Fitness has become a trend.
All of a sudden it is the cool thing to put yourself through the most gut wrenching suck fest. Every single day. It is almost as if your workout didn’t leave you on the floor in a puddle of your own stench and sweat it wasn’t hard enough and you need to do another.
Now, this doesn’t go for everyone. This is meant for those that have lost sight what optimal health really is about. This goes to those who care more about what others are doing then their own health.
I’m here to remind everyone that every workout does not need to be excruciating. Not every workout needs to leave you sore. In fact, there is NO benefit to it.
Before you decide the workouts given to you are “not hard enough.” Re-evaluate yourself. Are you PUSHING yourself to the limit on that workout? Is your form drop dead perfect? Could you push yourself harder? Complete the workout faster?
Now, with that said. Not every workout should be a sore-maker. Let me explain why.
There is a great benefit in REST! LET your body recover. I dare you.
If you stack hard workout on top of another, and another, your performance will start to disintegrate. Sure, you will get through the workout, but think how much harder you could of pushed if you went into a workout feeling fresh and ready to go?
I think we say it best at GPP when we say…
Make your workouts SERVE YOU!! Not the other way around. When you start thinking your workouts are to easy, is when you have lost sight of what it is intended to be.
I believe there is benefit in pushing your body faster and lifting heavier during some workouts. Just not EVERY workout. EVERY day. This is when your workout programming is important. Set your week up so you have recovery days between the rough ones. Let your body catch up and fully recover before you hit another hard workout. TAKE A EXTRA REST DAY or maybe even just drop volume of a workout. JUST try it. I guarantee you will feel better, have better performance, and have better results with it.
When you put your body through hard, long workouts it stresses the crap out of it. Your cortisol levels rise, you may find yourself craving more simple carbs, sugar, etc. Which actually raise your cortisol levels again..After awhile your body shoots into a high stress mode and will start holding on to everything you give it. Healthy or not. You will stop losing weight and may gain! You then may freak out and start working out more and more and trying to eat less and less. Your body has stopped trusting you and is in a starvation state. It will not change.
Your progress will come to a streaking halt at that point.
High intensity exercise is proven to give amazing results and can enhance your general health, and it does, if it is done the right way.
As with any workout program the key is to listen to your body.
You do not have to workout as hard as “so and so” or lift as much, be as fast etc.
I can’t stress YOU VS YOU! enough.
Every body is different. Everyone responds differently to different workouts, different fuel, different recovery. I want you to push yourself, yes…. Kill yourself. NO.
Moral of the story, Pushing yourself into the ground every single workout has no positive effect. Give your body a break sometimes. Get to bed earlier, don’t workout hard every day. Some peoples definition of a “hard” workout varies. One workout on two different people has a different effect. What may put someone on the floor, may seem like a breeze to someone else. I get that. But before you think of adding more reps or weight. Re-evaluate, Slow down and form up.
What is a “hard” workout to you?
How often do you workout?
Does your workout serve you? Or do you serve your workout?
