How To Know If You Actually Got A Good Workout

Here are six science-backed ways to know you're putting in the right kind of effort.
Editor’s Note: This article written by Alexandra Duron was originally published on Greatist, a digital publication committed to happy and healthy lifestyle choices.

Go hard or go home. Train insane or remain the same. If Pinterest was your personal trainer, every workout would be crazy tough and include extreme sweat and soreness. But that thinking is flawed.

Even though challenges are great for you — and could lead to a sweat-soaked shirt and achy muscles — exercise shouldn’t leave you drained.

“Working out shouldn’t be breaking us down,” says Jessica Matthews, assistant professor of exercise science at San Diego Miramar College. “It should be building us up.” Plus, neither sweat nor soreness is a good way to measure how effective your workout is. Instead, here are six science-backed ways to know you’re putting in the right kind of effort.

1. Your heart rate says so.

This one’s probably the most objective way to measure how good your cardio workout is. “A good workout — by most definitions — involves a heart rate of three-fourths the maximal heart rate, sustained for 20 minutes [or longer],” says Daniel Vigil, M.D., who specializes in sports medicine at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.

So how do you calculate that? Experts once used a simple formula: 220 minus your age equals your max heart rate. However this formula tends to overestimate your max heart rate, and these days, trainers often rely on another equation:

Max HR = 208 – (age x 0.7)

For example, if you’re 23 years old, your max heart rate would be about 191 bpm (beats per minute), according to the formula above. Now, calculate three-quarters of that to find your target: about 143 bpm. To keep track of your stats and your progress, consider using a heart rate monitor (it’s totally worth it, trust us).

One more note about heart rate: If you wake up the next morning and your resting heart rate is still slightly above normal, you’re not fully recovered from your last workout. Your resting heart rate can be a great indicator of overtraining (more on that below).

Heart rate is a great measurement for cardiovascular fitness, but the same doesn’t necessarily apply to strength training. If you’re lifting heavy weights, taking adequate breaks between sets is vital to building strength.

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