How to Know if Your Workout Is Too Easy

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Look at whether your routine is allowing you to reach your goals.

   You should take a hard look at whether your current workout routine is allowing you to reach your goals.
   
   You may have reached a plateau with your current workout routine if you are not seeing results within an expected timeframe and other factors like diet have remained consistent.If you have reached a plateau with your weight loss goals, you could try breaking up your workout into two workouts a day.
   
   This will allow you to multiply the calorie burning benefits of exercise, since your heart rate will be increased twice in a day.
2. 2

   Step 2: Count up the total hours in your weekly workout routine.

   Considering all of the workouts you do during the week, count up the number of hours that you put in.
   
   Guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommend at least two and a half hours of activity per week.
   
   If you are not putting in at least two and a half hours, your workout routine may be too easy., You can manually check your heart rate with your index and middle finger.
   
   With one hand facing up, place your index and middle finger one inch below your wrist.
   
   Adjust your fingers until you can feel your pulse.
   
   Count the number of beats you feel for sixty seconds to get your beats per minute.If you prefer, you can use a heart rate monitor.
   
   Place the strap of the heart rate monitor around your chest and look at the wristwatch/readout to see your current heart rate., You can figure out if your workout is too easy by observing whether your heart rate is too low.
   
   To figure this out, start by determining your maximum heart rate.
   
   A simple way to do this is to minus your age in years from
   220.If you are thirty years old, your maximum heart rate will be approximately
   190.
   
   If you are forty years old, your maximum heart rate would be
   180. , You will know you are not working hard enough if you do not reach at least sixty percent of your maximum heart rate.Some physical trainers recommend aiming for a higher percentage of your maximum heart rate during workouts, such as 70 to 85 percent.The percentage of your maximum heart rate you strive for will depend on your particular fitness goals, but you should observe your heart rate to make sure you are at least reaching sixty percent.If you are thirty years old, have a maximum heart rate of 190 and you want to maintain at least sixty percent of your maximum heart rate, you should aim for a heart rate of 114 beats per minute.
   
   If it goes below that number, you should work a little harder.
   
   If you are not reaching sixty percent, you could work harder by increasing the speed or incline on your treadmill.
   
   Run faster until you get to at least sixty percent of your maximum heart rate and then continue for the rest of your workout.
   
   If you are running outside, you could try running very fast for a minute and then going back to your regular pace.
   
   Repeat this process until you get to at least sixty percent of your maximum heart rate.
   
   You could also try other forms of interval training at the gym., If you have been doing the same routine for a while and you notice your heart rate is not reaching the same level as normal, it could be an indication that you need to switch your workout routine.
   
   Consider working a little harder or doing a new exercise to challenge your body in a new way.
   
   With your new routine, try to maintain at least sixty percent of your maximum heart rate.
3. 3

   Step 3: Check your heart rate.

4. 4

   Step 4: Figure out your maximum heart rate.

5. 5

   Step 5: Reach at least sixty percent of your maximum heart rate.

6. 6

   Step 6: Change your routine if your heart rate is staying low.

Detailed Guide

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