I remember when I first started lifting weights.

I had no idea what I was doing.

I read my first book on muscle-building when I was 19 years old.

‘The Book of Muscle’ was the first book that gave me a glimpse into the world of muscle-building and strength.

It opened my mind to a whole new way of working out.

Growing up as an athlete, my main goal with working out was to be fast and agile (due to my soccer background).

Yet, the more I learned about muscle, the more I realized that a stronger muscle = a faster muscle.

I was in.

The next few years were a guessing game for me as I struggled to puzzle together workout principles and components, failing repeatedly.

Yet, I was committed.

And my hunger to learn was strong.

Reflecting on those early days, I wish I knew more about training intensity.

Why?

The more accurate you can become with your workout intensity - the better results you’ll see.

So here are 2 practical methods to get better workout results:

For strength training, you can gauge your intensity in a few ways.

The first is the RPE range (rate of perceived exertion).

The second is the RIR (reps in reserve).

For conditioning work (cardio), you’ll mainly use the RPE range for intensity.

For RPE - on a scale of 1-10, 10 is the hardest, and 1 is the easiest.

For the RIR scale - 1 has 9+ reps left in your tank, and 10 has ZERO reps left in reserve.

The graph below helps explain RPE even more (courtesy of Zourdos research).

Ideally, for muscle-building (and creating a ‘toned’ body), you’ll hit to have 3 or fewer reps left in your tank.

Without a sufficient reason to change?

Your body has NO reason to change.

Lifting with purpose and intensity allows your body to adapt and grow muscle tissue.

Keep this in mind.

As a general rule of thumb:

1. For lifting: Leave 2-3 reps in reserve at the beginning of the workout program and then gradually remove reps in reserve and lift heavier (70-90% of your max intensity)
2. For cardio: When doing HIIT (high-intensity interval) workouts, aim for 70-90% of your max intensity, and when doing LISS (low-intensity steady state) workouts, aim for 50-60% of your max intensity.

Again, this will vary per person, but this gives you a solid place to start. 🙂

As a closing thought here, intensity is important.

And it matters how much you lift and push yourself each time you workout.

Yet, it’s also not the end all be all.

Why?

Because you aren’t consistent with your workouts, it doesn’t matter how much you workout.

Consistency > intensity (or any other variable).

Consistency with your workouts, even imperfectly, will always be more effective than perfect workouts done inconsistently.

The more consistent you become with your workouts?

The more you tweak and improve your accuracy and workout game.

Stay consistent and focus on what’s important.

Tag me in your next workout on the ‘Gram, and I’ll share to my stories. 🙂

- Gabriel

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