Muscle confusion (updated)

[OmniShinobi]

How do you achieve muscle confusion during a workout ?

Okay so here are the facts about muscle confusion . After you're body works out for awhile you develop a well basically becomes use to the work out yo're body does not work as hard as it did before . Because the muscle is use to working a certain way you do not get as much effect . Yes lifting more weights can be a solution . But you're body can only lift so much . Muscle confusion is simply changing workout routines that effect different muscle groups in order to achieve more effect . So doing the same workout may keep you in shape . Although it will only keep you in the current stats of that workouts maximum overhaul . For better effect you can also look to add workouts to you're routine as well as do the ones you already do for better results . You may also try cardio but i would not suggest you jump into free running immediately . Most professionals trained on track before they became efficient at free running .

[Monster Pup]

My Angelic Ninja

How do you achieve muscle confusion during a workout ?

It's broscience, there's no such thing. Try adding 5lbs to your next workout. Bam, now they're confused.

[B4T]

Monster Pup

It's broscience, there's no such thing.

Sadly it's gone far beyond broscience seeing as how P90X has basically industrialized the BS. Thanks "Beach Body". From the minds that brought us Hip Hop Abs and Turbo Jam.

OP: while it's true that with time, people gain skill to lift weight more efficiently with less energy: we combat that by adding weight to the lift. Efficiency can only subtract so much effort. Eventually when you're at high levels of skill, you don't get more efficient, and more weight/reps = more energy. You can outpace efficiency gains with bigger performance demands.

[Wolfdude87]

As the others have been saying it's not a real thing. But as the concept says, just don't do the same stuff. From time to time mix up your workout. And remember diet is everything.

[MaxKon]

You just have to change your program every so often. Doesn't everyone know that?

[OmniShinobi]

iDream version 2

There's no such thing as muscle confusion. If you don't want to/seem to have hit a plateau, you have to up your workouts. For example, if you are curling 50, in two weeks, increase the load to 55 or your muscle will adapt to the 50 and not progress. Then another two weeks later, increase that load to 60 (or however much you can curl after that certain amount of time). This is called progressive overload.

actually you are wrong muscle confusion is doing other work outs that work the same muscle causing that same muscle to be built but in several ways and that is why p90-x is so effective .

[biceptron]

My Angelic Ninja

How do you achieve muscle confusion during a workout ?

it is real. well, its not really muscle confusion. When i see the word muscle confusion, i think of people changing up their workouts every few weeks so that their body wont get used to their usual workout. this way you wont hit a plateau as easily. but trust me, u cant avoid a plateau. Youre just gonna have to keep lifting haha.

[biceptron]

My Angelic Ninja

iDream version 2

There's no such thing as muscle confusion. If you don't want to/seem to have hit a plateau, you have to up your workouts. For example, if you are curling 50, in two weeks, increase the load to 55 or your muscle will adapt to the 50 and not progress. Then another two weeks later, increase that load to 60 (or however much you can curl after that certain amount of time). This is called progressive overload.

actually you are wrong muscle confusion is doing other work outs that work the same muscle causing that same muscle to be built but in several ways and that is why p90-x is so effective .

yes. like instead of doing pec flys u switch to chest press or something like that. its just switchiing up your routines so your body wont get used to the same exercises

[MeritGamer]

iDream version 2

There's no such thing as muscle confusion. If you don't want to/seem to have hit a plateau, you have to up your workouts. For example, if you are curling 50, in two weeks, increase the load to 55 or your muscle will adapt to the 50 and not progress. Then another two weeks later, increase that load to 60 (or however much you can curl after that certain amount of time). This is called progressive overload.

Yes muscle confusion is real. Imagine touching your toes, you stretch out the muscles/tendons lengthwise. Now, put one leg out on an angle and stretch down to your toes. Your muscles are now twisted and being stretched. So instead of your muscles just stretching and regrowing in one fashion, you will have more malleable muscles used to different angles.

In response to the question, muscle confusion forces your muscles to work harder and will overall give you a better all round strength, I don't do it personally so I don't know how good the benefits are but it was recommended to me.

[pinkbrocade]

wow the immense broscience in this thread man

[Avgvsto]

Bears roll really big rocks, I can't do that much cause I'm a human but I roll big logs sometimes, or the famous Walter Payton stuff. This guy is also a badass.

[Fit N Fearless]

The term muscle confusion amuses the hell out of me. Haha, I'm just going to go to the gym today and confuse my muscles.

Switch up your workout every once in a while and make sure your making improvements with each workout. If your changing what you do with each workout then it's hard to know if your improving on something if your not doing it consistently. I change, rearrange, or add something in after 3-4 weeks.

[Adolph Rayner]

Your muscle is like a rubber band. All it does is contract. It can't tell what exercise you're doing.
Now you can 'confuse' the muscle but like most of the posters mentioned, progressive overload is one of the simplest and easiest ways to do this.
Other ways to induce confusion are to change the tempo (and thus time under tension), repetitions, sets and rest between sets (or repetitions)

[Ozchuck]

Most people beleive in muscle confusion because they for example do 5KG lateral raises, never raise the weight, their body doesnt grow, so they switch to shoulder press and actually do raise the weight one time, mess around with that for a few weeks, master the neural recruitment in that exercise over 6 weeks, increase the weight maybe one more time, then move back to lateral raises and do them with 7KG.

Beleive it or not, the strongest people in the world use at most 10 different exercises, and if they do change they change out of boredom.

In fact, for a beginner/intermediate level, I don't believe that more than 6 exercises are required to work every muscle in the body through a natural range of motion.

I don't want my muscles to be confused by a workout, I want them to know what they have to do, they need to get stronger and lift more than last time.

The muscle doesnt think. it only contracts. therefore it cannot be confused. doing a tricep exercise one way, then doing the exercise a different way doesnt stimulate the body to get stronger, because the actual stress to the tricep is the same.

In fact, there are issues with training the central nervous system to convince the muscle to give 100% of its strength to a contraction that require constant repetition of the specific exercise before the muscle itself will actually develop from the exercise.