As COVID restrictions continue to ease, outdoor bootcamps and group fitness events will return to their normal schedule.
Whether you’re taking a class or working with a personal trainer, you may come across an exercise or routine that leaves you feeling like you’ve been hit by a bus.
You work up a good sweat and your FitBit clocks in 1,000 calories burned. You feel like crap but all this sweat must mean it was a great workout, right? Not exactly.
There are many ways to measure the effectiveness of a workout of which calories burned and sweat are at the bottom of the list.
Unfortunately, many trainers increase the intensity and sweat factor in a session because they want you to feel like you worked hard but the truth is, sometimes working smarter is better than working harder when it comes to reaching our fitness goals.
So does that mean you can’t ever do burpees or high intensity exercise? Of course not. Those classes are fun and have their place. It just means that you don’t have to do those things if you don’t want to.
So, how should you measure the effectiveness of a workout ?
Measure Effort, Not Calories Burned: On a scale of 1-10, how much effort did you put in? If your goal is to get stronger, you should feel like you’re working at about 7-8 (not 10!). That means using weights that challenge you and gradually increasing your load over time.
Besides, the calorie counters on your smart watches are usually inaccurate so there’s really no true way to know how many calories you’ve burned. They’re okay to use as long as you know they may not tell the whole picture.
Pay Attention To The Session Structure: If you find yourself in a bootcamp or fitness class with 20 different random movements, that may be a red flag. Ideally, a general fitness class should have about 2-4 sets of 5-10 exercises. Unless you’re a bodybuilder, these exercises should work multiple muscle groups.
Make Recovery A Priority: Muscle soreness is normal after a tough session but there’s a fine line between soreness and pain. If a workout continues to leave you feeling fatigued or in pain, it may not be effective for you. Remember, your workout is just the stimulus, your body doesn’t adapt to the workout until you recover.
Match Workouts With Your Goals: If your goal is to become a stronger runner, high repetition, low weight classes aren’t the most effective. Try workouts that will help get the results you’re looking for. If your workouts aren’t goal-oriented, that’s okay! Do workouts you enjoy without the pressure of “going hard” every session.
Last but not least, never be afraid to ask your instructor why they’ve programmed a specific exercise or routine. They should be excited to answer and provide modifications and progressions for each movement.
If you have any specific questions about your workouts, don’t hesitate to reach out to me!
P.S. Our next group run will be Wednesday, June 30th at 6:30 PM. Meet in Dilworth Park (City Hall) for a 3-mile fun run. We will be ending at Franklin Fountain for ice cream!! 🍦
