Two months into the new year, people that made fitness goals have settled into their new routine. When it comes to working out, the same routine can become less beneficial as time goes on. According to strength coach Lee Boyce, you should consider changing your program as soon as your muscles begin to adapt themselves to a certain style of training, which typically takes six to eight weeks. Changing up your fitness routine can also be the perfect antidote to lack of motivation or boredom with your current routine. As students, we are lucky to have access to a 108,000 square foot gym complete with an indoor track and almost every type of fitness class imaginable, making a new workout regimen easy to accomplish.

This is News You Can Use with a guide to shaking up your fitness routine.

Try a new group class

Did you know that the E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center offers over 30 group fitness classes throughout the week? Everything from aerial silks to boxing, cycling to Zumba is available. Signing up for a fun fitness class is a great way to spice up a boring routine.

A University of Florida study in 2000 actually found that adding variation to your workout routine will help you keep up with your fitness goals. “It gets monotonous if you’re doing the same thing over and over,” Christopher Janelle, an assistant professor in UF’s department of exercise and sport sciences, said about the study. “If you vary the routine, there’s a significant increase in enjoyment that leads to greater adherence.”

Signing up for a class is easy, all you need to join a class is your NetID login. Access the fitness center’s web portal 24 hours before the class you want to take to reserve your spot.

Focus on weaknesses

While it can be tempting to do only the exercises you excel at, doing so can cause you to reach a plateau, and you might see less results. This doesn’t mean you have to stop everything in your current regimen, especially activities you’re really passionate about. Focus on adding different workouts to compliment the ones you already do. Cross-training can help you to balance your body and improve your overall athletic performance. If you’re a hardcore cycler, try switching it up with some Pilates. If you focus primarily on strength training, try swimming or yoga.

Working on strengthening different muscles will also help you avoid overuse injuries and issues like tendinitis.

Change the intensity

If you find yourself leaving the gym without ever breaking a sweat, it may be time to change up the intensity of your workouts. During a cardio workout, try adding between five to ten 30-second intervals at a faster pace. When performing groups of exercises, take less breaks for a shorter amount of time in between each exercise, or try to get more repetitions in the same amount of time. Super-setting your workouts is also a great way to keep your heart rate up and boost your metabolism. You can also switch up your routine by decreasing intensity, especially during strength training. Rather than attempting to reach a new max every week, try doing more repetitions at a lower weight.

The most important thing to remember when changing up your workout routine is to have fun. Keeping yourself in prime physical condition doesn’t have to be painful.

Emily Fisher can be reached at efisher@sagebrush.unr.edu and on Twitter @NevadaSagebrush.