Are you working out hard enough?

A reader recently sent me a great question:

“I always think I’m pushing hard enough during strength training. My goal is to build strength and muscle, not a fragile old lady.”

This kind of question is more common than you think! That’s something that almost everyone wonders at some point: “How hard should I try when lifting?”

Let’s break it down.

✅1. Do you feel your muscles are being used during and after training?

You don’t need to destroy yourself to make progress, but you Should It feels like your muscles have done a meaningful job.

It may appear as follows

• When you lift, you feel tension and “work” in your muscles
• As you get tired in the middle of the set, you feel your weight start to unintentionally slow down
• “Pump” for light muscles after workout
• The next day, a slight muscle pain (but not cruel)
• I feel like I’ve challenged myself by the end of each set

If you finish your workout and feel like you can do it all again soon, it may be a sign that it’s time to increase your rep, weight, or set.

✅2. What kind of pain do you have (if any)?

Contrary to popular beliefs, It’s not just a sign of progressbut it can give us a clue.

Here’s what I’m looking for:

• Mild pain 1-2 days? wonderful! You probably do a good job.
• Extreme pain Does it last for more than 4-5 days? That’s too much. Dial back.
• Not once Does it hurt at all? It may be time to intentionally push things a little more or switch exercises.

Again, the pain is a signalnot a scorecard. It’s not something you’ll chase no matter what, but it’s another part of the puzzle to understand what’s working and not working for you. 😃

✅3. Can you see progress over time?

Strength training is about challenging your body になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.Over time, the challenge will gradually increaseになったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do..

• Are you lifting heavier weight than you did 4-6 weeks ago?
• Do you have more people or more sets with the same weight?
• Are you more stable, confident and controlled?

If the answer is yes, you are strong. And that’s exactly what we want.

Otherwise, it may be time to move towards a more structured plan. になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.Regular Programsになったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do. This will gradually increase the volume (set and person) or strength (amount of weight increase) over 6-12 weeks.

Note: As you age, you will naturally lose some muscle and strength. This is completely normal! However, smart strength training can help reduce that loss.

You may be in your 70s and have less lifting than in your 30s, but you can gradually increase your challenges within your training program. The principle of progressive overload still applies. Simply adjust your starting point to what your body can do now. 💪

sforts Want to test your strength in a safe way?

Another way to check if you’re working hard enough?

Try what I’m calling Litmus set.

How does this work:

1. Please choose the exercise You do it consistently – like weight squats, push-ups, rows of dumbbells, or machine presses.
2. Please warm up well. Move your body and your joints will feel better.
3. After that, everything goes outside: Do as many quality personnel as possible in good form. Stop when you know you can’t complete another cleaner.

This is the easiest (and the safest) below

• Machine (You’ve already been “spotted”)
• Weight movement (can be stopped without risk)

Not very ideal:

• Freeweight movements like barbell back squats and heavy bench presses (unless you have enough experience with spotters)

What are we looking for?

Compare the Litmus set with a regular working set.

example:

• If you normally do 3 sets of 10 manager And your Litmus set gets you 12–13 personyou’re in that sweet spot among several reps of failure.
• If it’s hit More than 20 personsMeanwhile, we have more than 10 reps left in the tank during normal training. In other words, it’s time to gain weight and to gain more people in charge to continue progressing.

Most muscle building happens when you’re there になったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do.1-4 people in charge of failureになったんです。 English: The first thing you can do is to find the best one to do. With a working set. But if you don’t know what mistakes you have I feel it For example, it’s easy to stop short.

The Litmus set builds confidence that you can recalibrate your efforts and push harder (safely) when it makes sense.

Botunt Shitta line

You don’t have to crush yourself to be stronger. But you do You want your training to be intentional and challenging enough to require that you adapt to your body.

search:

• Muscle tension (in the set)
• Muscle fatigue (after training)
• Mild pain (especially at the start of a new workout program)
• Progress over time (person, weight, technique)
• …and the occasional litmus is clearly set.

And if you haven’t seen them? Tweak your approach and help you find that sweet spot.

And remember! If you are asking this question, it means you are already working out.

You have this.

– Will Matt PS Coach help you find the next step to advance your training? Shoot me the email and I will see how I can help! 💪