Are you understanding exhausting sufficient?

A reader lately despatched me an ideal query:

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

This type of query is extra widespread than you would possibly suppose! It’s one thing virtually everybody wonders in some unspecified time in the future: “How exhausting 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 have to destroy your self to make progress, however you ought to really feel like your muscle tissue did some significant work.

Which may present up as:

Feeling rigidity and “work” in your muscle tissue as you raise
Feeling the burden begin to unintentionally decelerate as you fatigue in the midst of your set
A light-weight muscle “pump” post-workout
Slight muscle soreness the following 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 is perhaps an indication it’s time to extend reps, weight, or units.

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

Opposite to standard perception, soreness isn’t the one signal of progress, but it surely may give us clues.

Right here’s what I search for:

Delicate soreness for 1–2 days? Nice! You’re possible 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 is perhaps time to push issues a bit extra deliberately, or change up workout routines.

Once more, soreness is a sign, not a scorecard. It’s not one thing to chase NO MATTER WHAT, but it surely’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 regularly growing that problem over time.

Are you lifting heavier weights than you have 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 would like.

If not, it is perhaps time to shift right into a extra structured plan, like a periodized program that regularly 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 energy. That is completely regular! Nevertheless, we will help cut back that loss with sensible energy coaching.

Although you might be lifting much less in your 70s than you have been in your 30s, you possibly can nonetheless progress WITHIN a exercise program to regularly enhance the problem. The precept of progressive overload nonetheless applies, you simply regulate your place to begin to no matter your physique is able to proper now. 💪

🧪 Wish to take a look at your energy in a protected means?

One other method to examine for those who’re working exhausting sufficient?

Attempt what I name a litmus set.

Right here’s the way it works:

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

That is best (and most secure) with:

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

Much less excellent:

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?

Examine your litmus set to your ordinary working units.

Instance:

If you happen to normally 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 number of reps of failure.
If you happen to hit 20+ reps, alternatively, 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 while 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 which you can push tougher (safely) when it is sensible to.

💡 The Backside Line

You don’t have to 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 rigidity (through the set)
Muscle fatigue (after your exercise)
Delicate soreness (particularly in the beginning of a brand new exercise program)
Progress over time (reps, weight, method)
…and the occasional litmus set for readability

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

And bear in mind! If you happen to’re asking this query, which means you might be already understanding which is AMAZING!

You’ve bought this.

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