How To Tell If Your Workouts Are Challenging Enough
How do I know if my workout is hard enough?
This is a question I get asked quite a bit by people without a trainer. As a fitness coach my goal is to get my clients results, but also to make sure they’re not too hard on themselves. Overtraining, or training too hard can have negative impacts just as not pushing yourself hard ENOUGH won’t net you the results you’re looking for.
If you find yourself wondering if your workout is tough enough, ask yourself these questions:
1. What do I hope to accomplish with my fitness routine?
In order to evaluate if your workout is hard enough, you need to have a clear goal in mind. How can you tell if a fitness routine is challenging enough to help you see positive change if you aren’t sure what changes to look for? It may be a physical goal, like weight loss or toning, or the desire to have more energy, reduce stress or sleep better. Take a few minutes to sit down and list out the specific goals you want to achieve. Start with the overall main goal such as lose weight, then list some specifics that go along with that goal such as to take stress off your joints, be able to do activity for longer or get back to a certain size.
2. Did I push myself to my max effort at least once?
Check in with yourself during your workout: Is there at least one time when you felt you pushed yourself to the max? This will look different based on the type of exercise you are doing. If you’re on the exercise bike you may feel winded from a hill or a sprint and need to back off your effort to recover. If you’re lifting weights, are you hitting a point where you feel you can’t lift any more and are breathing heavily? You may feel like you need a minute to catch your breath after your walk or run. If you feel you’ve hit your max effort at least once, it’s a good sign that your workout is challenging enough. If you’re doing a typical three workout-per-week routine for 30 minutes, try to hit that max mark 2 or 3 times during your workout.
3. How do I feel after my workout?
At the end of a workout, do you feel like you have more to give or are you completely exhausted? Neither of these extremes is ideal. As a personal trainer, I want my clients to leave their workout feeling like they have accomplished something, but feeling energized and a better mood. If you feel like taking a nap or collapsing on the couch, your workout is probably too hard. A good workout should invigorate you, not deplete you. On the flipside, if you feel like you could’ve kept going or like you didn’t accomplish much, it’s a good indication that your workout is too easy and you can push yourself a little harder.
4. Do I see changes in my body and strength?
Noticing changes in your body is a good sign that your workout is challenging enough. If your jeans fit looser or a shirt is easier to button, these are all signs that your body is changing. Conversely, if you’re trying to add muscle, are you filling out your shirts better or looking more defined? An increase in strength is also a good indicator you are working hard enough. If you’re able to hold a plank longer, run faster/farther or complete a set of lifts with less of a burn, these are all signs that your strength is increasing, which means your workouts are working!
5. Am I making progress toward my goal?
Now it’s time to revisit those goals you identified. With weight loss, are you losing around 1-2 pounds a week? (Proper nutrition is also going to play a role in this.) Have you noticed an increase in your energy or your mood? Check in with yourself every few weeks and assess whether or not you’re making progress toward your goal. If the answer is no, it may be time to up the intensity of your exercise routine or have a professional examine your routine to see it’s put together effectively. But one word of caution: Pushing your body too hard can also cause a plateau. A workout routine without proper recovery built in can actually do more harm than good. Overtraining can cause you to plateau or actually take steps backwards, as well as create sleep, mood and other issues. If you feel the need to workout sprinkle in a 30-minute walk or yoga day between hard efforts. Reducing the stress placed on your body may be the thing you need to recover and start seeing progress.