Following a structured workout routine with exact rep ranges to aim for can have its own pros, but sometimes not having to worry about those rep ranges and simply listening to your body can create an even more effective workout. Not everyday can you go to the gym with your reps and sets for your workouts in the back of your head and not lose focus in your training. Today, I will talk about a different method of training, Intuitive Training, that can make it easier to head into the gym and get an effective workout in without having to worry about specific reps on every workout.
What Is Intuitive Training?
Much like intuitive eating, intuitive training is listening to the current state of your body and tailoring your routine to get the most effective workout. The idea behind it is to help create the most efficient workouts for your current state to maintain positive progression.
I personally implement this training method to my workouts as I sometimes find myself unfocused in my training if i’m too worried about each specific rep range I should be aiming for in my workouts. Training Intuitively also helps me learn how to listen to my body and self-evaluating myself to get the best results.
What I like most about this training method is that it helps me take into account my current mental & physical state so that I continue to have productive training days despite how my mind and body feels.
Taking account of your current state is something traditional training doesn’t really do as its often expected to hit specific reps ranges with certain weights everytime. And while having specific reps to aim for can certainly help you make progress as it makes it easier to progressively overload; intuitive training isn’t for everybody, and it certainly isn’t the only way to effectively train and make progress.
Be open to different styles of training and don’t stay fixated in training a certain way.
Principles of Intuitive Training
Now don’t get me wrong, intuitive training does NOT mean you’re simply staying within your comfort zone in every workout, it is simply a way of training that adapts with your current state in order to continue performing effective workouts despite how your body might be feeling.
A workout that pushes you outside of your comfort zone is what draws the line between an effective workout and a waste of time.
With that being said, it is important for you to be practical when evaluating yourself and readjusting your workouts. Take into account your sleep, stress, nutrition, and how your body is feeling with specific movements.
Something that flies over many people’s heads is that our body can actually do more than what we emotionally feel we can. So don’t just readjust your workouts because you don’t feel like doing it.
This leads me to my next point and that is to make small tweaks, not complete overhauls. When you find yourself having to readjust your workouts, whether its increasing volume or lowering it, you want to make sure you make small changes to your routine, not complete changes.
This prevents any unnecessary injuries or unproductive training days.
Conclusion
Intuitive training is listening to the current state of your body and tailoring your routine to get the most effective workout.
Its important you take into account your current physical and mental state; the idea is to have the most efficient workouts in order to maintain positive progression. Make sure you’re being practical when evaluating yourself and not exaggerating your adjustments.
Your body changes everyday and so should your training program, don’t expect everyday to be the same.
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Links
Article about Intuitive Training and its benefits by Josh Williams
The reader assumes full responsibility for consulting a qualified health professional regarding health conditions or concerns, and nutritional advice before applying the content on this site to themselves. Samuel Navarro will not assume any liability for direct or indirect losses or damages that may result from the use of information contained in this post. You are ultimately responsible for all decisions pertaining to your health.
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