When to Change up Exercises for Maximum Gains, the Advantages of Unilateral Over Bilateral Movements, When Taking Vitamins Is a Waste of Money & More

• Most programs only move in two planes of movement, often neglecting rotational strength & lateral strength
• Rotational and lateral strength exercise give you longevity in training and build more stability – but can be more difficult movements so we avoid or neglect
• What makes a program effective is also its weakness: you have a program that’s specific to the desired outcome at the expense of another outcome

Rotational exercise examples: club swigs, mace swings. Lateral exercise examples: lateral tube walking, Cossack squats, lateral sled pulls.

• Interrupt classic moves (e.g., barbell squats, deadlifts, overhead press) with movements in other planes (e.g., lateral lunge, Cossack squats, etc.)
• Higher skill movements can stay in the rotation but adjust tempo to vary (sometimes slower, sometimes faster)
• If you’ve hit a plateau, change the movements
• Change moves for about 3 weeks

Ways to vary classic compound moves: front rack squat instead of barbell squat, try Zercher squats, trap bar instead of a standard barbell for deadlifts, Bulgarian split squat, single-leg deadlift with dumbbells instead of barbell deadlifts.