Everyone’s intensity is brought out in different ways, but there is no doubt that there is a difference in using intensity and just going through the motions while working out.
Intense Workouts – Either You Have It Or You Don’t
I see a lot of people in the gym every day say they are going to have an intense workout, but what does that really entail? How do we measure Intensity? Is intensity measured by lifting extremely heavy, or is it measured by a lot of volume and reps? Lately on Facebook and other social outlets, we all can put our opinions upon how we feel. We can post about what we are going to do in the gym or when we work out. We put this face on for everyone to see and put up in our status that we are going to kill it, bring it, etc.
I also see people pumping themselves up… particularly in meets or when trying to reach a personal best. You can watch them hitting themselves, or screaming, or both. I have to laugh at this because I tell myself again what a WoE (Waste of Effort) all that is.
Ki – We All Have It
If you ever have taken Martial Arts you were taught the Ki. The word itself means or translates to “energy life force, spirit, and or breath”. Everyone has it. Tapping into it is essential to Intensity in lifting in my opinion. I’ve used it for years. It goes like this:
Instead of yelling or getting slapped in the face, I try to think of a volcano about to irrupt. I build the pressure from within me. I make it feel like high blood pressure so to speak. What is cool is that key music can also bring it out of me. When I get that goosebump feeling in the back of my neck I know it is there. Sometimes I don’t have all of that and have to bring it out myself and have to make it irrupt on its own. I do it by simply digging in deep and making it a psychological tool in my arsenal.
However, that’s me. Other people’s intensity is brought out in different ways. Still, there is no doubt that there is a difference in using intensity and just going through the motions while working out. Just going through the motions in the gym sticks out like a sore thumb. I use as a basic rule to know if I’m being intense enough. It’s knowing if I’m uncomfortable or not. Honestly, if you go through a workout and are comfortable.
How Intense Are You?
Chances are you are not being intense enough. The gym is not a comfortable place. It is a place of muscle brutalizing. Beating it up so it will grow. Not feel-good fuzzy thoughts and pink flowers and fluffy chairs to get all cozy in. Why do you think those seats are so damn small, they’re not meant to be comfortable. They are meant to sit on just long enough and put that particular muscle in a position to do one thing. ” Work”.
Choose Intensity
So the next time you walk into the gym, ask yourself: ” Do I want to be comfortable or do I want to walk out of here knowing I did something right for my body, mind, and spirit?
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