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Is Muscle Confusion Just Another Myth?
Fitness | October 24, 2016
I recently read an article on New York Magazine’s Science of Us page about the currently popular theory of “Muscle Confusion”. If you’re not familiar with the term, the idea of muscle confusion is to try and complete a very different kind of daily workout so your muscles are always “confused” and won’t ever plateau because they’re constantly being stimulated in a new way. The belief is that you’ll experience constant muscle and fitness growth and enjoy never growing bored. Think a spin class followed by hot yoga followed by Olympic lifting followed by a kickboxing class. Many people were introduced to the term and idea from the P90X DVD set and the popular Class Pass app.
The NY Mag article is aggressively against the theory of muscle confusion. Not only does the author, Brad Stulberg, think the idea of muscle confusion “doesn’t work”, but the article even quotes Brett Bartholomew, a LA gym owner as saying, ‘ “All the crap you hear about your body needing a different stimulus each week or a new ‘workout of the day’ is garbage” ‘. Then, further down in the article the author makes a bold statement, “Repetition and consistency are key. Results don’t occur overnight but after months, and even years, of sticking to the same routine”.
Consistency, yes. The exact same routine? I have to say I really can’t agree with the tone or the main arguments of this article. First off, and most importantly, moving your body is GOOD. Raising up your heart rate and building muscle every day will absolutely increase your fitness level, I don’t care how it’s done. Secondly, I’m not sure why the author of the article would think it’s a good idea to discourage people from exercising in a way they enjoy.
Now don’t get me wrong, the idea of muscle confusion is also a bit heavy handed. I don’t think it’s necessary to do an extremely different kind of workout every day to see results. And that’s really the problem with both ends of the argument. There’s no absolutely right or wrong way to get into good physical shape (unless it’s doing nothing OR something unsafe for yourself or others). Often different things work for different people. You have to discover what’s right for you.
I like to switch it up in the ZGYM. I definitely don’t preach muscle confusion but I think the variety of workouts in the ZGYM help to keep people interested and stick to my program. I also personally enjoy trying my best to master new skills, like handstands, pull-ups, and kettlebell techniques. I also don’t see what the problem is with a program like P90X. Even if P90X does work on the basis of the muscle confusion theory, it’s still a great collection of very effective workouts. And when people get excited about something and stick to it, that’s when you see fitness levels grow.
Here’s my bottom line on this subject: The most important thing you can do for your personal fitness is to commit to an active lifestyle, be consistent in how often you exercise, and move daily. I think it is beneficial to keep changing up your routine. But if repeating the same routine over and over is what makes you happy and committed to your workouts, then so be it!
What do you think about the theory of muscle confusion? Is it something you’ve heard of before? Do you believe in it? Are you more for sticking with the same routine for months or even years? What does your fitness routine look like and what have you found to be most effective for yourself personally? I’d love to hear your thoughts.
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Bodyweight only | Exercise Ball | Hand Weights | Jump Ropes | Kettlebells | Pull Up Bar | Resistance Bands | Sliding Discs
Private Member |
curitiba, parana, brazil
Hi Zu and friends…I think the body gets used to do same movement everytime and I am not sure if the calories burnt or the benefits will be same. My personal experience is that few movements were very challenging when I started Zgym (pendulums, plank with foot elevated, transformers on Swiss ball etc) but after I repeated these movements so many times, they are not challenging anymore. Of course they are still hard but I can manage to do it without getting very tired or out of breath…that is why I believe in changing and adding new movements few times per week. Not necessary to be daily but at least 3x per week. I feel my stamina improves a lot if I give different stimulus to my body. Also doing same workouts everyday is so boring. I really enjoy learning new things and trying new things. Consistency is the key to change the body but it really takes time. Also many people uses medicines and supplements what makes a huge difference if compared with those who does not eat any supplement. What worked better for me were Zgym workouts, Muay Thai and Yoga classes. Jump rope practice really ripp the abs and legs and swiss ball exercises are the best for my abs and core. Anyways, nice topic to talk about. See you all, take care.
Private Member |
seattle, washington
You know I think I sent a link to you at your Hotmail address on some science on “muscle confusion” a few years back when it was popular as a term. I believe it said it was nonsense in the conclusion.
Private Member |
I noticed more and faster progress just doing your book before I joined the zgym compared to the dvd workouts I was doing. I love your work outs because they are different all the time. It keeps me interested and motivated. I used to do dvd exercises and I had memorized alllllll the dialogue… boring… then I found you and I am never going to look back. I love your zgym it is the best. Thank you.
By the way after doing the book exercises I noticed little bumps above my hip bones, I panicked and thought they were tumors….. to my relief they were just muscles….. hahahaha ….. muscles I hadn’t developed in over 2 years of doing dvd work outs…..Muscle confusion or not, your routines work, love them
thanks zuzka for zgym
Private Member |
Even if sticking to the same routine would lead to the same results. How boring is that then oO, or how slacky will you do an exercise maybe if you’ve done it 100 times over and over… and how many exercises would then have to be packed into that routine if you really want to train every muscle of your body. And what about giving muscles a bit of a pause every now and then… I think the way to go is doing things differently. Changing perspectives is always good, and so is changing through routines. What if I want to be better at hiking, swimming and bicycling… I can’t do it in one routine…well unless I want to train for a triathlon…
Private Member |
I have lost over 102 kilo with hard work and a health diet. My personal trainer Anna Galbraith loves your work and introduced me to your blog. We have trained regularly cardio strength core resistance you name it we have done it. My body is starting to look amazing it all works. Commitment hard work and dedication is the key. How you do it is up to you find a support network like your blog friends family whatever works it’s all good xx Jacqui gaylor Hawick in Scotland