A big mistake I see beginners make when it comes to their training routines is incorporating too much variation into their program. Whilst it is important to include variety in your routine and utilise different training methods, often times I see both trainee’s and coaches utilising variety at the expense of a much more potent stimulus for muscle growth – progressive overload.
Progressive overload is the simple notion that in order to make a muscle grow bigger or stronger you must subject it to a stimulus greater than the one it previously adapted to. In short, that means lifting more weight or lifting the same weight for more reps. The best exercises for achieving progressive overload are the primary compound lifts – the Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift and the Press. This is because they allow us to lift the maximum amount of weight, using the greatest proportion of muscle mass, over the largest range of motion and as such, can be progressed for very long periods of time.
However, ensuring the muscle is subjected to novel stimulus’ is an important factor in accentuating muscular development. Variety in this sense has nothing to do with muscle confusion or similar training principles. Rather this is about optimally stimulating ALL potential muscle fibres. There are a number of different ways this can be achieved, including adjusting the angle of an exercise (via incline or decline), changing grip or stance positions (wide, medium, narrow, reverse) or by using a completely different exercise altogether.
Ideally, a training program would incorporate the benefits of both progressive overload and variety. The best way I have found to do this is to keep your primary exercises the same for the duration of your program, aiming for progressive overload in the Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift and Press, whilst alternating your assistance exercises intermittently throughout the program. This can be done at regular intervals at say 4, 6 or 8 weeks. Or it can be done with progress stalls in a particular lift and a specific body part needs to be brought up accordingly.
This simple, reliable method will yield good results in both novice and intermediate trainee’s allowing you to effectively vary your exercise routine without compromising on progressive overload.