Why Higher Intensity Isn’t Always A Better Workout

Apr 5

“Never miss a Monday!”

“No excuses!”

“No pain, no gain!”

You’ve probably heard these expressions before in group fitness classes. With the way that we’ve been taught to view fitness, they make sense. You have to push yourself to grow- and in a sense that’s true, as in all things, the magic happens when you step out of your comfort zone and try something you haven’t done before. You might be surprised to learn, however, that that doesn’t necessarily mean you have to go as all our hard as you can or kill yourself in your workout to reach fitness goals like increasing your strength— but to understand what I mean, you’re gonna have to reframe your idea of an “intense” workout.

Why Less Intense Workouts Can Be More Effective

Your muscles work harder when you are aware of them

This might seem like something you might initially want to avoid- especially if historically when you workout, you’re in the habit it completely tuning out of your body because you’d rather be anywhere else. I get it- working out is hard! Sometimes it’s useful to have a little healthy distraction, but in terms of muscle activation itself- you’re gonna wanna be here now, trust me! Studies have actually shown that simply visualizing a workout without doing anything physical at all can help you make dramatic strength gains and even encourage injury healing! Athletes like Serena Williams have long known the power of positive psychology and it’s impact on their performance, and you’d be hard pressed to find an elite athlete who didn’t utilize this practice.

Knowing this, it should come as no surprise that implementing visualization techniques in our actual workouts, means you work harder. shows us that when we visualize the muscle we’re working (say, you’re bridging and you visualize your glutes, hamstrings, and core) they actually fire more deeply.

When you’re short on time, mindful movement can double as meditation

Despite that I work in wellness professionally, I too let things like meditating and journaling slide when I’m overwhelmed and busy- despite the fact that they’re the very things that can help with overwhelm. Sound familiar? If you practice mindful movement, the attention to the breath, body awareness, and sensation in the body echoes what you would feel in a seated meditation practice.

Moving slowly allows you to keep track of your alignment and prevent injury

I always tell my newbies that learning pilates in the beginning is a lot like learning the piano. You have to read music, articulate through the hands, relax tension in your arms and shoulders, maintain musicality, and man the foot pedal all at the same time. It’s multi-tasking at it’s finest (which helps keep your brain young, btw) and it can be intimidating at first. Luckily, we move slowly enough that we have TIME to breathe, engage the appropriate muscles, release the ones you don’t need, increase/decrease our range of motion, be precise with our movement, control where your limbs in space and so on.

I love cardio and HIIT, but, I definitely see more careless form with my clients (and in my own practice too) when the speed is picked up, than when we are moving slowly and intentionally. This is why I always try to stress in my HIIT classes, that intensity doesn’t only come from speed, it comes from control and power as well. The more control you have over your movement, the less likely you are to compensate and get injured. This isn’t to say there is never a time and place for HIIT, far from it, but that we should stay mindful in those classes, too!

Visualizing and working your core builds mental strength, literally

In addition to making your actual muscles work harder, visualizing your deep core contracting the way I ask you to in Helen Phelan Studio classes, you are strengthening the part of the brain that regulates resilience. According to Dr. Kelly Mcgonigal in The Joy of Movement (Bookshop affiliate link), there is a direct neurofeedback loop from the deep core to the pre-frontal cortex, meaning that not only is visualizing your abs going to make them stronger, but it’s actually improves your anxiety response. As a virgo moon, I gotta say, this is a pretty big deal for me. Yes, your core will still contract without your focus, but not as deeply, and you’ll miss you out on a pretty badass bonus if you let your mind wander too much.

Appropriate rest means you can work harder when you do work out

This should be a surprise to no one, but when you rest adequately, you repair your muscles, and you’re able to use you full intensity at your next workout. So often in our intense hustle to GO GO GO, we don’t notice that not only do we NEED a break, but that our athletic performance relies upon it. Pilates is low impact enough to do every day if you’re so inclined, but if you’re strength training or doing intense cardio you will want to be very intentional about setting aside specific rest days (where you can do some gentle stretching or foam rolling, if you like to support recovery, if you’re one of those people who can’t sit still—- hard same, my dude!) . If you’re a menstruator, you might even want to check out where you are in your cycle to plan these out and make the most of your body’s natural restorative capabilities and align your fitness routine to them!

Conclusion

Mindful movement requires focus and intention- which is often easier said than done. It helps a TON when your instructor isn’t just feeding your the choreo, but instead giving detailed cues and reminding you continuously to check in with yourself and drop into you body. This is the EXACT reason I created Helen Phelan Studio- and there is a 10 day free trial for you to feel the difference between moving mindlessly and moving mindfully!