The Practical Fitness Podcast

A lot of people think feeling tired, sore, or heavy after training means something is wrong. In this episode, I break down why fatigue itself is not the problem and how misunderstanding it can make training feel way more confusing than it needs to be.In this episode, I walk through five common ways people misinterpret fatigue, including mistaking it for progress, assuming it means progress has stalled, and changing programs instead of letting adaptation happen.FREE STUFFFollow @laurelbeversdorf on InstagramFollow @laurel_beversdorf on YouTubewww.laurelbeversdorf.comEPISODE RESOURCESWatch on YouTube: How to Schedule Strength and Cardio for Better RecoveryLaurel's other podcast Movement Logic: Strong Opinions Loosely HeldTIMESTAMPS01:05 Fatigue is not the stimulus04:10 Fatigue can mask progress07:05 Why changing things up can backfire11:20 You do not need to feel fully recovered to train again17:15 Why fatigue does not stay this high forever22:10 What fatigue is and what it is not24:05 Watch the YouTube video for weekly training structure

If you're consistently landing on even numbers or 10 reps for your sets, you might be stalling your progress. And in this episode, I explain why.Most strength programs give you tidy rep prescription, such as to do 3 sets of 10. But when 10 becomes the thing you chase, it’s easy to lose sight of the variable that actually drives progress.In this episode, I break down why reps and load are not the primary drivers of strength, why effort at the end of the set is what truly signals change, how to use reps in reserve, and how to spot a subtle clue in your training log that **might** mean you’re under-efforting.FREE STUFFGet my FREE STRENGTH “Macro” TRACKERFollow @laurelbeversdorf on InstagramFollow @laurel_beversdorf on YouTubewww.laurelbeversdorf.comEPISODE RESOURCES(Nuzzo, 2024) PMID: 38781472TIMESTAMPS01:00 The floor and ceiling of rep ranges03:00 Why reps do not make you stronger07:00 Effort as the real signal for strength adaptation09:00 What effort reflects physiologically (motor unit recruitment)14:00 How reps in reserve works6:00 Failure as a reference point22:00 What real strength progress looks like over time26:00 How I program effort with clients29:00 What rep drop-off across sets can reveal

If strength training keeps slipping through the cracks of your schedule, even though you know it matters and you want to be consistent, this episode is for you.Most people are taught to organize strength training around workouts. And when workouts become the thing that matters most, missed sessions quickly turn into frustration, guilt, and the feeling that you’re failing at something you care about.In this episode, I introduce a different way to think about strength training. Instead of organizing your training around workouts, schedules, or session length, we’re going to organize it around sets. This shift makes strength training more flexible and much easier to stick with over time, especially when your schedule changes frequently and life gets busy and unpredictable.FREE STUFFGet my FREE STRENGTH “Macro” TRACKERFollow @laurelbeversdorf on InstagramFollow @laurel_beversdorf on YouTubewww.laurelbeversdorf.comEPISODE RESOURCESWatch on YouTube - How to Strength Train Whole Body When Your BusyTIMESTAMPS01:00 Why workout-based organization of strength training can make it hard to stick to03:00 Sets as the smallest unit of strength training that matters05:00 What makes a set challenging enough to count07:00 Why strength doesn’t care how you package the work09:00 Using short pockets of time to accumulate sets12:00 Why doing something beats doing nothing15:00 Client story: replacing long workouts with short daily sessions19:00 Applying the sets framework to real, busy lives22:00 How this approach supports long-term consistency