Some of the biggest giveaways you're probably not training hard enough:

1. You have 8+ exercises in your workouts
2. You barely need to rest between "unilateral" (one-sided) exercises like DB Rows and Split Squats
3. You barely need to rest in general
4. You can talk during your sets
5. You people-watch during your sets
6. You stop your sets when you reach a somewhat arbitrary rep number. Not when you legitimately only have 1-2 reps left in the tank
7. You never need lifting straps
8. You're using roughly the same weights you were last month (or even last year)
9. You have no idea how much weight you were lifting last month or year

An important caveat: I mean "training hard enough" for strength and transformation goals, specifically. If you're not actively trying to maximize your progress on these fronts, this list may not apply to you—and that's 100% okay!

But if these ARE your goals:

You'll generally need to lift as heavy as you (safely) can, and not leave too many reps in the tank. Which isn't typically possible if too much of the above list applies to you.

I also want to clarify that this email is NOT meant to make you feel bad if you read the list and felt like Michael Scott:

Quite the contrary... I've just met countless people who gauge their workout success by:

• How many exercises they do
• How out of breath and sweaty they are
• How long they're in the gym
• How sore they are the next day

And while I'm not saying these metrics never have any merit, the "recipe" for massive strength gains and changes to your body is:

1. A fairly small "menu" of well-selected exercises
2. Pristine execution of every rep (not just "cranking out" your sets until you reach a rep target)
3. Nearing "technical failure": where you have very little left in the tank by the end of each set* (RPE 8-9)
4. Rest periods that allow you to perform your best (ex. 2+ minutes)
5. Tracking your weights and reps and trying to beat them (if only by 1-2 reps or 2.5-5 pounds) every month

I can't stress the last point enough.

*Once you get comfortable with the form. This does NOT apply to new lifters or new exercises, where skill development trumps intensity.

I also want to reiterate that if your goals aren't maximizing strength and visual progress, the "rules" may change a bit.

The same goes for if these ARE your goals, but you're comfortable leaving at least some results on the table for the sake of variety, fun, etc.—something we'll talk more about on Sunday.

In the meantime, before I accidentally turn this into a full length article (an ever-present risk for the writer in me)...

What questions can I answer on this topic?

Was this the kick in the butt you needed? Does anything here feel unclear?

Hit 'reply' and let me know.

Sam