male fitness

Is It Time to Increase Your Workout Intensity/Weight?

Hey Angels and Alphas,

If you’ve been on the grind in the gym for a while, you might be starting to lose count of the days and sticking to the same old routine. But if you’re one of the people who likes to take a moment to reflect on their progress, one day you might begin to realize that your workouts aren’t what they used to be.

Do you ever feel like you’re just bruising through sets? Have you ever came home and felt like you could’ve done more in the gym? Or catch yourself getting distracted while you’re doing an exercise… 

There are no two ways about it – if you catch yourself doing this often, you’re not performing at your best at the gym, and probably not seeing the results you want to deeply cultivate. And that’s completely okay. In our search for the most effective yet comfortable workout routine, we sometimes forget how important it is to keep pushing ourselves harder. 

After all, we can’t improve by keeping everything the same. Today, we’re here to talk about the three most significant signs that it’s time to take your workout up a notch. 

#1 You constantly repeat the same workout. 

Don’t get me wrong. You can keep doing the same exercises for 10 years, and as long as you increase the intensity gradually, you will see results. But if you’re doing the same thing *and* you’re stuck in the same place for a while, you’re in trouble. 

This is the biggest sign that your routine needs change – fast. If you’ve been growing and adapting in a certain routine for a long time, your body has no reason to change – for better, or for worse. Experts say you should switch up your workout every 4 to 6 weeks. I say go wild. Re-structure your entire routine, and forget about every exercise that feels comfortable. 

#2 Your environment is distracting you. 

Now, if you tend to fall into a simple routine in the gym, you will likely find yourself distracted sometimes. We all like taking selfies, talking to our friends, and getting lost in our gym playlist. But if you’re spending your time looking for the right songs, finding angles for pictures, cruising social media, or having a thoughtful conversation with a friend… it’s time to recognize that and start making an effort to focus, change up your workouts, and put that phone away while you’re working out!

#3 You feel as if you’re cruising through your workouts.

Do you constantly find yourself completing all your reps with ease without feeling sore, fatigued, or even breaking a sweat? If that’s the case, you’re not going to feel the positive psychological effect you get from leaning into your boundaries and pushing yourself through plateaus. 

So even though we can’t reach our goals just by better workout quality, all of these things directly hinder your performance and progress. The sooner you address them, the better. So take a moment, look back, and set new goals that align with what you want now, and you have all you need to go back in there guns blazing!

#4 You don’t feel motivated to go to the gym.

If you’re already following a routine but you feel as though some days, you’re barely dragging yourself to the gym, this is a telltale sign that you need to add some variety into your gym routine. And this doesn’t have to mean trying another sport or doing a yoga class. It could be as simple as trying out new exercises or implementing some new forms of cardio. If this is the case, you will find that trying out new exercises or shocking your muscle in your ways will bring back that edge and intensity.

Leave a Comment

Our Affiliates