When you are doing run training, you are doing two things;

1. Get your body used to the rigors and strain of consistent runs
2. Improve your efficiency, form, and speed as you run

Increasing your efficiency means being faster, stronger, and having more endurance. To do this, you need to train smart. If you feel like you are not tired anymore after your regular routine, it may be time to learn how to increase exercise intensity.

Here are some running tips to do just that.

How to Increase Exercise Intensity

What you really want to avoid is getting stuck in what is known as the moderate-intensity rut. This basically means you keep training at a medium effort throughout your schedule. You do not increase, and you do not decrease.

A study by Stephen Seiler has shown that most pro athletes actually follow the 80/20 rule in their training. This means they train at low intensity 80% of the time in order to build their lactate threshold. The remaining 20% is for high-intensity training that builds up their strength, speed, and more.

When you are trying to increase your exercise and workout intensity, here are some tips that you can follow:

Increase your Pace

When doing triathlon training, one of the best ways on how to increase exercise intensity is to increase your pace. This is true for all endurance sports, especially with running.

For example, if you usually aim to complete your training route in an hour at low intensity, try to increase your pace and get it done in 55min instead.

Reduce Rest Periods

Whether you are out training or in the gym, you usually would incorporate rest periods to regain some strength and stamina. This is especially true if you are doing workouts in the gym such as lifting weights. By reducing the amount of rest you take, you increase your intensity outright.

Generally speaking, you would want to keep it between 30-60 seconds in between reps. This means need to focus more on watching your time and pay attention to what you are doing. Do not grab your phone to take selfies or check social media, this time is only reserved for taking a few sips of water and catching your breath.

Increase your Time Under Tension

Doing gym workouts is a huge part of training for a run or any other sport for that matter. More or less, you would be lifting weights or doing other workouts that target your various muscles. That being said, a great way on how to increase exercise intensity is increasing time under tension.

The time under tension means the moment your muscles are most engaged. So, if you are doing a bicep curl, this is when your arm is curled up and lifting the weight. Hold it up for a few seconds longer than you usually do.

This is a great way to increase the amount of stress your muscles can take. Since endurance is a huge factor in triathlon, you would want to incorporate about 70 seconds of time under tension for each set.

Do Cardio and Strength at the Same Time

One of the most common ways on how to increase exercise intensity is actually combining both cardio and strength. To do this, you would insert cardio exercises such as jumping rope or sprints between strength exercises.

This keeps your heart rate up and since different muscles are involved, you don’t really need the rest time.

This method helps burn a lot of calories, build up your muscles, and elevate your overall metabolism.

One More Set

This may be a bit dangerous so if you are going to do this, it’s best to have someone with you.

Basically, the idea is that you force yourself to do one more set after you have done your regular set. You might be a bit more tired or really tired so you would want someone to spot you during this time. Do this until your muscles cannot seem to complete it anymore.

Of course, this does not mean you’ll force a rep for the sake of it. You should still mind your form and do the exercise properly. If you get too wobbly, that means you already achieved your goal of one more set.

Focus your Mentality

Most of the time, the real challenge in how to increase exercise intensity is yourself. You have to want to do it and have that determination to get through the glass ceiling you have at the moment.

Having a good mental focus helps in this a lot. And if you have a strong mentality to get it done, you’ll be surprised at how high of a bar you can actually set for yourself. So do not give up and keep pushing for those gains.