We’ve all had that workout where you finish completely exhausted, legs feel like jelly and you’re already thinking about how sore you’re going to be tomorrow. It’s one of those feelings that surprisingly feels good. Maybe not so much because of the soreness but you know you worked hard and the soreness means it was an extraordinary workout. I love pushing myself and I think there absolutely should be times where training challenges you more than usual. What I don’t want you to believe is that every workout needs to leave you crawling out of the gym for it to actually work.
What Was the Goal?
Before deciding whether a workout was “good” or “bad,” ask yourself what you were trying to accomplish. Being tired tells me the workout made you tired. Being sore tells me you did something your body needs to recover from. Neither one automatically tells me whether the workout actually helped you accomplish what you came in to do.
Your goal could be to get stronger, improve your movement, build muscle, improve your conditioning, or maybe you’re an athlete preparing for competition. Simply put, you could even be someone trying to move and feel better throughout your day, but what I’m getting at is goals don’t always require the same type of workout. A power session where you’re taking longer rest periods might not leave you drenched in sweat, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t productive. A movement day might leave your body feeling better when you walk out than when you walked in. That’s still training and the goal of the workout should help determine how hard you’re pushing and what that “hard” even looks like.
Harder Isn’t Always Better
I think we can all agree on adding more weight, more reps, taking less rest, or adding another exercise can all make a workout harder. But why necessarily are you making it harder? There’s a difference between progressing your training and simply finding new ways to exhaust yourself. Sometimes improving means adding weight. Other times it might mean controlling the weight better with moving through a greater range of motion, overall improving your technique, or performing that same movement with more speed and intent. I’ve talked about this before with resistance training. You don’t always need a completely new exercise or another plate on the bar to create progress. Challenge yourself with a reason.
Recovery Is Part of the Workout Too
I also want you to think about what happens after you leave the gym. If one workout destroys you enough that your next two workouts are terrible, was pushing that hard actually helping? Don’t get me wrong, sometimes the answer might still be yes. There are times to push the limits and test yourself, but that shouldn’t automatically become the standard for every Tuesday afternoon. Your training throughout the week needs to work together. One workout doesn’t exist by itself, and neither does your life outside of the gym. Having a thoughtful programming of workouts means when the intensity is kicked up, there’s intention and adjustment with the recovery portion with it.
Train With Intention
I’m never going to tell you not to work hard. Your goal is yours and all I’d ever want is to help you get there. My goal here is to make sure when you turn up the heat, you have a plan for why and where it will go. Push when there’s a reason to push. Slow something down when there’s a reason to control it. Take the extra recovery when your body needs it. The goal isn’t to prove how much punishment you can handle every time you workout. Give your body the right challenge for what you’re trying to accomplish and then give it the opportunity to adapt from it. Please don’t judge every workout by how destroyed you feel afterward. I see too many people get hurt or set off track by doing so.
#unleashthepotential
Written by:
Dan Aquino
BS, ASFA-CPT
Take action… Now!
Voorhees Flyers Training center.
The Hollydell ice arena, in the main building.
