By Katie Rosenbrock
TheActiveTimes.com
Everyone gets bored of the gym. It's inevitable. After all, it's not like it's updated with new equipment all too often. Unlike your favorite TV show, it’s the same old story when you return each week. That doesn't mean you shouldn’t go back, though. It just means you need to stay on your toes and get creative.
In an ideal world the gym would transform and evolve, presenting us with new equipment each time we returned so that our workout routines would never get stale and always be challenging. Unfortunately, fitness technology hasn't reached that level yet. Maybe one day it will, but until then it's our own responsibility to make sure our training plans stay varied and exciting.
There are a few reasons your program might come to a plateau. Maybe you flock to the same three or four machines for every single workout, or maybe you can only get to the gym during peak hours when that same annoying guy is always hogging the bench press. Whatever the case, there's a way around every excuse.
For example, did you know that for certain exercises, instead of using the rope attachment on the resistance trainer you can use a towel instead? Or that you can add an element of difficulty to your push-ups with foam rollers? So next time you can’t find that piece of equipment you need or another member is monopolizing the squat rack, don’t just sit there and wait around. Get creative and find a new way to do the exercise.
Not only will you save yourself a whole lot of time, but you'll also step up your workout intensity. Ever notice how certain exercises start to feel easier after a few weeks? That’s because you're muscles are growing stronger in order to adapt to the stress of the load. In order to keep getting stronger, you need to continue to present a challenge. That means not only increasing weight, but introducing new ways to perform similar movements.
To learn the ins and outs of some of the most popular pieces of gym equipment, I headed to Body Space Fitness in New York City and met up with owner Kelvin Gary. Gary is a NASM Certified Personal Trainer and a Functional Movement Specialist. Using everything from the Bosu ball to a single weight plate, he showed me the following 10 exercises to demonstrate how you can use everyday gym equipment to revamp your existing exercise routine.
For the complete list of the 10 Everyday Exercise Upgrades, go to TheActiveTimes.com.
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