Therefore, finding the balance between too much and not enough really is the key to a successful and effective workout routine. 

How can you tell if you aren’t pushing yourself hard enough during workouts? A few of the main signs are listed below. 

You Don’t Feel Any Soreness

When you have a good workout, you basically cause damage on the microscopic level to the muscles throughout your body. When the muscles repair themselves in the next day or two following a workout, they will end up being stronger in the end. But if you are not even feeling a moderate amount of soreness after your exercise routine, you likely did not stimulate the muscles enough, and you are not going to get the results that you want. While you don’t want to be too sore, a decent amount of soreness is a good sign. 

You Are Able to Hold a Conversation While You Exercise

Being able to talk while you exercise is a good sign that you are developing stamina, but if you are able to hold an entire conversation with someone without being winded, you are not working out hard enough. Take your exercise routine to the next level so that you will need to focus more on your breathing and less on talking.

You Really Aren’t Seeing Any Changes to Your Body

Whether you are exercising primarily to lose weight or to gain muscle mass, you should start seeing results in a few weeks. If you have been exercising for a few months and you have not seen the number on the scale go down or your muscles are not stronger and more defined than they used to be, this is a clear indication that you are not working out hard enough. Consider increasing the intensity of your workouts, whether you exercise for a longer period of time, you add more weights to your strength training routine, or you perform more reps. 

Overdoing a workout is definitely bad, but if you find that you are not really pushing yourself hard enough during your exercise routine, making the right changes will help you achieve better results, overcome plateaus, and gain strength while losing weight.