What does it mean to have a “good” workout? How do we know that our workout was good or sufficient? That is the question we’re asking here. Do our muscles have to hurt the following day in order for us to achieve some sort of progress or is that a myth? Let’s find some answers.
Sore muscles?
Even though some people believe it is absolutely necessary to have muscular soreness in order to accomplish what you call a proper workout, you in fact do not need to completely exhaust yourself in order to achieve fitness progress. On the contrary, some forms of exercise can actually spike your energy levels! It only depends on the time, type, and intensity of the exercise you choose. For example, doing cardiovascular exercises in the mornings can increase your overall mood when you start your day and keep you going throughout.
However, don’t get the wrong impression. Your muscles will eventually hurt at least a little bit. It is a part of the process. What is important to remember is that they do not need to hurt to the point that you can’t go about your daily activities. If your muscles are sore to the point that you’re not functional that day then you probably overdid it.
Perfect balance!
Finding the sweet spot when it comes to training is never easy. One can easily go above or under the line when it comes to working out. The reason for that being the case is mostly the fact that your workouts always change, and people have a tendency not to keep track of their progress.
On top of that, you cannot perform the way you’d wish every time you enter your training facility. Therefore, you might go too hard on some of the workouts and do too little on others, but if you pay attention to how much you can and should realistically do, you will be able to make your workouts efficient in a short period of time.
A lot of people think that the most important thing about a workout is the feeling you have while you’re at it. For example, when you feel your muscles grow during a workout or when you feel stronger in front of the mirror those are legitimate ways of discerning good from poor workouts. Why? Because at the end of the day, what you perceive is what you get. Now, that doesn’t mean you should lie to yourself, but the feeling must be there in order for you to feel like any of what you’re doing makes sense.
Anything more specific?
There are other, perhaps more obvious, signs of your workouts being worthwhile so let’s name a few. If you have a good night’s sleep on your workout day that probably means you did a good job earlier that day. Your body needs rest when it’s exhausted and it can only recover itself while you sleep.
Feeling hungry often? It might just be the workout you did earlier. Most of the time when you had a killer workout your body will ask for valuable nutrients since it wants to repair the broken muscle tissue and prepare you for your next session or game.
There you have it! We hope you feel great during your next workout session because that’s what matters the most. After all, your primary goal is to live longer and healthier.
Thank you for reading!
