A reader not too long ago despatched me a terrific query:
“I’m at all times questioning if I’m pushing laborious sufficient throughout energy coaching. My objectives are to construct energy and muscle—and never be a fragile outdated woman.”
This type of query is extra widespread than you would possibly assume! It’s one thing virtually everybody wonders in some unspecified time in the future: “How laborious ought to I be working once I raise?”
Let’s break it down.
✅ 1. Do your muscle mass 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 mass did some significant work.
That may present up as:
- Feeling pressure and “work” in your muscle mass as you raise
- Feeling the load 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
Should you end your exercise and really feel like you can do the entire thing once more instantly… that may be 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, however it can provide us clues.
Right here’s what I search for:
- Gentle 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 may be time to push issues a bit extra deliberately, or swap up workouts.
Once more, soreness is a sign, not a scorecard. It’s not one thing to chase NO MATTER WHAT, however it’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 rising 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 steady, assured, or managed?
If the reply is sure, you’re getting stronger. And that’s precisely what we would like.
If not, it may be 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.
Be aware: as we age, we are going to naturally lose some quantity of muscle and energy. That is completely regular! Nonetheless, we might help scale back that loss with good energy coaching.
Although you might be lifting much less in your 70s than you have been in your 30s, you may nonetheless progress WITHIN a exercise program to regularly improve the problem. The precept of progressive overload nonetheless applies, you simply alter your place to begin to no matter your physique is able to proper now. 💪
🧪 Wish to check your energy in a protected approach?
One other strategy to verify in case you’re working laborious sufficient?
Strive what I name a litmus set.
Right here’s the way it works:
- Choose an train you’ve been doing persistently—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 may with good kind. Cease when you understand you may’t full one other clear rep.
That is best (and most secure) with:
- Machines (you’re already “noticed”)
- Body weight actions (you may simply cease with out danger)
Much less superb:
- Free weight actions like barbell again squats or heavy bench press (until you’ve bought a spotter and loads of expertise)
What are we on the lookout for?
Evaluate your litmus set to your typical working units.
Instance:
- Should you often 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.
- Should you 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 once you’re inside 1–4 reps of failure on a working set. However in case you don’t know what failure feels like, it’s straightforward to cease brief.
A litmus set helps recalibrate your effort and builds confidence you can push more durable (safely) when it is smart 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 pressure (through the set)
- Muscle fatigue (after your exercise)
- Gentle soreness (particularly firstly of a brand new exercise program)
- Progress over time (reps, weight, method)
- …and the occasional litmus set for readability
And in case you’re not seeing these? Let’s tweak your strategy and aid you discover that candy spot.
And bear in mind! Should you’re asking this query, which means you might be already figuring out 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 might help! 💪
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