When it comes to losing weight or building muscle, we are always hearing about a new craze, workout, technique, diet or product that is being touted as the next big thing. People are constantly searching for more effective ways to workout and lose weight, but with so much advice out there (and not all of it good) it can be difficult to know where to turn. Muscle confusion is an exciting development in the world of fitness and diet, but what exactly is it?
What Is Muscle Confusion?
When you start to workout regularly, you will start to notice good results. This may be regarding the amount of weight you are losing or the muscle you are building, depending on what you are aiming to do with your exercise regime. But after a while you may notice that your results start to slow as you seem to hit a plateau. This can be very frustrating, especially when you are still putting the same amount of effort in. The reason for this is because your body has become use to the exercises and adapts accordingly, it starts to do the routines more efficiently and therefore starts using less calories. Muscle confusion counters this problem by confusing the muscles and not allowing them to adapt. This is done by changing your routine quickly and often, increasing intensity and resistance with regular rest periods.
Muscle Confusion Techniques
Cross training techniques are a great way to practice muscle confusion. You can alternate short intense bursts of cardio exercise with strength training exercises. This technique can stop your muscles adapting, and an added benefit is that it can stop your workouts becoming stale and boring. Switching between weights and cardio will also give your muscle groups time to recuperate, this means you can add more intensity to each exercise set. The key is to not allow your workouts to become predictable, break things up and keep your effort and work rate high.
Interval Training
Interval (or circuit) training is a great way to practice muscle confusion and ensure you get the most from your workout. It also allows you to work a large number of muscle groups in a short period of time, and at a high intensity. Set up 8-10 exercises alternating between strength and cardio and ensuring you do not use the same muscle group twice in succession. You can do 2 minutes flat out on each followed by 20 seconds rest, therefore completing the circuit in half an hour. You can keep changing your workout to keep things fresh and those muscles confused.
Now you know the benefits of muscle confusion, incorporate the techniques into your workout and avoid those dreaded weight loss and muscle building plateaus.
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