How to Know If Your Workout is Actually Working
There’s a strange irony in fitness: some of the people who train the most consistently still don’t see the results they want.
They’re doing all the “right” things — showing up to the gym, sweating through circuits, maybe even tracking their macros. But the needle doesn’t move. Their energy stays low, their body feels beat up, and their confidence quietly erodes.
If that sounds familiar, it’s not a motivation problem. It’s a measurement problem.
Because in a world that glorifies intensity and volume, most people have never been taught how to assess the effectiveness of their workouts.
Let’s fix that.
First: Define “Working”
Before you assess whether your workouts are working, you need to define what “working” even means to you.
Are you trying to:
Get stronger?
Build muscle?
Lose fat?
Improve your energy and mood?
Move with less pain or stiffness?
Just feel like yourself again?
Too often, people measure success by how sore they are or how many calories their Apple Watch says they burned. But those are poor indicators of long-term progress. Soreness is not a goal. And your watch doesn’t know if you’re gaining muscle or protecting your joints — it just knows you moved.
The right metric is the one that aligns with your goal. That’s your true north.
6 Signs Your Workout Is (Actually) Working
Here are six reliable indicators that your training is delivering more than just fatigue:
1. You’re Getting Stronger (Even a Little Bit)
Strength is a universal metric — even if your goal isn’t to become a powerlifter.
If you're lifting more weight, doing more reps with the same weight, or performing movements with better control and technique than you could a few weeks ago, you're progressing.
Example: You used to deadlift 135 lbs for 6 reps. Now you’re doing 145 lbs for 5? That’s a win. Write it down. Track it.
2. You’re Moving Better, With Less Pain
Mobility and movement quality are often overlooked as progress indicators — but they matter deeply, especially if you’ve dealt with joint pain, stiffness, or past injuries.
Are you able to squat lower without discomfort? Reach overhead more easily? Get through a workout without your shoulder barking at you afterward? Those are powerful signs your body is adapting well.
3. Your Recovery Is Improving
A good training plan doesn’t leave you crushed every week — it teaches your body to handle stress better.
If you’re no longer sore for three days after every session, that’s not a sign the workout “didn’t work” — it means your body is adapting. Faster recovery between workouts is a sign your fitness is improving at a systemic level [source: NASE].
4. You Feel More Energetic Outside the Gym
The right training enhances your life, not just your time under the barbell.
Are you more productive at work? Sleeping better? Playing harder with your kids? These are “functional PRs” — proof that the training is transferring into everyday resilience.
5. Your Workouts Are Becoming Easier (Or You’re Doing More With Less Time)
If a workout that once smoked you now feels like a good warm-up, that’s a sign of progress — and a cue that it may be time to increase intensity or complexity.
You shouldn’t always feel destroyed. Efficiency comes from knowing how to increase challenge strategically, not randomly.
6. You Actually Want to Keep Going
Consistency is the most underrated progress marker there is.
If you find yourself showing up week after week — not because you have to, but because you want to — that’s a massive win. That shift in mindset means your training isn’t just effective… it’s sustainable.
Warning Signs You’re Spinning Your Wheels
If you’re doing everything “right” but not seeing progress, here are some red flags to watch for:
🚩 You’re always sore, tired, or inflamed
🚩 You’ve been lifting the same weights for months
🚩 Your sleep or appetite is getting worse
🚩 You dread your workouts (or skip them more often than not)
🚩 You’re chasing fatigue instead of results
These are not badges of honor. They’re signs that your training needs a reset — not more hustle.
How the M.E.D. Method Measures Progress
In M.E.D. Method programs, we look for repeatable, trackable wins over time:
Strength markers (like rep PRs or heavier lifts in key movements)
Movement quality improvements (like full range squats or clean hinges)
Recovery improvements (less soreness, better sleep)
Consistency scores (weeks in a row trained without burnout)
We encourage clients to log their workouts — not obsessively, but consistently enough to see what’s changing and why. Because what gets tracked gets refined.
What I REALLY Want You To Understand
If your workouts leave you exhausted but unchanged… it’s time to stop measuring effort and start measuring outcomes.
Soreness fades. Sweat dries. But strength, consistency, and energy — those are the things that last.
And when you learn to recognize those signs of real progress, you’ll stop second-guessing your plan… and start trusting the process.