How I Know When Clients Are Holding Themselves Back! Are You Really Pushing Yourself?

One of the biggest reasons people don’t see the results they should from their training isn’t lack of effort, lack of time, or lack of consistency.

It’s lack of intensity.

And as a coach, there’s a moment when I can see it happening.

It’s when clients do the same exercise, with the same sets, the same reps, at the same weight…
every single week.
Three sets of 8.
Or three sets of 10.
Week after week after week.

On paper, it looks like consistency.
But in reality, it’s often cruising.

Why It Matters

Resistance training is designed to challenge your muscles so they can adapt.
If nothing changes, reps, load, tempo, or effort your muscles get very good at staying exactly the same.

And let me be honest with you, kindly but firmly:

It’s extremely rare to genuinely be at the same rep range for a whole month if you’re pushing yourself with good form.

Seeing 8-8-8 or 9-9-9 for four weeks in a row tells me you’re stopping well before your true capability.

That doesn’t make you “lazy.”
It makes you human.

We all gravitate toward what feels safe and familiar.
But safe and familiar rarely builds strength, shape, or confidence.

How I Know a Client is Holding Back

Here’s what I look for:

• No change in reps or load for weeks
  Not even a single extra rep on one set? That’s a sign you’re not reaching a challenging enough level.

• You finish every set looking the same
  Consistent form is great. Consistent effort is not. If you never slow down, never grit your teeth, never genuinely struggle on that last rep, you’re leaving results on the table.

• You’re never close to failure
  If you could have done 3–5 more reps at the end of every set, that’s a warm-up, not training.

This Isn’t About Punishment. It’s About Progress

I never want clients suffering through sloppy reps or pushing into an injury.
But I do want you to understand this:

Intensity is where the magic happens between effort and results.

You can show up, follow the plan, and “tick the boxes”…
or you can show up and transform. Which do you want?

What Pushing Yourself Actually Looks Like

It’s not maxing out every session.
It’s not going breathless or aching for days.

It’s this:

• Adding 1–2 reps when you can, especially to your last set, you should be rinsing that set with great intensity and form!

• Adding 1–2 kg when reps get too comfortable

• Slowing the tempo to make the movement harder

• Reaching the end of a set and thinking, “I maybe had one more rep max.” Maybe having a moment where you think you might vomit (!) plenty of my clients and me feel a little nauseous at the end of some tough sets 

• Letting yourself be uncomfortable in the best possible way

Small, incremental progressions are the heartbeat of strength training.

If You Want Results, Intensity Matters

Your plan works.
Your consistency matters.
Your effort matters.

But nothing changes if nothing changes.

So next time you’re doing your 3 sets of 10…
ask yourself whether you’re doing them because you’re genuinely at your limit
or because they feel familiar.

A good way to know is if you catch yourself thinking "That'll Do!!!" NEVER say those words out loud to your coach, it's the easiest way for them to make your next workout very difficult, heeheehee!

Your strongest, most confident body isn’t built in comfort.
It’s built in those small moments of choosing to push just a little harder than last time.

And I promise, I know
we've usually always got just one more rep in the tank x