On the Body for Life guestbook and other sites where BFL fitness freaks congregate, I often see the word “confused.” It generally means that someone has asked everyone else what they do rather than doing it by the book to begin with, so they are really more LOST than confused! But, the prevalence of the problem did prompt me to think more about a concept usually called muscle confusion, or sometimes called muscle perturbation.

Essentially, the concept, which is not even accepted by all fitness experts, is that continued muscle strength and size growth requires introducing a  technique to counteract the cessation of growth that occurs when muscles adapt to the training demands placed upon them.

Usually, muscle confusion is created by changing up the types of exercises done for each muscle group every 5 to 8 workouts for that group, so that different angles are utilized in the lifts, or different ranges of motion are created, so that the large muscles are worked in a different way, at various insertion points, and so that the smaller, stabilizer muscles underneath or nearby the larger muscles are also prompted to grow because they are recruited to assist the larger muscle in the maneuver.  This principle, that the muscles quickly adapt to a regular exercise and quickly quit growing is quite real, and is quickly demonstrated by those who regularly use the “machines,” those exercise stations in the gym that take yu through a specific exercise that is done exactly the same way every time due to the design of the machine.

You’ve got to put a little work into keeping your muscles confused, especially if you work out at home. In that case, you might even want to invest in another book! Especially if you use dumbbells. It’s called the Mens Health Ultimate Dumbbell Exercises book and it is generally available from the online order companies.
You can accomplish the same kind of “growth” by switching up your cardio modes regularly as well. If you usually run, try doing the stepmill, a rotating staircase that can turn you to jello in 10 minutes the first time you use it. Or if you’re an elliptical freak, try a treadmill, or even a stairmaster. If all you have is a treadmill, you can change the exercise angle, or you can even get an excellent workout learning to walk backwards on it. A little awkward at first, but you’ll soon get the hang of it. Even running backwards is kind of fun after a bit, and a lot safer on the treadmill than outdoors!

Keep the muscles and body confused! But, take care of your mind! Confusion is not a friend to gray matter!