Make Your Workout Meaningful by Step Out of Your Comfort Zone
Too often people go to the gym, but only to do the workout movements without really exercising. It’s okay if you’re not really trying to improve, but you have to understand that the best training program in the world doesn’t squat if your workout lacks purpose and intensity.
Intensity is a big deal because if you want to see the long-term benefits of a good exercise program, then how hard you push yourself is key. I have already noted this point in our article on lifting weights in different repetition ranges . In short, you can get stronger or bigger and your muscles worse, but only if you work hard enough. The difficulty here is that “hard work” means something different for everyone. John Romaniello of Roman Fitness Systems puts it this way:
The point is that you have to reach a certain level of tolerance – you have to learn to feel comfortable with a certain level of discomfort. From there, you can achieve almost anything you want.
This does not mean that you need to lift really very heavy weights or get yourself into a state of vomiting or injury, but you need to feel uncomfortable and pay special attention to training during your workout. This means you can’t check your Instagram likes or think about what to eat for lunch. It is only you and your task.
So how do you get yourself to work harder? According to Romaniello, here’s one of five things to do:
Try to make progress with each workout over the next 8 weeks.
For the next two months, each time you exercise , do one of the following:
– Squeeze a few more reps with each set
– Increase weight from workout to workout
– Reduce rest periods between sets
– Alternative exercises to completely eliminate rest
Push harder, squeeze the bar harder, and generally pick up faster
If you don’t know exactly what you are doing, do not try to do it all at once. Pick one and focus on it. Let’s say you squat that day. If you think you can do five, aim for six or seven (preferably with safety pins or a spotter ready to catch you). And if it seems to you that it is too difficult, well, it should be so.
That’s What Intense Workout Means | Roman fitness systems