Some will say that you need to train hard in EVERY training session in order to see results. We need progressive overload, right?
Indeed the principle of progressive overload states that training must be challenging enough to elicit a need for the body to adapt. Where do we draw the line? When is training hard enough, but not too hard?
Exercise intensity is typically described as low, moderate, or vigorous. Simply put, how hard is your body working? Intensity is also related to a specific number such as the percentage of max heart rate, 1RM lift, or relative effort such as the 1-10 RPE scale.
When it comes to training intensity,
☝️ One size does NOT fit all!
Your health and fitness goals, as well as your current level of fitness, will determine your ideal exercise intensity. The more physically fit you are, the better your ability will be to bounce back from training.
Being physically fit includes the development of strength AND conditioning. In fact, your aerobic fitness level can either be helping or hindering your ability to recover from your workouts. Aerobic fitness levels have also been tightly correlated with cardiovascular and metabolic health. This is why it is important to develop conditioning, specifically your aerobic conditioning, no matter what your goals are.
👍🏼 Daily activity matters!
We are made to move and being physically active is great for our overall health and well-being. If you have major health and fitness goals, our daily activities in the modern world outside of structured exercise often lack the necessary intensity to elicit these desired results. This is where training and challenging the body's abilities become important. In order to get faster, we need to move fast. In order to get stronger, we need to progressively challenge ourselves by overcoming heavier loads over time.
Being physically active outside of the gym is great but often not enough to push the needle toward the desired results. Those that are highly active may find it harder to recover from frequent intense training sessions as the accumulation of the lower-intensity activity may take still take a toll on energy levels.
Alternatively, if you are fairly sedentary, you may also find it hard to recover from your training as you may be more likely to feel stiff and sore from the lack of movement and blood flow throughout the day. There is a sweet spot for balancing activity both in and out of the gym that will allow you to thrive. As my good friend Matt Wenning says,
It is not about what you can do, but what you can recover from.
Discovering the right balance of activity in and outside of the gym for YOU can be a key factor in unlocking more progress.
😴 If you are not sleeping well, you are not recovering well, PERIOD.
A good night's sleep is your brain and body's best opportunity to recover between days. Recognizing the importance of sleep is critical to your success in training. Research has indicated injury risk significantly increases with less than 8 hours of sleep in adolescent athletes.
Let's face it, we all have the occasional poor night of sleep. Your ability to handle intensity is going to be compromised the day following a restless night. No amount of caffeine will make up for the lack of recovery. Modify your training as needed.
This brings us to the question, does intensity matter when working out? The simple answer is YES!
While daily activity and overall movement are essential and vital components to keeping the body healthy and moving well, it is often not intense enough to be the catalyst for change. We MUST challenge the body appropriately within our abilities to recover in order to achieve the desired changes. The body requires a NEED for adaptation, and this comes from challenging the status quo.
If you are looking to make changes from your current state of being, then intensity matters. The next question to consider is:
How intense should I be training?
Exercise intensity has been shown to be correlated to specific outcomes. This means that adding intensity will not solve all of your problems. For example, if your goal is to develop an aerobic base, you may be better off with lighter-intensity conditioning workouts to focus on the aerobic energy system. Once we cross over the anaerobic threshold, which typically occurs around 80-90% of your maximum heart rate, we are beyond the capability of our aerobic system to keep up, meaning this becomes an inefficient way of developing our aerobic energy system. Training multiple high-intensity interval training, or H.I.I.T sessions per week, could be hurting your progress.
The same holds true for strength training, there may be training sessions in which the focus is intensive and developmental in nature. On the contrary, we also need moderate to lower intensity days in between these intensive sessions to allow for recovery and adaptation both physically and neurologically to avoid injury and overtraining.
Depending on your current fitness level, lifestyle, and activities outside the gym, the right balance may be different from person to person. You should be seeing progress from training without constant aches, pains, or mental burnout. Progress takes time, but if you are not seeing ANY results after TRULY applying yourself to intentional training consistently for at least 6-8 weeks, it may be time to turn up the dial on your training intensity.
If you feel that you are going balls-to-the-wall with your training consistently but are constantly getting set back by injury, lack of sleep, or mental burnout, it may be time to dial back at least SOME of your workouts to allow for more recovery between sessions.
Pay attention to your training and how the body is reacting, if you can be consistent, you can make it happen! Proper training intensities require balance with lifestyle factors. After all, training is a stressor, and our ability to manage stress changes as we experience additional stressors from life that are often outside of our control.
TL;DR
Although low and moderate-impact activity is important, a big key to adaptation is stressing the body enough in order to elicit the NEED FOR ADAPTATION. Meaning you have to get uncomfortable enough with your training to tip the scales requiring the body to adapt from training. Low-intensity training just won’t do the trick for everything.
Simply put, if your training intensity is not correct, your training routine will not have the desired outcomes you are seeking. Match your intensity with your goals, including a combination of higher-intensity days mixed in with lower-intensity days to stress the body enough to change while also allowing it time to recover efficiently.
🔥 If you are not making the progress you are after TURN UP the INTENSITY.
🤕 If you are constantly getting injured, sick, or burnt out, it may be time to scale back the intensity.
P.S. If you are unsure where to start with your training, I would recommend working with a qualified coach to help you optimally find your training frequency and intensity. If you would like to follow an established program with coaching guidance included, consider joining the Ideal Strength Training App and community to help you dial in your training. You can find more info at https://idealstrength.programs.app