If you love exercise but get bored doing the same workouts over and over, you do not have to choose between variety and progress. I have spent years running thousands of miles, completing dozens of marathons, training for ultramarathons, experimenting with HIIT, and adding other sports into my routine. One thing I have learned is that mixing up your workouts can actually make you a more well rounded athlete when you do it strategically. 

The key is knowing how to mix up your workouts without losing progress. You do not necessarily need to follow the exact same workout every week to reach your goals. Instead, you can identify what your training needs to accomplish and then find different ways to meet those needs. In this post (and the Youtube video linked here and the podcast episode linked here), I will walk you through the four step process I use to add variety while staying focused on the bigger goal.

Why workout variety matters

When I became an ultrarunner, I spent years running thousands of miles. At this point, I have run somewhere between 10,000 and 15,000 miles. That much running teaches you a lot, but it can also create a different kind of challenge. Eventually, you can run into what I call the boredom wall. It is not the marathon wall you might experience late in a race. It is the feeling that comes from doing the same type of workout again and again.

That is one reason I believe workout variety matters so much. Mixing up your workouts can help you stay interested in exercise while continuing to work toward your goals. It can also help you become a more well rounded athlete. For example, if you are an ultrarunner, adding different forms of training can complement your running. If you are training for HYROX, adding longer endurance sessions such as running or rowing can support your overall fitness. Variety does not have to mean abandoning your goal. It can mean finding different ways to continue moving toward it.

Step one: Know what you are training for

The first question I ask when deciding how much variety to add is simple: What are you training for? Your answer will determine how much flexibility you have. If you are preparing for a marathon, an ultramarathon, HYROX, a sport, or another specific event, there are certain parts of your training that deserve more attention than others. If you are simply exercising to become healthier, maintain your fitness, or enjoy movement, you have considerably more freedom to experiment.

This distinction is important because not every workout has the same purpose. When I am preparing for a specific event, I want to understand what the event requires before I start changing my routine. If you are training for a marathon, for example, endurance and cardiovascular fitness are central to the goal. If you want to become faster, intervals can also play an important role in your training. If you are training for something like HYROX, you may need a combination of endurance, strength, and high intensity work. Start with the destination, and then decide how much freedom you have to change the route.

Step two: Be honest about your experience level

The second step is to be honest with yourself about how experienced you are with the activity you are training for. This might sound obvious, but there is an important distinction between doing something for the first time and being completely new to it. Your first marathon might be your first marathon, but you could have been a runner for decades. Your first HYROX could be your first HYROX event, while you already have years of high intensity training behind you.

This matters because experience gives you a better understanding of what your body can handle and how different workouts fit together. When I ran my first marathon, I followed a structured 18 week program created by Peloton. When I ran my first 100K, I hired a coach who helped guide my training and answered my questions when I wanted to change things around. I was much more cautious because I was learning what those distances required. As I gained experience, I became more comfortable making changes while still understanding the purpose behind my training. If you are new to something, I recommend giving yourself more structure. If you have significant experience, you may have more room to experiment.

Step three: Categorize your workouts

This is my favorite part of the process because it gives you a simple way to understand where you can add variety. Instead of thinking about individual exercises, I like to categorize workouts by type, muscle group, and duration. For workout type, you might consider strength, endurance, cardio, or intervals. For muscle groups, you can think about upper body and lower body. For duration, you might have anything from a 15 minute workout to a four hour endurance session.

Once you start looking at your training this way, you can see opportunities to change things without completely changing the purpose of the workout. Imagine that you have a lower body interval workout scheduled for 15 minutes. The specific exercise does not necessarily have to remain identical every time. You could potentially use a different workout that still provides an interval focused stimulus. Likewise, if you have an upper body strength session planned for a particular duration, you can change the exercises while continuing to train the same general category.

This is the foundation of how to mix up your workouts without losing progress. You are not randomly replacing workouts. You are identifying what the workout is supposed to accomplish and then finding another way to accomplish something similar. That gives you flexibility without completely losing direction.

Step four: Swap workouts within the same category

Once you understand your training goal, experience level, and workout categories, you can start to plug and play. The basic idea is simple: keep the category while changing the exercise. If you are not training for a specific event, you can have even more freedom to mix different types of workouts throughout your week. You can rotate between strength, endurance, cardio, intervals, upper body, lower body, and different workout durations.

For me, this approach has become much easier because I have accumulated years of experience. I know what different workouts feel like, I understand the demands of different events, and I have enough experience to recognize how different types of training fit together. That does not mean I ignore structure. It means I understand where structure matters most and where I can have some fun. The goal is not to make every workout unpredictable. The goal is to create enough flexibility that you can continue enjoying the process.

How I changed my marathon training over time

My own marathon training provides a great example of how experience can change the way you approach workout variety. For my first marathon, I followed a structured 18 week program. My training included a long run each week, shorter regular runs, and a tempo run. The program also followed a build and recovery pattern, with three weeks of building followed by a lower volume week, and then a two week taper before the race.

My most recent marathon looked completely different. I still ran long runs, but they were 10 miles or less. I ran shorter distances without following a highly structured schedule, and I was generally running around 20 to 30 miles per week. I also incorporated HIIT classes twice a week and played tennis once a week. I did not follow a traditional build, recovery, and taper structure. Instead, I relied on the fitness I had already developed through years of consistent training. The result was a five hour marathon where I felt good afterward and was able to continue with my normal life.

That comparison is not meant to suggest that everyone should train for a marathon the way I did. Quite the opposite. It demonstrates why experience matters. My first marathon required significantly more structure because I was learning what I needed. After completing dozens of marathons, I had a much better understanding of my own fitness and what I could handle. Your approach should reflect where you are in your own journey.

Know which workouts should stay consistent

Adding variety does not mean every workout is interchangeable. Some parts of your training can be more important to your goal than others. In marathon training, for example, I would not recommend treating the long run as just another workout that can always be swapped for something else. The long run serves a specific purpose, particularly when you are preparing for a longer race.

That is where the first two steps become so important. Your goal and experience level help determine where you can safely introduce more variety. You might be able to replace a shorter run with another interval based workout, for example, while keeping the important long run in your schedule. The more clearly you understand the purpose of each session, the easier it becomes to know which workouts are flexible and which ones deserve consistency.

Movement is life

Ultimately, I think this entire conversation goes beyond training for a race. Movement is life. I often think about the phrase from Ted Lasso where Danny Rojas says, "Football is life." I think there is something bigger behind that idea. Whether you are training for a marathon, HYROX, an ultramarathon, soccer, tennis, a 100 mile bike ride, or simply trying to stay healthy, you are ultimately training for your life.

That is why I want you to find forms of exercise that you genuinely enjoy. If you get bored with one activity, find another activity that you enjoy. When that one becomes repetitive, find something else. Keep moving and keep finding ways to make movement enjoyable. In the transcript for this episode, I discuss the importance of consistent exercise and reference research connecting regular movement with lower all cause mortality. The bigger message for me is simple: the best workout routine is one you can continue doing throughout your life.

How to mix up your workouts and keep making progress

If you want to mix up your workouts without losing progress, start by asking yourself four questions. What am I training for? How experienced am I? What category does this workout belong to? What other workouts could fit the same category? Those questions give you a practical framework for making changes instead of simply changing things randomly.

You do not have to choose between structure and variety. You can use structure where it matters and flexibility where it makes sense. My own progression from a highly structured first marathon to a much more flexible recent marathon showed me how much experience can change your training approach. More importantly, it reminded me that training should support your life rather than become something you dread. Keep your goals in mind, understand what your workouts are doing for you, and then give yourself permission to keep things fresh. When you enjoy moving, you are much more likely to keep moving, and consistency over a lifetime is the real win.

A simple framework for healthier living

This philosophy is also why I created my Three Pillars of Healthy Living Guide around movement, tracking, and accountability. I wanted to create something simple that people could read in just a few minutes and start applying to their lives immediately. These three pillars helped empower me to lose 40 pounds, keep the weight off, and become the athlete I am today. They have also helped me create a happier and healthier life.

If you want to take what you have learned here and turn it into action, I encourage you to start small. Look at your current workout routine and identify the purpose of each session. Then ask yourself where you could introduce a little variety while still supporting your goal. You do not need to completely rebuild your training plan overnight. Find one place where you can make movement more enjoyable, try it, and keep going.

DISCLAIMER: THIS INFORMATION IS MY OPINION AND IS NOT INTENDED TO BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER. PLEASE CONSULT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER FOR GUIDANCE SPECIFIC TO YOUR CASE.