The fitness industry has done a nice job at driving a message home that is so wrong.
A message that you absolutely need to crush yourself to get a good workout.
You know what I'm talking about....
Pictures of people passed out on the floor, laying in a pool of sweat...
People bragging about how sore they are and how they can't even sit on a toilet or brush their teeth.
Just like almost anything, I think there is a middle ground.
Working out to that intensity, beating the crap out of your body, doing exercises that have no why behind them, will get you hurt.
At the same time, as much as it's nice to go for a walk around the block a few times, or workout here and there, and I'm all for baby steps, you have to be realistic and know that it's probably not going to lead to ton of body composition change.
It's a tough call, and I see it everyday in the gym as well...
There are the people that are going a mile a minute, working out at an 11 on a scale of 1-10, and the coaches are trying to get them to slow down a little.
On the other hand, there are are a lot of people that don't realize how hard it is to actually see change.
Walking around, doing a couple exercises here and there, and not even cracking a sweat, although better than nothing, is not going to yield a large result.
So, the answer?
As always, it depends...
If your brand new we want to slow down, make sure we teach you proper form and technique, and safety is number one.
After you cross that bridge, there has to be some level of intensity behind everything you do.
Moseying from exercise to exercise, just going through the motions, isn't going to cut it.
Unfortunately, some people can take that to the extreme and work out too hard and end up hurting themselves.
If I had to quantify it, I would say we should be working out at a 6, 7, or 8 out of 10.
Anything in the 9 or 10 intensity may be too much, and anything 5 and below probably isn't enough.
Can you improve your workout intensity?
1% Better.
Dedicated to Your Success,
Doug Spurling