5 Signs You’re Not Pushing Hard Enough During Your Workouts

Time To Get Real With Yourself

There’s a fine line between not pushing hard enough during your workouts and maxing out so hard that you injure yourself short and long term; what’s tricky about this is that it’s easy to do both depending on your level of motivation.

If you’re feeling like you’re on the low end of the motivation spectrum, it’s important to check yourself regularly to see if you’re actually putting in the effort to make noticeable progress. Otherwise, you could lose motivation entirely and fall off the wagon due to not seeing results.

Keep this guide handy for whenever you feel like you may have reached a plateau or you need to press on with more intensity. Let’s jump in.

5. You Don’t Feel Sore the Next Day

During exercise, your muscles undergo microscopic damage that your muscles then adapt to and repair themselves to grow stronger. This muscle damage is what causes muscle soreness.

So if you don’t feel even just a tiny bit of muscle soreness the day after your workout, it’s time to up the intensity.

Keep in mind that the more you work out, the less sore you’ll feel, so it’s not the amount of soreness you feel rather than just feeling soreness itself.

4. You Don’t Monitor Your Heart Rate

During high intensity workouts or cardio training, your heart rate should stay anywhere between 75-100% of your maximum heart rate. To find your max heart rate, just subtract your age from 220.

For example, if you’re 30 years old, your maximum heart rate would be 190 BPM. (Beats Per Minute)

If you’re already recording your heart rate, keep it within that range during exercise; if you’re not recording your heart rate yet, make the Combat Medic Pro™ Smartwatch your new best friend.

3. You Never Increase Intensity From Workout to Workout

If you’ve been on a workout regimen for some time and it’s starting to feel easy or even boring, it’s more than likely due to the fact that you’re not working out intensely enough. This will lead to a plateau of results and in your physique.

🏃‍♂️ To increase cardio intensity, increase your speed or add interval training.

💪 To tone your body more, add extra reps.

🏋️‍♂️ To add more size and definition, add more weight.

2. You’re Comfortable Between Sets

Being able to casually hold a conversation or hop onto your social media in between sets is a clear sign that you’re not working out intensely enough. 

Resting between sets should be a moment in time where your only focus can be catching your breath and hydrating, not seeing the latest booty on the Gram.

If you find yourself here, pump that s#!t up.

1. You’re Not Getting Stronger

If you’re unable to increase the weights, speed, or reps - depending on your program - consistently, even if only marginally, you’re not getting stronger. If you’re not getting stronger, it’s because you’re not pushing yourself to the levels you should be.

A good fix for this is to set progress goals and see if you can meet them when the time comes. You can also set reminders to increase your weights, speed, and reps every 2 weeks to make sure that you’re gaining strength.

Look - nobody’s gonna keep yourself in check but you. Your fitness journey is 100% on you. You can blame whatever the hell you want, but until you take radical responsibility for your progress and efforts, you’ll always stay right where you are and never become who you want to be.

If you’re already on this wavelength, keep that shit up.

If you’re slacking, what the hell are you doing reading this article? Go get the blood moving NOW.

Stay Strong,

Greg | MME