Intensify Your Workout

Written By admin • 3 min read

One of the greatest questions people involved in a workout program ask themselves is what is considered high intensity, or the thought that in order to be working out “hard” your heart rate has to be at max levels.

Due to this misconception, intensity is often gauged by how much someone is sweating, how fast their heart rate is going, or how much breakfast they threw up during their workout.

Over the years I have done some workouts that were so brutal that I couldn’t help but fall over and wished that I had died afterwards.  On the other hand I have done workouts that did not max out my heart rate but my muscles were so tired I couldn’t complete another repetition.

So what is the better stimulus or which is better for me, heart failure or muscular collapse?  They both can be equally intense and difficult depending on your mind set and approach to working out.

Three workout examples:

1. Resistance band sprint 50 yards, turn around and push the prowler loaded 90lbs 50 yards, followed by 15 burpees.  Repeat this 7 times.
2. Bench press 3×8, DB bench press 3×10, barbell shoulder press 3×8, DB lateral raises 3×12, cable triceps pressdown 3×12, rest 60 seconds between sets.
3. Run 3 miles.

I have noticed at our workouts, some of our clients do not understand how to make any given workout difficult.  The three previous examples can be easy or hard.  If I keep the mindset that “I will complete workout 1 as fast as I can or on workout 2 I am will lift as much weight as I did last time and when I do workout 3 I will push myself to run 3 miles in 29 minutes instead of the 30minutes from last time,” then and only then will my intensity be maximized and my body will want to die and my muscles will fail.

We need to get out of our comfort zone while exercising.  This is the only way our body will continue to change.  If you complain that boot camp is too easy or strength training was an easy session, than you need to move faster at boot camp and lift heavier at strength.

One of the comments I overheard at one of this weeks’ boot camp was “This is too easy!”” Why are we resting!?”, ”We need to keep moving!”    It’s easy because you are making it easy.  Resting is ok. It allows the body to recover, therefore you are able to perform max capacity again.

Case in point, forty-five minutes later these same people commented that weight loss boot camp was one of the toughest workouts they had done at PFC.

The goal to high intensity is to get uncomfortable.  I encourage you to get used to being uncomfortable.  If you are comfortable during workouts you are at a low intensity and will get low results.  Ingrain in your mind that every time you do boot camp you will work from beginning to end, during strength you will increase the weight you are lifting, and during the hill climb you will do everything physically possible to beat your time.  With this as your goal you will lose more weight, become stronger, and come closer to your fitness goal.

Fitness has always been Josh’s passion. He earned his Bachelors degree in Exercise and Sport Science from the University of Utah. He holds a personal trainers certificate from the International Sport Science Association and is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the NSCA. He has worked in every facet of fitness training. Over the years he has worked with individuals from all walks of life including top athletes, children and the elderly.

Josh believes in realistic results through hard work and constant progression. He enjoys the opportunity he has to help people change their life. Every guest is uniquely different, and Josh has the ability to adapt to the needs of each Premier Fitness guest.