Have you ever just hit a wall?

I’ve had one.  Everyone has had one.  If you’re into the iron like I am it’s probably the thing you strive to avoid.  I’m talking about the dreaded training rut and below are some tips to help you avoid it.

- Train when you’re fresh.  That’s the answer I give when people ask about the best time of day to train.  It can be when you’re the most mentally or physically fresh.  I prefer to get my lift in my mid afternoon.  If I have to do it any later, you can pretty much bet your arse that I won’t be setting the world on fire.  Whether it’s early morning, midday, or after work get it done when you feel the best.

- Change of Scenery.  Right now I lift three days per week.  I’m in the gym 3 days and the other 3 days I get my conditioning or GPP done in the sunshine and fresh air.  It’s something I just started this week and so far I love it.  Being away for a day only makes me want to get in there and rip it up more.  If you train 5-6 days per week then don’t spend them all in the same place.  It can be mentally draining to go to the same place day after day for lift after lift.  Sometimes a change of scenery is all you need.  So, get outside or go somewhere else for some good training and you’ll be dying to get back to your favorite spot!

- Have a plan.  Failing to plan is planning to fail.  You’ve heard that before, right?  Well it’s true, especially when it comes to keeping your training fresh.  Sit down and plan out your training 6-12 weeks at a time.  Put workouts on paper, schedule deload weeks, and off days.  Put in your training plan whatever you think you’ll need to keep yourself on track.  That’s not to say you can’t ad lib from time to time, in fact, I encourage you to do so.  Your plan should be a guideline and not the be all end all for your training over the next several weeks.  Insert some fun wherever you feel the need to, because if it’s not fun things will surely get stale very quickly.

This is a short list and could probably go on for days but I don’t want to bore anyone.  Add some comments and let’s get this list growing.

What are some of the things you do to keep your training fresh and exciting?