Consistency Over Intensity: The Real Secret to Fitness Results

By Adriel Solo, Echelon Instructor

We’ve all heard it before: “Just be consistent.” Consistency, consistency, consistency. But if we’re being real… what does that actually mean when it comes to fitness?

Does it mean going super hard in every workout? Does it mean you should always feel sore? Does it mean you need to train to failure every time you touch a weight, or max out every ride, or push every run like it’s race day?

That’s what I want to focus on here: what consistency over intensity means to me, how I’ve applied it in my own fitness journey, and how you can apply it in yours too. Whether you’re a beginner who’s just getting started or someone who’s been training for a long time and just needs a refresh on the basics, this is one of those concepts that never stops being relevant.

Because if we’re talking about real fitness results and not just a strong week or a “motivated season,” consistency is usually the difference between people who make progress and people who feel like they keep starting over.

What Consistency Really Means (And What It Doesn’t)

When I think about consistency, I honestly think about one word: repeatable.

Consistency isn’t “perfect.” It’s not “every day no matter what.” It’s not even always “the hardest version” of a workout. Consistency is doing something you can come back and do again… and again… and again. It’s the quality of showing up in a way that’s sustainable enough to actually keep going.

That’s where results come from. Not from one crazy workout. Not from one week where you were locked in. Not from a random moment of motivation where you trained like an athlete for seven straight days. Results come from stacking weeks, stacking months, and letting your body adapt over time.

Why Intensity Gets Confused With Progress

The problem is social media and instant gratification culture can make it really easy to mix up consistency with intensity. Intensity looks impressive. It’s the sweat. The exhaustion. The “I destroyed myself today” vibe. It’s “beast mode,” “no days off,” and all the clips that make it seem like if you’re not dying at the end of a workout, it didn’t count.

But consistency is quieter. It’s not flashy. It’s not always exciting. It’s just effective.

Now, I’m not saying intensity is bad. There is absolutely a time and place for intense workouts. There are moments where pushing yourself matters: going for a PR, doing a harder interval, holding heavier resistance, adding more load, challenging your pace, stepping slightly outside your comfort zone. Intensity can be a powerful tool when it’s used right.

But intensity is a tool. Consistency is the foundation.

When High-Intensity Training Backfires

If intensity makes you quit, disappear for two weeks, dread your next workout, or feel like you need to “recover” for half a month… then it’s not helping your fitness journey. It’s hurting it. And I think that’s where a lot of people get stuck; they go so hard that they can’t keep going, and then they assume they just “lack discipline,” when in reality the plan was simply too extreme to sustain.

I see this all the time, and I’ve done it myself too. Someone gets motivated and decides, “I’m working out every day. Twice a day. No excuses.” And look, I love the energy. I respect the drive. But if you’re not used to that pace, it usually isn’t realistic long-term. What happens next is predictable: you go super intense for a week, then life hits. You get sore. You miss a day. You start feeling behind. And then you quit.

Not because you’re not capable, but because you went over your head too fast.

Why Consistent Training Beats “Going All Out”

Compare that to something way more manageable, like training 2–3 times per week consistently. That might not feel as “hardcore,” but it wins almost every time because it’s repeatable. It’s sustainable. And sustainability is the real cheat code in fitness.

This is also why the “If I’m not sore, I didn’t go hard enough” mindset can be such a trap.

The “If I’m Not Sore, It Didn’t Work” Trap

I used to believe that heavy. Like, if I left a leg day and wasn’t sore, I’d question if I even trained hard enough. And to be fair, soreness can happen when you challenge your body. Training close to failure has merit, especially if your goal is building muscle and strength. There are goals where pushing intensity can play a bigger role.

But soreness isn’t the scoreboard.

If someone’s goal is to be overall fit, feel good, build endurance, stay active, and look more toned over time, always training to failure isn’t necessarily the most optimal way to do things. It can actually backfire. Because if every workout feels like a punishment, your brain is eventually going to start avoiding it. And the moment you start avoiding it, consistency breaks.

You might not even notice it at first. It starts small. You skip one day because you’re too sore. Then you skip another because you’re “still recovering.” Then you feel behind, so you think you need to go even harder next time… and the cycle repeats.

Why the Best Workout Plan Is the One You Can Stick To

I always come back to this idea: the best workout plan isn’t the hardest one; it’s the one you can stick to.

And you can literally see this play out in our cycling classes.

Take a Hills class, for example. It’s resistance-heavy. It’s challenging. And it’s easy at the start; when you’re fresh, music is hitting, adrenaline is up, to crank the resistance and go all out right away. You max it out and you’re like, “Yeah, let’s do this.”

But then five minutes later you realize… the class is barely starting. lol.

Now you’re cooked. You’re fighting just to survive the rest of the ride because you spent all your energy at the beginning. That’s intensity without strategy, and it usually leads to burnout mid-class.

But if you approach it with consistency instead, the whole ride changes. You pick a resistance you can hold. You keep your effort steady. You focus on maintaining good form and breathing. And you build gradually as the class goes on. What happens then is you still hit high resistance, you still work hard, but you don’t crash early. You don’t feel like you’re dying halfway through. You finish the ride feeling proud instead of feeling defeated.

That’s consistency beating intensity in real time.

How Running Taught Me the Power of Consistency (Hello, Zone 2)

Running taught me the exact same lesson too, honestly even more. When I started signing up for runs and training for them, it was tempting to treat every run like a test. Like, “Let me run as fast as I can every time.” But if you run, you already know that’s not the right way to build long-term endurance.

That’s where Zone 2 humbled me.

Zone 2 runs can feel almost too easy, which is why so many people skip them. It feels counterintuitive because you’re like, “How is this helping me if I’m not pushing hard?” But those runs build your base. They teach your body how to go longer without fatigue. They build aerobic capacity. And then when you do add speed work or interval training, you actually have an engine underneath you.

I’ve seen it myself when I stay consistent with those “easier” runs over time, my faster runs improve. My longer runs feel more manageable. My endurance goes up. That’s the point. You’re not trying to win every session. You’re building something over weeks and months.

Don’t Chase Perfect—Chase Repeatable

That’s really the heart of it: consistency isn’t about doing the most. It’s about doing what you can sustain. It’s choosing effort you can repeat even when motivation is low, even when your schedule is busy, even when you don’t feel like a superhero.

One of the lines I come back to a lot is this: don’t chase perfect, chase repeatable. If you can repeat it next week, you’re doing it right.

Final Thoughts: Why Consistency Over Intensity Always Wins

At the end of the day, the “secret” to fitness results isn’t really a secret. It’s consistency. Intensity can absolutely help, but it can’t be the foundation if it keeps pushing you into burnout, frustration, or quitting. Results come from routines you can sustain, effort you can repeat, and time you’re willing to give the process without trying to rush it.

So if you’ve been feeling like you need to go harder, push more, and do the most to see progress, let this be your reminder: you don’t need perfect. You don’t need to be extreme. You just need to keep showing up in a way you can maintain.

Consistency over intensity will take you farther than “going ham” once in a while ever will.