I am talking about “smoking” someone in the sense of thoroughly destroying somebody by exhausting them for no other purpose than to just create a puddle of sweat.

Who do you think is the better trainer? The person who’s going to make you run a mile at full throttle, then have you do push-ups till you puke and squats till you can’t get on or off the toilet, waking up the next day unable to comb your hair or walk down the stairs? Or, would you prefer to feel all your muscles in the right places, by engaging them correctly while correcting any postural issues, using a weight you can lift with drills you’re getting better at and finish the workout with something left in the tank so you can go on with your day and best of all, go back to training the next day so you can continue on your path to success?

I’m not saying an all-out workout is bad. But do it only a couple of times a year, like at a national competition, or to get a world title in some special event. Even if it’s a hard run or a pull-up personal goal. Otherwise, it’s the law of diminishing returns. You’ll get better results training in the 50-80% range and go the distance rather than kill yourself with a “last chance workout”, which is like cramming for an exam the night before.

‘Nuff said.