How to know you're training hard enough

There's a lot of information about what exercises you should do, how to target different muscles, and how to organise your training. However, the intensity you train at is fundamentally more important than the specific exercise you choose, or even your technique.

If you're not training hard enough, it doesn't matter what exercise you do, you'll very quickly start struggling to progress.

So let's discuss four ways to know you're training hard enough. These tips really only apply to training for strength or hypertrophy. If your training is focused on speed and power, there are different strategies to know whether you're training hard enough.

1) Rep speed slows down

This is probably the easiest one to notice. If the speed of your reps starts to slow down even though you're trying to move the weight at the same speed, this means you're training to a good intensity.

2) Slight loss in form, or form becomes difficult to maintain

When the muscles you're targeting begin to fatigue, your body will look for another strategy to move the weight, which is why you begin to lose form. This won't happen unless you're training hard enough to actually fatigue the muscles you're targeting.

3) Weights are gradually moving up

If you're training hard enough, you should see a gradual increase in the load you can lift or the reps you can complete. It may look like 1 or 2 reps here and there, or increasing the weight by 2.5kg each week. This is also why using a training app or diary is so important, as it lets you objectively monitor your progress. This point comes with a large caveat: the first two points need to be ticked off before assessing this one.

4) You need to deload every so often

When you train hard consistently, you'll accumulate fatigue. This is a good thing, provided it's managed wisely and you have sufficient time to recover and adapt. If you never need to deload, increasing your intensity will help you see significantly better progress.

Being proactive with your deloads can be a great way to consistently maintain good training intensity over a long period of time. Only deloading when you're desperate leaves you dangerously close to burning out and accumulating too much fatigue for your training to be effective.

If you have any questions about training or athletic performance, feel free to book a free consult.