We all want to get the most out of the time we spend exercising,
and it's natural to think that exercising harder is going to provide a
bigger, faster payoff. But exercising harder without adequate
preparation often leads to injury. Then there's recovery time, possibly
the need for rehabilitation, and ultimately you're back at the beginning
in terms of fitness, strength, and endurance. Injuries are to be
avoided, if at all possible. The best way to avoid injury is to exercise
smarter. Exercising smarter is also the best way to achieve continual,
progressive gains in fitness, health, and well-being.
Exercising smarter means doing what you're capable of doing, and then doing a little bit more. For example, if you're a runner and typically run three miles a day, three times a week, it wouldn't be smart to do an eight-mile run the next time you go out. The likely outcome would be a strained muscle, shin splints, or worse. If you lift weights and typically bench press 100 pounds, it wouldn't be smart to find out what it feels like to bench press 150 pounds. What it could feel like is a back, neck, or shoulder injury. In either scenario, the price paid for attempting to train "harder" is at least two weeks of down time, possibly much longer, while you recover from your injury. Of course, we've all made mistakes and sometimes training injuries just happen, but tempting fate by doing too much is not, in fact, "smart."
The goal with any type of exercise is to progress gradually over time.1
For example, if you're 60 years old and haven't exercised for many
years, a walking program is a good way to begin. On your first day, walk
at a comfortable, steady pace for 10 minutes. That may not feel like
much, but you will be increasing your total time over the next four to
six weeks. The next day, add a couple of minutes. As long as you're
continuing to feel good, add a couple of minutes on every second day or
so, building up consistently to a total of 30 minutes per day. At this
point, you're walking 30 minutes per day, five times per week. Next,
every second day or so, increase your pace by a bit.Exercising smarter means doing what you're capable of doing, and then doing a little bit more. For example, if you're a runner and typically run three miles a day, three times a week, it wouldn't be smart to do an eight-mile run the next time you go out. The likely outcome would be a strained muscle, shin splints, or worse. If you lift weights and typically bench press 100 pounds, it wouldn't be smart to find out what it feels like to bench press 150 pounds. What it could feel like is a back, neck, or shoulder injury. In either scenario, the price paid for attempting to train "harder" is at least two weeks of down time, possibly much longer, while you recover from your injury. Of course, we've all made mistakes and sometimes training injuries just happen, but tempting fate by doing too much is not, in fact, "smart."
Don't increase your pace if you feel uncomfortable or feel as if
you're working too hard. Be in tune with what you're doing. After four
to six weeks of gradually increasing your pace, you'll probably be able
to walk 30 minutes per day, five days a week, at a nice brisk pace.2 You may also notice that you've lost some weight,3
you feel more flexible, you're standing more upright, your skin has a
nice, healthy glow, and you're sleeping more soundly and more restfully.
Use the same gradual approach with strength training. Start with
lighter weights, not heavier weights, than you think you can use. With
lighter weights, you can build up your strength over time. With weights
that are too heavy, there's always the danger of incurring an injury
that will set you back and interfere with your training. Exercising
smarter leads to consistent gains in strength, muscle mass, ability to
do physical work, and overall health.
It's natural to want to exercise harder. But exercising smarter
is the way to go for long-term benefit without the danger of
time-wasting injuries. Exercising smarter is the effective way to
maximize the value of our investment in physical fitness.
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1Braham R, et al: Can we teach moderate intensity
activity? Adult perception of moderate intensity walking. J Sci Med
Sport 15(4):322-326, 2012
2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Vital
signs: walking among adults - United States, 2005 and 2010. MMWR Morbid
Mortal Wkly Rep 61:595-601, 2012
3Exercise training and impaired glucose tolerance in obese humans. McNeilly AM, et al: J Sports Sci 30(8):725-732, 2012