Exercise rotation for improved performance

In the pursuit of strength, consistency and progression are key. However, in my experience, so is variation. 

There is no doubt that progressing on fundamental exercises like the back squat, bench press and deadlift can yield significant gains. However, exclusive focus on these lifts isn't always optimal. Rotating your exercises comes with number of benefits.

The varied movement and loading helps to break plateaus whilst building resilience and adaptability. All of this contributes to a creating a stronger athlete, leading to increased weights across a number of exercises over time. The varied loading also helps to reduce the risk of overuse injuries.

This has certainly been my experience. For a number of years, my strength training was largely focussed on progressing a handful of exercises including the back squat, conventional deadlift, clean and jerk and snatch.

I performed these exercises at least once, sometimes 2-3 times per week. Over time, my lower-back started to play up and these ifts would aggravate my back each time I performed them.

This sort of story is not uncommon; many in the fitness community and sports community in general, have encountered similar issues through relentless progression of specific movements and a lack of variety.

Now, with my training on the Human Strength program, I emphasise varied progression, prioritising performance while embracing exercise diversity and rotation. This helps to promote training longevity and long-term progression.