How “hard” are you supposed to go with each workout? Should failure be a place you frequent with your muscles? If you aren’t dragging yourself out of the gym, did you even do anything? All too often I see fitness influencers, gurus, and wannabe athletes bragging about constantly taking their bodies to the max in the gym. They act like their claim to fame is to throw up or pass out while working out and if YOU don’t push as hard as they do, you will never reach their level of fitness. And while I do think pushing yourself to near failure should be something you are capable of, I do NOT think that it is necessary as often as you see it portrayed on social media.
Consider this: would it be better to go at 70% intensity for 5 days a week or 100% intensity for 2? Once you take yourself to failure, the body needs time to properly recover and during that recovery time, you can not repeat the same level of performance in your workouts and oftentimes, you are too sore to even workout again for a few days. What would happen if an athlete went full speed during every practice? How would they perform when it’s game time? Think longevity when training, not one “hardcore” workout that slows you down for the days ahead.
Base hits not home-runs is a phrase I constantly tell my clients. I would rather you give me 70-80% daily than random bursts of 100% followed by gaps in training. The human body likes consistency, it craves a routine, it adapts to the monotony. Success lies in repetition and it is a lot easier to be consistent if you hold back a little and hit it more often than going all out and missing days in the gym. Hold back a little while increasing frequency, your body will thank you.
Joel Quick is the Owner of Quick’s Fitness LLC and operates out of Your Personal Best Fitness Studio in Mooresville, NC. His passion for fitness and mental peace is only outweighed by his love for his family and helping others.
If you need help with your fitness journey or just want another perspective on fitness, feel free to email him at joel@quicksfitness.com
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