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Derek Batman

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December 30, 2024

Break My Beliefs: Have You Tried Trying Less?

There’s a weird badge of honor in fitness these days: exhaustion.
If you’re not dead to the world after a workout, it’s like you didn’t “earn it.”

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And I get it.

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When you go from casually working out to tasting intensity for the first time—especially in a group fitness setting—it’s a rush.
It’s like your first sip of coffee: “Holy shit, that’s amazing!”
But here’s the thing: just like your body adapts to caffeine, it adapts to intensity. And instead of focusing on true intensity (load, speed, effort), most people chase exhaustion.

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What’s the result?
Burnout. Nagging injuries. Stalled progress.

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Because when you’re wrecking yourself every day, you’re really operating at 70-80% max effort—not 100%.
So what’s the fix?

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Train smarter:
• 80-90% of your sessions should leave you feeling better.
• 10-20% should push you to max intensity.

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This way, you’ll recover better, look better, and actually hit 100% when it matters most.
Ask yourself:

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• Is my training giving me energy—or stealing it?
• Am I optimizing for progress—or exhaustion?

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Beliefs into action, in under 3 minutes.
Catch you next week, my friends.

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