The Signs of a Good Workout – Everything You Need To Know

by John Griffith
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It’s not easy to judge if your workout has been a success or not – especially if you’ve changed up your routine, or have just started exercising. While most people use soreness, exhaustion, or sweat as indicators for workout success, these things are actually largely irrelevant when it comes to judging a workout’s true effectiveness. How much you sweat depends on what you are wearing, how well you are hydrated, temperature and so on. Soreness can be achieved even by walking down the stairs, and exhaustion can also depend on many outside factors, like lack of sleep, or food. Fortunately, there are other much more significant ways to determine if you had a good workout or not. That’s why today we will show you some common signs of a good workout.

It’s not easy to judge if your workout has been a success or not

man doing mountain climbers

Signs of a Good Workout

Committing yourself to the gym and exercise every day does not ensure that you are having successful workouts. Other than changes to your physique, there are also some other tell-tale signs that your workouts are effective. Let’s check them out:

Going to the gym every day does not ensure that you are having successful workouts

man laying on the floor after tennis

#You feel good

Working out doesn’t only improve your fitness levels, it also helps to put you in a good mood. There are a ton of emotional benefits to moving our bodies. By exercising the body releases the feel-good chemical of endorphins which help increase your mood. So, if a workout makes you feel good afterward, that is a pretty good sign it was a successful one, as both your body and mind are happy.

Working out helps to put you in a good mood

signs of a good workout woman streching in nature

#Hitting personal goals

Everyone works out for different reasons – maybe you want to lose some weight, maintain weight, get fitter, have more endurance, and so on. Either way if you are hitting personal goals, then it means the workouts are working. Maybe your goal is to be able to lift a certain amount of weight. By building up slowly, you may finally have the strength and reach said weight amount. This is a very obvious show of progress and effectiveness of workouts.

If you are hitting personal goals, then it means the workouts are working

woman jogging up stairs

#You still have energy

While you may think workouts are supposed to drain you in order to have an effect, the truth is actually quite the opposite. Regular workouts are supposed to increase energy levels, not deplete them. That’s why some people prefer to work out in the mornings rather than in the evenings, so they can get an energy boost. So, if your workouts are effective, no matter the time of day, you will start to notice an increase of energy, and not the opposite.

Regular workouts are supposed to increase energy levels, not deplete them

woman jumping very high

#Better sleep

One telltale sign that your workouts are working is if you have a good night’s sleep afterward. Your sleep quality will increase, which will also help with mental health and energy levels, as you will be waking up feeling rested. So, if you have experienced better sleep, then that means your workouts are working. Good sleep also gives the body a better chance to recover, so it is a win-win situation.

One telltale sign that your workouts are working is if you have a good night’s sleep afterward

woman waking up feeling well rested

#You are hungry

Do you feel a bit peckish after a workout? This is a clear sign that your body has depleted its glycogen stores. When you work out the body uses carbs for energy, so if you feel hungry afterward, it means the body wants you to replenish what you have used up. And remember, hunger is something normal, and you should listen to your body. It’s important to not ignore it and fuel the body after a workout. If you ignore the hunger you risk losing many strength gains from your session.

Do you feel a bit peckish after a workout?

person cooking in a pan

#It was challenging

You know a workout is good when you feel a bit challenged. Of course this doesn’t mean struggling for your life, but rather feeling some pressure. To determine if you feel challenged, you can do the talk test. If you struggle to hold a conversation mid-workout, then you are doing something right. This means it’s not too easy, and you are challenging your body to grow.

You know a workout is good when you feel a bit challenged

woman working out with weights

These were some of the most common signs of a good workout. We hope you found this article useful. Now you know all the signs to look out for after a workout to know if it was a good one.

These were some of the most common signs of a good workout

man squating to lift weights

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John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.