How challenging should a workout be in your opinion?

[vulture1930]

Hi all,

I am looking for some advice/gain perspective on difficulty when it comes to exercise, hence the question.

In the past, I've done bodyweight programs that really pushed my body to its limits (with great results). It was not a fun experience, however, and I eventually burned out - The lack of variety, tax on my body and the added mental toll eventually got to me. I figured I'd start with something lighter and new this time around.

I've recently started the "foundation" program (day 6 or so) and I am finding it to be fairly easy. I do feel a light burn since I haven't exercised in a while, but I often find myself adding a few heavier exercises to guarantee a burn. It's like I don't believe that my sweat will amount to anything if I don't feel a clear burn.

I'm a little confused on where to go from here, as I went from one extreme to another. My goals are pretty broad, but I do want to see and feel the results physically.

I'd love to hear your personal opinions on this topic, do you always push yourself to the limit or keep it a bit light for yourself? Or have you found a nice balance for yourself?

 

[Fremen]

I'd love to hear your personal opinions on this topic, do you always push yourself to the limit or keep it a bit light for yourself? Or have you found a nice balance for yourself?

Complicated and interesting question at the same time.
I know exactly what it's like to lock yourself into an increasingly demanding workout routine, so much so that you eventually want to escape.
I've always thought of training as a straight line that tends to always go up, obviously that's not true but it took a few more years of being older to understand that.
Now I stick to a few simple common sense rules and I'm fine with them. I'll list a few for you in no particular order.
I always choose a workout that I enjoy. Working out is my choice, and for me to always want to do it, it's essential that I enjoy it. Just having it do me good isn't enough, or at least that wouldn't be enough to make me train consistently.
I always vary just to avoid getting bored, I explore, experiment, change, mess around but I always do either new things or old things in a new way.
Better is more, it has become my mantra, I'm no longer interested in numbers but in improving how I feel.
As for the structure of my training, I always have a main workout that really interests me and other side workouts that I can cut if they become excessive. I always allow myself to slow down if I need to, but in my experience, I then feel like pushing myself a little harder once I've recharged my batteries. I always maintain a good training base, and I never find myself doing nothing, but I also never push myself to the max.
Perhaps it's precisely with age that it becomes necessary to optimize and understand when to push and when to give up...

 

[vulture1930]

Complicated and interesting question at the same time.
I know exactly what it's like to lock yourself into an increasingly demanding workout routine, so much so that you eventually want to escape.
I've always thought of training as a straight line that tends to always go up, obviously that's not true but it took a few more years of being older to understand that.
Now I stick to a few simple common sense rules and I'm fine with them. I'll list a few for you in no particular order.
I always choose a workout that I enjoy. Working out is my choice, and for me to always want to do it, it's essential that I enjoy it. Just having it do me good isn't enough, or at least that wouldn't be enough to make me train consistently.
I always vary just to avoid getting bored, I explore, experiment, change, mess around but I always do either new things or old things in a new way.
Better is more, it has become my mantra, I'm no longer interested in numbers but in improving how I feel.
As for the structure of my training, I always have a main workout that really interests me and other side workouts that I can cut if they become excessive. I always allow myself to slow down if I need to, but in my experience, I then feel like pushing myself a little harder once I've recharged my batteries. I always maintain a good training base, and I never find myself doing nothing, but I also never push myself to the max.
Perhaps it's precisely with age that it becomes necessary to optimize and understand when to push and when to give up...

Thanks for the detailed reply. I really like your mindset when it comes to exercising, it’s inspiring. Enjoyment is such an important part of longevity and quality of life, and I think I’ll start paying more attention to it too. I like how much you emphasized personal enjoyment.

As for age, you might be on to something there. I’ve noticed myself caring more about balance in pretty much all areas of life as I near the end of my twenties. I’ve been doing a pretty shitty job at it so far - but hey, live and learn

I think I’ll stick with the chill program since it’s helping me get active again without dreading whatever’s planned for the day, while still leaving room to push myself with whatever exercise I’m feeling in the moment.

 

[agc]

I think the most important thing when it comes to exercise is to find something you enjoy, or learn how to enjoy what you are doing. The former won't always be possible - sometimes your goals (e.g. doing a handstand push-up) require intermediate steps to build strength that maybe aren't so enjoyable. The latter (learning how to enjoy exercise) brings so many benefits and can change your relationship with working out.

Something that worked for me was starting to track how I felt before a workout (e.g. lethargic, energetic, anxious) and then how I felt afterwards, good or bad (e.g. limber, headache, calm). You don't have to do this forever (I don't track it anymore) but if you've been doing it for a few weeks/months you can look back and see "hey, 90% of the time I feel better after working out!". In fact even as you're tracking it, you'll be forced to check in with how you're feeling either side of a workout, and the practice of doing that will make you start to pay attention to it naturally. You'll find that you start looking forward to workouts because you know you're probably going to feel better afterwards.

I find it's a lot easier to avoid burnout if you enjoy the process instead of wanting it to amount to something (looking a certain way, being able to lift a certain amount). That's not to say goals aren't good to have, but rather they aren't as effective motivators. Any exercise, burn or not, is gonna help your body and your health. If you want a burn because you like how it feels, go wild, do some extra sets or tougher exercises on top of your normal workout. If you're just doing it because you feel like exercise is a waste of time otherwise, then it's probably better to work on enjoying the process instead, because enjoyed time is not wasted time!

 

[NightWolf714]

Ideally, I think a good workout should probably make you struggle just a little bit. Not too much, but not too easy. That said, for me it depends on the day. If I'm not working, that idea is great. But if it's a work night (and therefore workout before going into work), I don't want to push myself too hard and make it a struggle to work the next 12 hours. ^_^;; So I think it's also learn how to listen to your body and be able to make adjustments. Sometimes you're gonna be more tired or have some other debuff that makes it harder to work out than other times.

 

[vulture1930]

I think the most important thing when it comes to exercise is to find something you enjoy, or learn how to enjoy what you are doing. The former won't always be possible - sometimes your goals (e.g. doing a handstand push-up) require intermediate steps to build strength that maybe aren't so enjoyable. The latter (learning how to enjoy exercise) brings so many benefits and can change your relationship with working out.

Something that worked for me was starting to track how I felt before a workout (e.g. lethargic, energetic, anxious) and then how I felt afterwards, good or bad (e.g. limber, headache, calm). You don't have to do this forever (I don't track it anymore) but if you've been doing it for a few weeks/months you can look back and see "hey, 90% of the time I feel better after working out!". In fact even as you're tracking it, you'll be forced to check in with how you're feeling either side of a workout, and the practice of doing that will make you start to pay attention to it naturally. You'll find that you start looking forward to workouts because you know you're probably going to feel better afterwards.

I find it's a lot easier to avoid burnout if you enjoy the process instead of wanting it to amount to something (looking a certain way, being able to lift a certain amount). That's not to say goals aren't good to have, but rather they aren't as effective motivators. Any exercise, burn or not, is gonna help your body and your health. If you want a burn because you like how it feels, go wild, do some extra sets or tougher exercises on top of your normal workout. If you're just doing it because you feel like exercise is a waste of time otherwise, then it's probably better to work on enjoying the process instead, because enjoyed time is not wasted time!

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that making an exercise enjoyable is a skill in itself that you can learn over time - For some, that can be as simple as putting on their favorite artist or finding the right environment (i.e. working out outside instead of a dusty old attic).

Now that I think about factors outside of exercising itself that impact my own enjoyment... Taking a few sips of water in between sets is by far my favorite thing lol. It's so much more delicious while working out. On the flipside, working out late in the evening when I am already tired really kills the fun. For running, it’s all about wearing the right fit for the climate.

As for avoiding burnout, the process itself is a big part yes - As well as listening to your body (and mind!) when it says enough is enough, you need to rest a little and take it easy today.
Not that you said otherwise, but I do want to mention that goals and having a strong sense of direction are pretty important to me personally.

Talking about all these things made me think of a car for some reason. Your goals steer the wheel, your process is the fuel, and your enjoyment is the engine. If you use the wrong fuel, one that doesn’t fit who you are, the engine breaks down.

There are lots of holes in this imaginary car, but I find it easier to wrap my head around this by looking at it this way lol.

 

[vulture1930]

Ideally, I think a good workout should probably make you struggle just a little bit. Not too much, but not too easy. That said, for me it depends on the day. If I'm not working, that idea is great. But if it's a work night (and therefore workout before going into work), I don't want to push myself too hard and make it a struggle to work the next 12 hours. ^_^;; So I think it's also learn how to listen to your body and be able to make adjustments. Sometimes you're gonna be more tired or have some other debuff that makes it harder to work out than other times.

Thanks for your reply and sharing your thoughts.

Yes, a little struggle is great - Especially if one of your goals is physical improvement (it is for me). Having said that, exercising without the struggle can still be beneficial as agc mentioned, enjoyment is valuable in itself. Another instance would be if you did it for mental health, going for a walk will almost always be beneficial - Even if it isn't taxing on your body.

For sure, being flexible goes a long way. Take it easy on the hard days, push yourself a lil' on the easy days.

 

[Fanta]

I'm on repeat here: depends on your specific goals!

Toning, maintenance, volume, strength?

I was a few years ago in your former camp - to increase strength: bodyweight strength with low reps (4-8) to failure. Once or twice a week per muscle group (legs/arms/core). Because spending hours on muscle training is definitely not my jam and failure definitely was a short term pain over doing infinite reps on easy mode. It's efficient and it worked for me really well.

I'm currently in weight loss mode - my goal is to increase muscle mass slightly in general (from being a couch potato pre-August 2025), and empty glycogen stores regularly. So: lots of walking and rucking, a little hardcore sprinting (3-4 x 10s sprints at MAX INTENSITY, every other day, I do it on my rower), and 1 x week x 10min sessions for muscle groups (legs/arms/core) - these are not to failure at all, more in the toning area. None of these activities at the moment are difficult except the sprinting, but it is so short...! And they accomplish my current goals.

 

[Brianlikestoworkout]

I like to autoregulate this. Sometimes I have more energy than other days. I will adjust the intensity accordingly. Either by going to a higher/lower level. Or adding more rest time. IMO it comes down to consistency and longevity not fast gains. Having a bit of a slower day is not a big deal.