What's your "telltale" sign of a great workout?

Nigerianebony

I used to measure by the amount of sweat produce and how dehydrated my muscle look. But now i use the average heart rate my HRM tell me. If my average heart rate is above 160 BPM then I am satisfied.

mznisaelaine

- Sweating alot
- I am sore in the most random of places
- When I want a massage every single day (knowing that, that isn't possible)
- When I postpone doing my homework or studying or something (Yea, if I do that I must had a good workout)
- When all of a sudden, I am craving ice cream

gastankerdriver

Sweat and sleepiness. When I feel like sleeping the entire afternoon.

LiteBrite007

I have two as well.

If my legs are so tired I limp on the walk home and if my arms are so stiff i can barely pull open the heavy doors to the buildings.

mclaughlin709

wanting to just plop down on the chair and feeling SO relieved after doing it.

MLgarcia3

When I'm sleepy and starving :-)

MissMisery1313

When I'm a puddle of sweat and jello muscles by the times it's over.

ellyallen

Besides the sweat and muscle fatigue, my face is bright red, sometimes I'm shaky and I feel a little light headed. I'm so hot that I crave an ice cold shower to cool myself down.

NavyWifeTwinMom

When I've maxed out my reps w/i the range I had planned for going into the workout ( 3 sets of 8 reps etc) and when i can't stop myself from smiling at what I see in the mirror afterward...and when I can't wait to do it again!

rainbowbow

Nasea?

TheMissingSock

when climbing into my Expedition in the gym parking lot feels like i'm about to scale a mountain.

also, when I get home, i pull my gross gym clothes out of my bag and toss them on top of the dryer. When I retrieve them the NEXT DAY, they are still soaked with sweat

SLippi

When I either:
A: Crawl up the stairs to start work
B: Say screw it and work from the recliner.

I live in a townhouse apt and it has too many stairs most days....

Nastasha915

I walk out of the gym super sweaty and smiling.

NCSLPKathy

When I feel as if I am at Death's Door... Can't go another step...tell myself that I am crazy for running another mile and then I do TWO more. Mind over Body! That is a great workout!!!

kzooprincess

When my 5-year-old says, "Mom, why is there a puddle on your shirt? Ewwww, gross!"

This reminds me of when I came home after my very first Zumba class. My 4-year-old asked if I just took a shower because the back of my hair and neck were all wet.

simplysassi

All of the above, but especially for me when I manage to get out of the sports bra (all 10 pounds of it full of sweat) and let the girls breathe ... ahhhh !

docktorfokse

feeling like i'm going to throw up is usually a good sign for me.

maryloo2011

When I am dripping sweat from lifting

Dripping in sweat from riding the bike

Guy in the weight room said to me: "you're going to have to do that somewhere else, you're making my routine look bad"

(sees me doing squats for 20 minutes straight) "so, how many squats do you do?" "I warm up then do 5x5s" "wow, that's way more squats than I can do at one time" << came from a guy that I see squat about 1/4 way down consistently.

Accomplishing 7.0 run intervals on the treadmill

As gross as it may be, I do love sweating.

ETA: Also when I take the elevator at work instead of the stairs because I literally can't do one more step (workout right before work and usually do the stairmaster after lifting for about 15-20 min).

Jacwhite22

when i struggle through my last reps on every lift....

hlcook

When my hair is dripping and I can't walk down the stairs without a serious death grip on the railings

Trail_Addict

I don't use sweat as an indicator since my shirt is soaked regardless of intensity. So, here's my indicators:

Burning, bloodshot eyes
Nausea
Major muscle group fatigue that prohibits even simple tasks
The urge to pee

sofitheteacup

For my cardio, it's when the clock finally runs out on the elliptical and I keep going for a bit because of the momentum and even though I'm tired and panting I can't quite stop.

MyNewZen

When my hair is dripping and I can't walk down the stairs without a serious death grip on the railings

^ This!

If I’m walking out of the gym on wobbly legs I know I have done it right.

This happened to me a few days ago at dragon boat training, I stepped out of the boat and my legs gave way so I got plunged into 12 degree water. I never would have though I could get wobbly legs from an upper body work out. I got wet, but it was awesome!

skittles8810

Im an air head too when i workout hard

wonderkitten711

I workout at work while the little boy I watch is sleeping in the morning or while he is napping, and lately I've known it was a good workout when after he wakes up and wants me to get down on the floor to play with him, I have to sit on the couch and then slide onto the floor because my thighs and butt literally will not let me squat down anymore, haha. Also, when all those muscles are still sore the next day.

Beezil

Feeling like I'm about to die. Lol. >.>

Soaked with sweat, red face, barely able to catch my breath, and on the verge of muscles giving out - to be a bit more specific. I've definitely pushed myself to the point of nausea before... but I wouldn't recommend that. Not much fun. :P

Of course all the bad is inevitably washed away in the end when I get that high of endorphins and the pride I feel from doing something great for myself.

toomanycurves

I feel very relaxed and happy. Sometimes my muscles feel a little tender, but in a good way.

overit75

When I feel like I am about to puke

chuckyp

Can barely walk and have salt stains all over my shirt.

Natihilator

I also usually sweat during any type of moderate-intense exertion now, but when my forearms develop condensation, not a typically sweaty place, I know that I'm giving it 100%.

Also, bright pink cheeks that last for 30 minutes post-workout.