When Your Workout’s Not Working

Not reaching your goals? Your workout may be too easy. Here are six ways to tell.

You don’t want to exercise for nothing. Yeah, you may enjoy the fresh air or the time spent with your workout partner and your personal trainer, but if you’re not seeing the results you expected, your workout may not be challenging enough. It’s already hard to fit exercise in your busy schedule so don’t waste your time doing workouts that don’t work.

Wonder if your workouts are too easy? Read on to learn six signs they might be.

1. The Same Old

If you head to the gym every day to step on the treadmill and jog at the same pace for the same amount of time, you’re not challenging yourself. Your body adapts to a workout if it’s done over and over and you’ll stop seeing weight-loss results.

You may feel most comfortable on the treadmill and that’s okay. Try increasing the pace, adding an incline, or doing interval training. You’ll reach your fitness goals sooner if you cross train, so try a different workout at least every few

2. Hold a Conversation

One way to gauge the intensity of your workout is by your breathing. If you’re able to carry on a conversation or sing along with your workout music without feeling short of breath, it’s time to pick things up a notch. When your body’s being challenged, you’ll feel out of breath. This is a good thing that indicates your heart’s pumping and sending oxygen-rich blood to all the parts of your body.

3. Getting Bored

When exercise begins to lose its appeal or you no longer feel a sense of accomplishment after working out, it’s time to change things up. Don’t let a boring workout be the downfall of your fitness gains. Try something different, set new goals, or track your progress. Your trainer certainly has some tricks that will keep you from gym-time boredom.

4. Forgetting Your Heart

Your heart rate is one of the best indicators of whether or not you’re exercising hard enough. You may feel like you’re giving your all, but it’s easy to misjudge. Find your maximum heart rate by subtracting your age from 220. Then, while you’re exercising, your heart rate should fall between 50 to 85 percent of that maximum heart rate. This is called your target heart rate range. Every 10 minutes or so while exercising, take your pulse and see where it falls. The target heart rate range for a 20-year-old is 100 to 170 beats per minute (BPM), 95 to 162 BPM for a 30-year-old, 90 to 153 for a 40-year-old, and between 85 and 145 BPM for a 50-year-old.

5. Lack of Results

A fifth sign your workouts are too easy is a lack of results. Maybe you’re not losing the weight you expected, haven’t been able to lift heavier weights, or can’t seem to improve your time. Don’t give up. You may have reached a plateau and just need to push yourself a little harder.

6. Aren’t Sore

Muscle soreness may be one thing you dread about exercise, but a little soreness is a good sign. Delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) is caused by tiny tears in your muscles as they’re pushed to new limits. When these tears heal, they form new muscle, a good thing for anyone looking to lose weight and get fit. You may not feel sore after every workout, but if it’s been weeks since you felt a little sore, it’s time to reevaluate your workout.

“LET US HELP YOU LOOK AND FEEL YOUR BEST TODAY”

Allan Alguire