Feel Like You Have An Extra Rep? Don’t Do It!

Brian Gwaltney
Aug 25, 2017 · 3 min read

Always leave some in the tank

One of my favorite parts about working with clients is all the stuff I learn from them. Every month, I have hundreds of opportunities to learn from people I normally wouldn’t see in a given day.

Last week, one of my personal training clients shared a lesson he had learned from a world class cyclist he is friends with. This very high level athlete told my client to always leave something in the tank; when you feel awesome and have enough energy to do more, don’t.

Based on the source of this information, I’m certain it is excellent advice for cyclists. But based on my experience with all kinds of athletes, it is a rule everyone should follow if they are training consistently.

If you train consistently and for a long enough period of time, you’ll discover you have good days and bad days. Sometimes everything you do feels easy and natural. Other times an activity you are normally completely comfortable with feels like a max effort.

In both cases, I think it is always best to err on the side of less. This isn’t usually a problem on the bad days because your mind won’t push very hard when the body doesn’t want to do any work. The good days, on the other hand, are tougher to manage.

The days you start working out and realize you feel invincible are the days you are at most risk to do something stupid and hurt yourself. I have never regretted not pushing as hard as I possibly could in a random workout. But that time I tweaked my back trying to squat more than I had planned because I felt great left me in bed for 10 days.

In addition to the higher risk of injury when you are pushing harder than normal, you also need to consider the effect that extra work will have on the rest of your body. One could argue it will create some positive adaptive changes, but your body will also have to deal with and recover from the extra stress you are putting on it.

Remember the work you do breaks you down. The rest between the workouts is what builds you up. If you break yourself down more than your body is able recover from, you are setting yourself back.

In the long run, it is always best to work just hard enough to challenge yourself on that given day and no more. Leave some in the tank, stay safe, and make long term gains.

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Brian Gwaltney

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Personal Trainer, Web Developer, Businessman, Traveler. Creator of www.yourstrengthcoach.com.

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