Working in a somewhat haphazard method, I’ve been approaching my workouts with the mindset of “muscle confusion.”

The thought running through my head is that I recently hit a plateau, and I seem to have moved through it - but I want to put off the next plateau for as long as possible. In order to accomplish that, I’ve introduced new workout routines in the hope that it will require my muscles to do something new - and hopefully grow and recover in the process.

The first: low weight, high reps
I started off by dropping the weight and doing 4 sets of 15 reps. This isn’t too far removed from my traditional lifting routing of 16-12-8 or 15-10-5. However, the other day, I kept pushing the weight up and worked through 60-120 reps. Sequence example: 30-20-15-10-5, or 25-25-25-25-25.
The Benefit
By pursuing lifting like this, with lower than max-out weight, I was able to focus on full muscle movements - not cutting things short. I also was able to get to failure by going slow, not by adding additional weight. This was a new sensation for my muscles.

The second: new weight-lifting positions
The biggest impact here was my calves. I have always done calf-press lifts with my feet about a shoulder-width apart. No real reason for this - just the way I learned, I supposed. I’ve now introduced a new position - feet together.
The Benefit
My calves received a workout they’ve never received before and took a long time to recover. For two days after doing 50 reps at shoulder width and 75 together, I’ve felt baseballs in my calves.

The third: intervals
I’ve introduced speed and elevation intervals. Instead of getting on the treadmill and just cruising at a set speed and set elevation, I’ve been randomly increasing speed (by as much as 2mph) and incline (by as much as 4%).
The Benefit
Mostly a mental boost, right now. I’m sure it will translate in the long run - I’m already feeling a little more comfortable at speed and on mild inclines. I ran half-mile at 7.3mph the other day - a new task for me. And, I was in a pretty decent rhythm, so I might try that again and go for a full mile.

I’ll continue with this mindset and see where it leads. Probably around year end I’ll look to find a trainer/coach who actually knows better, but for now, the key is to keep moving and stay healthy.