when a workout sucks?

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MizMimi111
MizMimi111 Posts: 244 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
What do you do when a planned workout just isn't up to par? (for whatever reasons)

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  • Followingsea
    Followingsea Posts: 407 Member
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    Pout and whine to my bff, who will either commiserate or tell me to get over myself, depending on her mood that day. (Sometimes I substitute my boyfriend for my bff, but the results are the same).

    Either way will cheer me up, so I don't really care. Having an off day is better than not going at all, barring injury.
  • sjp_511
    sjp_511 Posts: 476 Member
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    Shake it off and continue on with my day. It's ok to have a bad day every now and then.
  • becky10rp
    becky10rp Posts: 573 Member
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    It's bound to happen if you workout regularly -

    Some workouts are great - they go seamlessly - you feel terrific - time flies.

    Other times - the clock seems to stand still..........the weights feel 5X heavier than they are, the treadmill feels like you're walking through quicksand..........

    What do you do?

    Complete your workout - tell yourself 'next time will be better'!

    And it will be.
  • mreeves261
    mreeves261 Posts: 728 Member
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    Remember 2 things:

    1 - I'm doing more than I was a year ago....
    2 - I'm doing more than anyone sitting on the couch all day.

    Then I make a mental note of what sucked, the weather, my attitude, my energy level, etc and try to correct the issue. Or I just don't do the workout again.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    The worst workout is better than no workout. Even after the suckiest workout ever I can't say I've ever regretted having done it.

    Sometimes I will try to figure out why it sucked. Under-fueled? Lack of sleep? Need a rest day? Sore muscles? Getting sick? And fix it for next time if I can.

    Or just chalk it up to a sucky workout and know the next one will be better.
  • SJ46
    SJ46 Posts: 407 Member
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    Recognize each day is different and carry on.

    Ask myself if I've had enough to eat, enough water, enough sleep, and enough recovery.
  • doubleclick_darling
    doubleclick_darling Posts: 101 Member
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    I figure that there's always tomorrow or I might try to look at why it wasn't good and fix it and go out later. I usually take some time to reflect on what went wrong or why I wasn't happy with my workout so I can figure out how to fix it again.

    For example, yesterday my usual workout time was just bad. My GPS on my phone wasn't wanting to track my distance (or when it felt like tracking, it was horribly inaccurate...Like almost an entire mile missing). It put a real damper on my outing, and in the end, I finished the little section I was done, and went home. Went out later in the evening when it started to cool down, and after spending some time during the day reflection on how much I was relying on my phone to track my run, I decided I didn't need it (which was good that it wasn't working that evening either). Just put some music on and just went out. Turned out being a better workout than I expected because I was pumped to prove to myself that I could brush off the bad workout from the morning.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    Finish it & forget it
  • DangerJim71
    DangerJim71 Posts: 361 Member
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    I do it anyway and make up for it the next day by working harder
  • kbmnurse
    kbmnurse Posts: 2,484 Member
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    Get over it. It is a workout not a cure for cancer or solution to world peace!
  • astronomicals
    astronomicals Posts: 1,537 Member
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    Form check!

    Besides that I just dismiss it.

    If it becomes a regular thing, in a certain exercise, then you may be trying to exceed your abilities. Just be conscious of your recovery and take a good look at things if you are consistently failing to perform.

    You can have perfect form one day and crap form the next. You're always at risk of advancing too quickly and sacrificing form for ego.

    We all have bad days. Sometimes bad weeks or months. Just keep your focus and check your ego at the door. I regularly record myself with my phone to tweak my form. Always honing the skills.

    ETA: I just GTFO if things feel wrong. No point in sustaining an injury. Live to fight another day. Today my legs were a bit tired from hockey so I ditched the cardio after running for about 3 minutes.
  • MizMimi111
    MizMimi111 Posts: 244 Member
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    It's bound to happen if you workout regularly -

    Some workouts are great - they go seamlessly - you feel terrific - time flies.

    Other times - the clock seems to stand still..........the weights feel 5X heavier than they are, the treadmill feels like you're walking through quicksand..........

    What do you do?

    Complete your workout - tell yourself 'next time will be better'!

    And it will be.

    I swim laps at a community pool. I couldn't go at my usual time today so I went earlier.
    There were just too many people, not enough room. I ended up frustrated and left early (and disappointed)

    Tomorrow it's back to regular routines so it should be better.

    Y'all are right--get over it and do better next time.
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    The worst workout is better than no workout. Even after the suckiest workout ever I can't say I've ever regretted having done it.

    Sometimes I will try to figure out why it sucked. Under-fueled? Lack of sleep? Need a rest day? Sore muscles? Getting sick? And fix it for next time if I can.

    Or just chalk it up to a sucky workout and know the next one will be better.

    Yup. This.

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