Sometimes determining if a completed workout was a success can be a challenge. You might start asking yourself, “did I even sweat enough for this to count? Did my watch even count the number of calories it’s saying I burned? Am I going to even be sore tomorrow?” And look, I get it, I’m guilty of this too, you wake up the next day after what might have felt like a great workout the previous day and you feel…fine. Not a sore muscle in sight. But what if I were to tell you that some of these things aren’t always the best way to measure how effective a workout actually was. An effective workout isn’t just about how much you sweat or how sore you feel the next day—it’s about moving closer to your fitness goals while challenging your body in a sustainable way. Here are some ways that help me stay grounded when thinking about success on my training days:
Progressive: Whether you are lifting weights, running outside, working on your mobility, or anything in between if you can find a way that you might have done a little bit more or better than last time such as held a position for a few extra seconds, lifted slightly heavier weights, did a couple extra reps, had a little larger range of motion, or ran a tiny bit further - you are progressing towards your ultimate goal.
Movement Quality: There may be days where we aren’t always able to go that little bit extra every time in the gym, at-home, outside or wherever you workout and that’s okay. But one thing is for certain, if you are focusing on moving with high intent and focusing on your movement quality this absolutely translates to the effectiveness of a workout and plays a pivotal role in mastering things like your ability to be strong through the full range, own the weight you are lifting, enhance your running efficiency or mechanics, or even connecting with the muscles that are working or being stretched.
Post Workout Feeling: I’ve had countless training sessions where I came away feeling like I worked so hard and put in every ounce of effort I had, to look down and see i’m barely sweating. While other times, I felt bogged down and stepped away knowing I had more left in the tank while being absolutely drenched in sweat. The amount of sweat or calories burned or other subjective determinants of hard work don’t always tell the complete story of what happened in our workouts. A great workout, to me, usually feels energizing and something I can pin down mentally that points to me moving towards my fitness goals. If you can walk away with this is mind, chances are you just had a very effective workout that will compound onto your future sessions.
Even with these helpful tips and guides to help gauge how effective a workout might have been, it’s important to remember the biggest point in that consistency will always beat perfection. Don’t get me wrong, working towards your health and fitness goals requires a lot of mental and physical effort to get to and it’s important to challenge yourself to keep growing and building on the journey ahead. But, just by showing up and giving what you could that day, you should feel proud of that win. Not every day will you be able to give your full effort and 100% looks different on any given day, but if you are able to tally a workout to your day, that is an accomplishment you should celebrate!
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