As you train to gain more lean muscle mass, get stronger and maintain a healthy weight, it’s important to do many different types of workouts for better results. Doing the same kind of workouts, like only running on a treadmill for your cardio, doesn’t work. Should you switch up your cardio? Endurance training should focus on working a variety of muscle groups Here’s how it might benefit you in the long-term.

WORK DIFFERENT MUSCLE GROUPS

There’s a reason the experts tell you not to focus only on strength workouts, or core exercises, or endurance-focused training. It’s important to switch up not only the different types of training, but the different methods of each kind of workout as well. Different activities typically work different muscle groups, meaning you might miss out on building up certain muscles if you stick to the same activities over periods of weeks or months.

Running, for example, mostly works your legs; cycling, your glutes. Swim some laps if you want to give your arm, back and shoulder muscles a good workout. Don’t let yourself get too comfortable doing only one or two forms of cardio workouts on the days you give your core a rest. Unless you want to plateau, you have to do a variety of different exercises to allow some muscles to work while others rest and repair.

KEEP CARDIO INTERESTING

Have you ever gotten bored with doing the same old workout routine week after week? While there’s nothing wrong with a familiar pattern of workouts to help keep you on track, let’s be honest … repetition gets boring after awhile. It isn’t just your brain that starts to check out; your body, if you keep working the same muscle groups, pretty much stops responding the way it did when you first started training.

Switching up your cardio not only makes your training each week more effective in the long-term, but it also helps you stay motivated and makes you more likely to stick to your workout regimen without skipping certain days or slacking off. If you really want to meet your goals and see results, don’t settle for the same training exercises. Mix it up.

Source

http://www.healthline.com/health/variety-spice-fitness-diversify-your-workout#Overview1