INBA PNBA Natural Olympia silver medalist Courtney Spaeth says you need to stay consistent with your movements to build strength and muscle.
Instagram (IG) influencers, social media “gurus,” and “muscle confusion” enthusiasts have you believe that you should constantly mix up your workouts to build strength and muscle. However, it’s best to stick to a few key movements for a period before changing your routine, and International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) Natural Olympia competitor Courtney Spaeth proves it.
Courtney Spaeth received a silver medal in the Figure open class and 4th place in the Figure Classic division at 2021 Natural Olympia. Moreover, she’s a 10x Pro Figure champ, 5x Pro Figure Classic champ, and 2x Pro Physique champ.
Spaeth says that if you want to see progress with your physique, you need to be consistent with your movements. On social media, Spaeth stated:
“Always sticking to the same key movements even when equipment is changed. If you want to make progress in strength and building that muscle you have to stay consistent with your movements.”
She says it’s easy to do too when you don’t have access to equipment with similar substitutions, e.g., resistance band chest press for cable chest press. However, she does note that you should be wary of the weight varying.
Courtney Spaeth’s Upper Body Workout for Strength and Muscle
Below is an example of one of Courtney Spaeth’s upper body workouts.
- Cable chest fly
- Cable chest press
- Dumbbell single-arm overhead tricep extension
- Machine chest press
- Cable incline fly
- Barbell close grip incline bench press
Courtney Spaeth split the workout above into two due to time constraints and did part of her workout at home. In other IG posts, she’s mentioned splitting her workouts into different parts of the day depending on her schedule. For example, in an IG post posted on February 4th Spaeth said:
“Sometimes I’ll split my workouts and get some done morning and night. Just depends on my time and schedule for the day. Prioritizing sleep, and balancing the days agenda is everything to reduce stress for me. So many times that means part of my workout in the morning and part of it at night.”
In the video below, you can see Courtney Spaeth completing her upper body workout while doing banded movements in place of cable chest fly, cable chest press, and cable incline fly.
View this post on Instagram
If you scroll through more social media posts uploaded by Courtney Spaeth, you’ll notice that she also likes to mix in circuit workouts to her routine. Circuit workouts are great for shortening your workouts and building strength and endurance simultaneously.
Natural Bodybuilding and Figure Class
Two of the INBA PNBA divisions Courtney Spaeth competes in are the Figure Classic and Figure divisions. Below we’ll cover a brief difference between the two.
Figure
The Figure division is judged on symmetry, muscularity, definition, and stage presence. In addition, these competitors must have an excellent shoulder-to-hip ratio for a graphic V-taper. Competitors will be dressed in a two-piece with high heels and jewelry.
Figure Classic
This class is scored similarly to Women’s Figure. However, the women in this division will wear a one-piece. In both divisions, the women display less muscularity than Women’s Physique.
Recap
Mixing up your workouts often is beneficial for targeting different muscles, busting past plateaus, and making workouts more entertaining. However, it’s essential to stick with the same key movements for long enough to build adequate strength and muscle.
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