how often do I have to change my routine?

[jonhyboyll]

I have a friend who told me that I should change my workout routine every 5 weeks, because the musle get used to the excercise, but my trainer told me that I should never ever change my routine, that the lifting more weight is what makes the muscle grow, what should I do? I mean maybe my new trainer doesnt want to train me, or maybe I just have to add more weight

[caerus13]

Muscle grows from progressive overload (adding more weight), period.

[Wildtim]

It is only worth changing your routine when it is no longer working and you know it is the routine not diet or sleep.

That is usually far longer than 5 weeks. At least months and for a beginner it could be a year or more.

Even then, once your routine stalls, you don't have to completely change it sometimes just switching one exercise or tweeking the order to emphasise a weak point can often get things moving again.

[tooothpick]

I have a friend who told me that I should change my workout routine every 5 weeks, because the musle get used to the excercise, but my trainer told me that I should never ever change my routine, that the lifting more weight is what makes the muscle grow, what should I do? I mean maybe my new trainer doesnt want to train me, or maybe I just have to add more weight

The truth is somewhere between the two perspectives. Do you know the saying, "If it's not broken, don't fix it"? Same thing. If your routine is allowing you to continually add more weight or repetitions, then you don't change it. If it's stopped working (and this can be because it's a bad routine, the reps are too high, volume too much, etc) then you may want to change your routine.

[ironwill2008]

I have a friend who told me that I should change my workout routine every 5 weeks, because the musle get used to the excercise,

Where did your friend come up with "5 weeks,"OP? Why not 3 or 4, or 6 or 7?

Just curious.

lifting more weight is what makes the muscle grow,

The trainer got this part correct.



No real reason to change your routine unless your goals change. When a particular exercise refuses to progress for 3 workouts in a row, no matter how hard you try to move it, simply substitute a different exercise for the same bodypart, and work to progress the new exercise.