The Push Zone

Working out harder than you need to, as I've mentioned, is a pitfall you should avoid when you're just starting out. However, that doesn't mean that you should avoid intense workouts at all costs. There is absolutely room for intensity in your workouts and there is even an argument to be made that lack of intensity might be stalling your progress.

Confusing? Yep. Please refer to the following diagram as a primer for this discussion.

The diagram illustrates a fundamental truth: People's perception of how hard they've been working out isn't exactly reliable. There is a difference between how hard you're capable of working versus the capacity that you've actually been working at. Most people will stop exercising soon after the third bubble on the top of the diagram. Why? Because it probably feels like they're in hell. If you think you're maxed out, you're not likely to continue.

Are they actually going balls to the wall? No. But that is what it feels like to them.

This is a problem of perception. Part of this boils down to human nature. But I suspect there's something about how exercise programs are written that feed into this problem.

Here is an example: If I told you to do twenty reps of any exercise, you're likely to count out twenty reps and stop there. What if I told you to do as many reps as you could without counting any numbers?

Most exercise programs will prescribe a set number of reps and sets of an exercise and there's a valid reason for this. However, giving people a fixed number to shoot for creates a dynamic in which they will go up to that number and stop.

The idea here isn't to get hung up on numbers. It should be about pushing yourself a bit further every time.

Now, the people that are willing to go all the way to the end of the line on the diagram, are the ones that will likely see faster progress. Truthfully, there is always that subset of people on planet Earth that are willing to thrash on the gas pedal and risk crashing the car if it gets them to their destination faster.

You might not be one of these people. Friend, you're in good company. If it were up to me I'd be on a yacht eating champagne-soaked gummy bears 24/7. But since you and I probably aren't just sitting around popping bottles all day we might as well do something productive.

I digress...

All of this rolls up to one important truth that cannot be ignored. There will come a time when you need to push yourself. You will need to work in the "Push Zone".

The craziest thing about this is you will have to do this to yourself for yourself.

Read that line out loud to yourself.

Look, few people are hardwired out of the gate to not only accept but embrace that level of batshit. You might not be there yet. But I want you to consider this after your next workout - For my level, did I leave anything in the gas tank?