Why Intensity Matters: The Key to Getting Real Results
If you’ve been hitting the gym regularly but not seeing the results you want, it’s time to ask yourself: Are you training with enough intensity? Many people go through the motions of their workouts without pushing themselves hard enough to trigger real change. The truth is, intensity is what separates those who see real progress from those who stay stagnant.
Now, before we discuss workout intensity, it’s only fair to assume that your nutrition, sleep, and stress are dialed in and being appropriately managed. If you’re not tracking these other big ticket items, then your workout intensity doesn’t really matter. Don’t fall into the trap of believing you can outwork horrible lifestyle habits. If you’re dialed in with nutrition, sleep, and stress, and you’re not seeing the results you want, then keep reading…
What Is Workout Intensity?
Intensity refers to how hard your body is working during exercise. If you can squat 100lbs, but only lift 35lbs, your relative intensity would be 35% of your max. Studies show that 75% or higher is what leads to substantial changes in strength, hypertrophy and adaptation in the body. Similarly, when it comes to doing cardio, your heart rate has to be high enough to force change, but not so high that you want to pass out each session. *I’ll write a blog on heart rate zones and intensities soon.
It’s not just about how long you spend at the gym but how much effort you put into each rep, set, and session. Whether you’re lifting weights, sprinting, or doing high-intensity interval training (HIIT), pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is what forces your body to adapt, grow stronger, and burn more fat.
Why Intensity Is the Game-Changer
1. Boosts Muscle Growth and Strength
Lifting light weights with high reps can have benefits, but if you want to build muscle and get stronger, you need to lift heavy and push your muscles to near failure. This means choosing weights that challenge you by the last few reps, forcing your muscles to grow in response.
2. Burns More Fat in Less Time
Steady-state cardio like jogging has its place, but high-intensity workouts like sprints, circuit training, or HIIT burn far more calories in a shorter time. More importantly, they trigger the afterburn effect (EPOC), where your body continues to burn calories long after your workout ends.
3. Increases Endurance and Athletic Performance
Training with high intensity doesn’t just build muscle—it also improves your heart, lungs, and overall stamina. Short bursts of all-out effort improve your body’s ability to use oxygen efficiently, helping you perform better in everything from sports to everyday activities.
4. Saves You Time and Maximizes Efficiency
Forget spending hours in the gym. A 30-minute high-intensity session can be more effective than a slow, easy 90-minute workout. When you focus on intensity, you get more done in less time, making it easier to stay consistent with your routine.
5. Builds Mental Toughness
Intensity isn’t just about physical exertion—it’s about mental strength. Pushing past your limits teaches you discipline, resilience, and the ability to handle discomfort, both in and out of the gym.
How to Increase Workout Intensity
Lift heavier weights – Don’t be afraid to lift some challenging weight. Your body needs to be stressed to adapt. Once you’ve mastered good technique, lifting at 75%+ of your max intensity is essential to growing and adapting.
Reduce rest time – Keep rest periods short (30–60 seconds) to maintain a higher heart rate. *If you’re lifting heavier, you’ll generally need 2-4min of rest between really heavy sets. You know when you should be taking shorter breaks and pushing yourself harder.
Avoid taking “breaks” throughout your workout - Most people don’t need to take a water break every 7min or get on their phone and stop the flow of their workout. Distractions kill intensity. If you properly prepare for your workout, you’ll be fine with a couple water breaks when it’s appropriate.
Add supersets or drop sets – Combine exercises back-to-back to increase muscle fatigue.
Go all-out on cardio – Sprint instead of jogging, or do HIIT instead of steady-state cardio.
Focus on form and tempo – Control every movement, using slow negatives and explosive positives.
Track your progress – Push to improve each session by increasing weights, reps, or intensity.
Stop talking during sets - If I had a dollar for every time I saw someone talking during a set, I’d be mega rich. Focus on your set. Talk after. If you can talk during a set of squats or a hard effort on the assault bike, sprints, rower, etc, you’re definitely not pushing yourself hard enough to get great results.
Final Thoughts
If you’re not seeing results, the problem might not your program—it’s the effort you put in. By increasing intensity, you’ll build muscle, burn fat, and improve endurance more effectively than ever before.
Your results depend on your effort. Some people make progress, and others make excuses. Once you take ownership for your effort, you will start to notice big shifts happening. You’ll begin getting stronger, leaner, more conditioned, and better at the movements you’re working on. Small choices done repeatedly lead to big changes.
Stop going through the motions and start pushing yourself to train harder, sweat more, and achieve the body you want!
Now, go crush your next workout! 💪🔥
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