Train With Intensity!

I was on my deload week last week, so I went to the gym and used lighter weights, not going all out and lifting as much as I could really lift.  I was still feeling the weights, but just not using the same intensity as I usually do when I'm lifting. It got me thinking that this is how so many women train when it comes to lifting weights-without any real intensity!

For example, I was doing 1 arm rows with 35lbs, when I normally would use around 55-65lbs. Now, since I have been training for so long, I am at the point where I can make a lighter weight “feel” heavy by really putting my mind into the muscle I’m working.

BUT just because I can feel the muscles working doesn’t mean I shouldn’t challenge myself to go heavier if I can, as long as my form is good. It’s all about the intensity you put into it. When you lift a weight, you should put 100% focus and intensity into that lift!

Another example: I was doing some battle ropes after one of my workouts but not going all out, and I was like, ‘Wow, these sure are a lot easier this way!’  But if I always did them the "easy" way by just putting in half the effort, I wouldn’t get near as much out of it as I would by putting everything I have into it and going as hard as I can!

What you put into it your training is what you’ll get out of it. Just going through the motions of lifting weights won’t really get you very far. If you constantly lift weights that are less than what you could really lift, your body has no stimulus to respond to and grow; if you lift the same weights over and over again when you could be lifting more, you’ll probably continue to look the same. If you’re not putting enough intensity into your lifting, you won’t ever grow stronger.

Now, this doesn’t mean getting sloppy and letting your form go wacko, of course. It doesn’t mean you should go to absolute failure on every lift, either. You want to choose a weight that is challenging but also be smart about it and use a weight that you can move in a controlled way, focusing on the muscles you want to be working.

I just see so many women in the gym lifting weights that hardly require any real effort-they are just going through the motions. Lifting weights should be HARD. It shouldn’t take 10 reps before you start to feel anything-the weight should feel heavy from the first rep!

So I challenge you this week to see if you can go 5 or 10 lbs heavier on a lift-you may just be surprised by what you can do! ;) Train with intensity!