How do you know if you've had a good workout?

[Red Foreman]

How you know when you've had a really good workout? When I used to do 8 or 9 sets my muscles would ache and be really tense straight after and for a day or two after. But when I do my bulking workouts when I only do 4 or 5 sets to failure I don't really feel it much. So what are the signs of having a good workout?

[fsheva]

soreness or pump is not an indication of a good workout, visual results(over time) or increased poundage/reps can be used.

[MrB]

You can easily get soreness by taking a month off and then coming back. That first workout will get you sore. I wouldn't call it an indicator of a "good workout"

I can get a good pump by curling 15-pounders for 10 minutes. I wouldn't call that a good workout.

Getting more weight or reps on a workout. That's what I call a good workout. When measurable progress is made.

If you work out intensly enough, you should get some pump and soreness as a by-product of progression.

If you add 50-100 pounds to your lifts without ever getting a pump or soreness, is that good? Will you be bigger and stronger when you can lift 315, instead of 215?

Nuff said.

Progression trumps pump and soreness 10 times over.

Pump is increased blood flow, soreness is increased muscle damage. Neiher of two, without progression, stimulate muscle growth.

[synthetic]

if u fall asleep, about an hour after working out, u had an awesome workout

[ja2001x]

I know ive had a good workout if I go to my bed and lay down for 10-20 minutes, if im breathing heavily after wards and if im covered in sweat.

[ManOfSteel2003]

If you've had a good workout, you just KNOW.

[skinnyboy]

bump fsheva's advice. Assuming you are looking for results from your training, you should strive to progress from workout to workout.

[Luke530]

you know you've had a good workout if you tried hard and went balls to the wall...

or

if you are making progress from one workout to the next... if you can workout without trying hard, not getting sore, and make good progress... consider it a plus!

[The Iron Lord]

EXCELLENT response, MrB.

You can get a pump and soreness in your legs from running 10 miles. Will that make them grow into tree stumps. Of course not.

A good workout is measured by using more weight than your last workout, or getting at least one more rep with the same weight (and good form, of course).

It is not complicated. In fact, it's ridiculously simple. Add one pound a week to your lifts. That adds up to 52 lbs. in a year. These are not short lived gains like some gimicky "add 50 lbs. to your bench in 6 weeks." This slow, steady progression is real, and it will not fade away.

[MiloMan]

Originally posted by The Iron Lord
A good workout is measured by using more weight than your last workout, or getting at least one more rep with the same weight (and good form, of course).

BINGO! I'm happy if I get one more rep anywhere in the workout, or add 5 more pounds to final set. A tiny amount of progress is still progress.

[decider111]

Originally posted by The Iron Lord
EXCELLENT response, MrB.

A good workout is measured by using more weight than your last workout, or getting at least one more rep with the same weight (and good form, of course).

.

Agree with Mr. B and Ironlord. The only thing I would add is that you can have a good, even great, work-out without adding weight or increasing sets/reps if you learn something from the work-out or make seriour improvements to form. For many beginning lifters, it can take awhile to get the form of certain exercises just right. For example, in the beginning, when I concentrated just on form, my incline DB presses did not increase in weight or reps for a few weeks, but I began doing them much better and slower (taking out the momentum) and really noticed the difference.

[Big Daddy Shane]

I agree with MrB, TIL etc. However, I don't increase weight EVERY workout. Say for example that Monday is my Incline Press day. If I'm lifting a new weight, then I'll try to meet the previous weight's rep count. Even if I meet it that workout, I don't increase the weight until the next week. So, basicly I improve each exercise by 5lb (2.5kg) every two weeks. If I had smaller plates (ie 1 or 2 lb), than I'd increase every week, by smaller increments. As it stands, I'm increasing every 2 weeks.
BDS.

[MrB]

You should do one of these each workout ...

1. Add weight to each exercise.
2. Add a rep to each exercise.
3. Have the set/rep be easier than last time.

#1 -- simple enough, if you did 210x5 last week, then add at least 1 pound to the bar and do 5 reps with it.

#2 -- If you did 210x5 last week, then this week, do at least 210x6

#3 -- If you did 210x5 last week and you know, since it took you 10 seconds to barely get that 5th rep, that no weight or rep increase is gonna be possible ... then just do 210x5 again, and this week it should be easier, and even easier next week. Soon enough you'll be "playing" with a weight that you barely got a few weeks ago. Now, add more weight.

Perhaps you got the same poundage for the same weight but you took less rest in between sets ***

*** This should never happen. If you're not being consistent with your rest periods in between sets (use the clock or stopwatch), then you're not serious about accurate progression.

[bigbrosdotcom]

Signs of good leg day?

When you curse and throw insults at stairs.

[USMCSemperFi03]

Another sign of a good workout......when you go to take a **** the next day and can hardly sit on the toilet