Intensity

Welcome to afitnewyou!  Today I would like to talk to you about exercising with the correct amount of intensity.  I always say that any amount of activity is better than none; however it is very important for you to exercise at the proper intensity level in order to reach your fitness goals.  Some people need to be motivated to do just any amount of activity, but if you are already regularly active, and veteran exerciser, than you need to make sure your intensity level is on par for you to reach your goals.  The intensity at which you train will have a direct impact on your results, and working at the right level is critical to fitness success.

Joy was a gym member who had a long standing routine of using the elliptical for 45 minutes each of the three times a week she came in for her workouts.  Having spoken to her a few times, I knew one of her major fitness goals was to lose body fat.  And, she believed the way she was training would ultimately allow her to reach her goals.  However, while she was on the elliptical, she would work at this slow and steady pace.  She had such a low intensity level that I would often see her talking to her “neighbor”, using her phone to text, and / or come off of the machine while barely breaking a sweat.  This is one of those times where the slow and steady tortoise will not win the race.  Her intensity level was not suitable for her to reach her goals.  After getting frustrated with feeling that she was working so hard and not seeing the results she wanted, she came to me for advice and I suggested that she bump up her intensity level.  Ever since she has been much happier with her results she has been gaining.

If you are new to exercise, the gym, and / or training, I still believe that any exercise is better than none.  However, once you get going, and / or are no longer so “green” in the gym, you need to train at the right intensity level to improve your fitness and reach your goals.  The American Heart Association even recommends that physical activity be “moderate” to “vigorous”.  There are many ways to determine what the correct intensity level for you is, and it really depends on what your fitness goals are, as well as what your current state of fitness/health is.  You can use the Karvonen formula to help you find your target heart rate range with consideration of your current aerobic health.  If your fitness goals include improving muscular strength and/or endurance, there are repetition tests to help you “dial-in” the weights you select.  Personal trainers will also subjectively assess your intensity level while you exercise using a Rate of Perceived Exertion.  If you feel that you have been exercising and not getting the results that you want, it could be that you are not working out at the correct intensity level.

In this day and age where a 40 hour work week is a “light” week for us, nobody has time to waste.  And, if you are honestly putting in a good effort at improving your fitness, you do deserve to reach the goals you seek.  But to reach your goals, you need to make sure that you are exercising at the correct intensity level.  “Working out” should be just that, work; it shouldn’t be so easy.  But while I believe you don’t always need “pain” to “gain”, exercising at the correct intensity level will allow you to better reach your fitness goals and achieve a fit new you!