I get a lot of emails now from people asking about muscle confusion workouts and how they work.  I'm sure it comes from the recent popularity of the P90X DVD tv infomercial that discusses this muscle building technique.

Muscle confusion is a principle that's applied to weight training in order to create variety in your workout routine.it's designed to keep you from hitting a plateau.Your muscles never really get a chance to get complacent if you're changing your routine day after day and week after week.

The reason P90X workouts are so successful is because there are 12 distinct  workouts targeting different muscle groups in different ways.This causes your muscles to grow more rapidly since you will have successfully avoided the dreaded palteau. 

Im listing 5 steps that will help you make the most of any workout program you may be following in case you're not using Tony Horton's P90X training.You'll have to notice the results you get from applying the following principles to whatever fitness program you're on.

1.Try your best to change up all the exercises you do from one day to the next.What I'm trying to say is it's important not to get into repeat the same boring workout day after day after day.If your 1st day workout is shoulders and arms, followed by chest and back on day 2, be sure not to use the exact same weights or rep counts the next time you do your arms and shoulders.Stir the pot a little, so to speak.

If your'e doing curls, try doing hammer curls one day and then corkscrew curls the next time.If one day you do 3 sets of 15 reps with 35 lbs. try doing 3 sets of 8 reps with 45 lbs. the next time.  Anything you can do to keep your body from getting complacent.  You can also try to use resistance bands instead of free weights on some days.

2.  Set realistic, attainable workout goals that still make you stretch.Always push yourself as far as you can.Don't continue doing the same amount of reps with the same amount of weight day after day.You should continually be adding weight or doing more reps with less weight or any combination of the two.It's always good to keep your body a little confused as to what's going to happen next.

3.  Track your performance.There's a wide variety of software out there that has been created for workouts, as well as excel spreadsheets that can help you chart your workouts as well as your progress.  You can create graphs that will help you visualize your progress as well. 

4.It's a good idea to eat some carbohydrates about one hour before you start your workout.You need to be sure to have enough energy to maximize the effectiveness of your workout.

5.  There have been some recent medical reports that suggest that you should consume a protein meal or drink within 30 minutes of working out in order to replace the glycogen in your muscles and torn muscle tissue.

The bottom line in all of this is that it is wise to do your best to add muscle confusion principles to your workouts to keep your muscles from hitting a plateau.This keeps your body continuously burning fat and building up lean muscle tissue.

Wait til you see the results you get from applying these principles.Have a blast with your workout!