.
If you feel like you aren’t making the progress you think you should, it may because you are changing up your exercise selection too often. You may be better off changing other variables like reps, sets, and weight instead of the exercises itself.
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