Are you working out hard enough?

A reader not too long ago despatched me a terrific query:

“I’m at all times questioning if I’m pushing onerous sufficient throughout power coaching. My objectives are to construct power and muscle—and never be a fragile previous girl.”

This sort of query is extra widespread than you may suppose! It’s one thing virtually everybody wonders in some unspecified time in the future: “How onerous ought to I be working once I raise?”

Let’s break it down.

✅ 1. Do your muscle tissue really feel used throughout and after your exercise?

You don’t must destroy your self to make progress, however you ought to really feel like your muscle tissue did some significant work.

That may present up as:

• Feeling stress and “work” in your muscle tissue as you raise
• Feeling the load begin to unintentionally decelerate as you fatigue in the midst of your set
• A light-weight muscle “pump” post-workout
• Slight muscle soreness the subsequent day (however nothing brutal)
• Feeling such as you challenged your self by the top of every set

If you happen to end your exercise and really feel like you may do the entire thing once more instantly… that may be an indication it’s time to extend reps, weight, or units.

✅ 2. What sort of soreness do you get (if any)?

Opposite to in style perception, soreness isn’t the one signal of progress, nevertheless it can provide us clues.

Right here’s what I search for:

• Delicate soreness for 1–2 days? Nice! You’re doubtless getting sufficient work in.
• Excessive soreness that lasts 4–5 days or extra? That’s an excessive amount of. Dial it again.
• By no means sore in any respect? It may be time to push issues a bit extra deliberately, or change up workouts.

Once more, soreness is a sign, not a scorecard. It’s not one thing to chase NO MATTER WHAT, nevertheless it’s one other piece of the puzzle in understanding what’s working and never working for you. 😃

✅ 3. Are you seeing development over time?

Energy coaching is about difficult your physique after which ​gradually increasing that challenge over time​.

• Are you lifting heavier weights than you had been 4–6 weeks in the past?
• Are you doing extra reps or extra units with the identical weight?
• Are your actions feeling extra secure, assured, or managed?

If the reply is sure, you’re getting stronger. And that’s precisely what we wish.

If not, it may be time to shift right into a extra structured plan, like a ​periodized program​ that steadily will increase quantity (units and reps) or depth (quantity of weight lifted) over 6–12 weeks.

Word: as we age, we’ll naturally lose some quantity of muscle and power. That is completely regular! Nevertheless, we may help cut back that loss with good power coaching.

Although you might be lifting much less in your 70s than you had been in your 30s, you may nonetheless progress WITHIN a exercise program to steadily enhance the problem. The precept of progressive overload nonetheless applies, you simply modify your start line to no matter your physique is able to proper now. 💪

🧪 Wish to take a look at your power in a secure manner?

One other technique to verify for those who’re working onerous sufficient?

Strive what I name a litmus set.

Right here’s the way it works:

1. Decide an train you’ve been doing constantly—one thing like body weight squats, push-ups, dumbbell rows, or a machine press.
2. Do a stable warm-up. Get your physique transferring and your joints feeling good.
3. Then go all out: Do as many high quality reps as you may with good kind. Cease when you may’t full one other clear rep.

That is best (and most secure) with:

• Machines (you’re already “noticed”)
• Body weight actions (you may simply cease with out danger)

Much less supreme:

• Free weight actions like barbell again squats or heavy bench press (except you’ve bought a spotter and loads of expertise)

What are we in search of?

Evaluate your litmus set to your ordinary working units.

Instance:

• If you happen to often do 3 units of 10 reps and your litmus set will get you 12–13 reps, you’re proper in that candy spot inside a couple of reps of failure.
• If you happen to hit 20+ reps, then again, you’re leaving 10+ reps within the tank throughout your regular exercises. Meaning it’s time to extend weight or reps to maintain progressing.

Most muscle-building occurs once you’re inside ​1–4 reps of failure​ on a working set. However for those who don’t know what failure feels like, it’s simple to cease quick.

A litmus set helps recalibrate your effort and builds confidence you can push more durable (safely) when it is smart to.

💡 The Backside Line

You don’t must crush your self to get stronger. However you do need your exercises to be purposeful and difficult sufficient to require your physique to adapt.

Search for:

• Muscle stress (throughout the set)
• Muscle fatigue (after your exercise)
• Delicate soreness (particularly originally of a brand new exercise program)
• Progress over time (reps, weight, approach)
• …and the occasional litmus set for readability

And for those who’re not seeing these? Let’s tweak your method and aid you discover that candy spot.

And keep in mind! If you happen to’re asking this query, meaning you’re already figuring out which is AMAZING!

You’ve bought this.

– Coach Matt P.S. Need assistance discovering the subsequent step to progress in your exercises? Shoot me an electronic mail and I’ll see how I may help! 💪