Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Having a Bad Day in the Gym? What's Your Plan?

WHAT IS YOUR BACKUP PLAN WHEN YOU ARE HAVING A BAD DAY IN THE GYM?


I had a message from a regular reader last week that just said Had one of those neither the flesh or spirit willing workouts. Cut it off when form broke down and everything became a cheat.

We all have those days. It will vary by individual but an average percentage would probably be about 20-25% really good workouts, 50-60% Ok but not great and 20-25% where you don’t feel like you accomplished anything at all.

Sometimes you are just not in the mood. But your mood-your mental state- is one of the most important factors in your workout and your progress. Don’t ignore it. Beginners need motivation. If you’re not a beginner….




Sometimes the problem is physical. Maybe you over did it last time. Maybe you’ve started a new program and it’s kicking your butt. Maybe you didn’t get enough sleep or maybe you had one beer too many. Maybe you’re coming down with a cold. Or maybe you’re stressed about something.

The conversation started me thinking about the fact that, since everyone has those bad days, what do top coaches suggest?  So I did some checking. (Charlie Francis, Al Vermeil, and Charles Poliquin, and John Paul Catanzaro)


The short answer is Maintain Quality. Reduce Quantity.

In other words, don’t cut the weight. Cut the sets if you have to. This is especially true if you are training for strength.

If your form breaks down to the point you are cheating in every rep go home (you are just asking for an injury). If you are sick go home (nobody wants your germs).

  What do you do on those days when you're not running on all cylinders? Comment below or email me at alphaedgefitness@gmail.com

1 comment:

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