Following a training plan means that not all sessions will be equally good. There are strategies that will help us return to the gym motivated after a bad workout.
We all have bad days, and that also carries over to our training. Then we'll probably lose motivation to go back to the gym the next day. And it is true that a bad workout can ruin anyone's day.
In the middle of our session we realize that we are not feeling well, we do not have the strength or, sometimes, simply the desire to continue. We feel like we're doing all the exercises wrong, that we're not enjoying them, and in the end we end up skipping half the reps or failing earlier than we should. But does this really affect our progress?
The answer is easy: no. Having a bad day doesn't mean that we've lost all the muscle we had or that our progress suddenly stalls. In fact, studies show that strength and muscle remain intact for at least three weeks, even if we do not play sports. Therefore, this means that a bad session doesn't really have any impact on our body, if we try hard enough the rest of the time.
It is convenient that, after a bad day, we find a way to reset, to return to the gym the next day more motivated and continue to be consistent with our training plan.
Find out why we had a bad day
Most bad days don't happen just because, so we must consider all the factors why our training went wrong. Maybe we were tired from not sleeping, had an argument, or had a problem at work.
Specifically, the quality and quantity of sleep and the diet we eat the day and night before the session can influence our performance, in addition to our stress levels and even our age.
Eating or sleeping poorly the day before is usually the cause of a bad workout, but how can we deal with it? Simply, after our session, focus on resting and eating well . If we know that we have something that is going to prevent us from getting enough sleep, we must approach training with the mentality that it is okay to not be able to give our 100%.
The type of training we do may also have something to do with it. Maybe we are beginners and we are trying to do things that are too hard for our level; Or, perhaps, we are experts, but we are pushing our body to the limit every day, without resting or eating what we should. This, without a doubt, will lead us to have bad days in the gym, if our training plan is not appropriate to our level or lifestyle.
We must focus on simple, but effective training plans that really allow us to be consistent with the gym.
Identify what is a bad day for us, and make changes
Normally bad workouts have more to do with our mental situation than with our physical state. If we come to the gym with the mindset that failing a rep is a failure, we're not going to enjoy the workout. There is always going to be something that doesn't meet our expectations, so if we have that mentality, we will feel like we are constantly failing.
Not everything is black or white. Progress is never linear and we must accept that there will be good days and bad.
The most important thing is to identify what a bad workout is for us: is it when we can't do all the exercises in our routine? Is it when we don't feel good about our body? From there, we must look for ways to solve this and, even if it is not going to be our best training, continue making an effort.
How can we adapt?
When we know what makes us feel bad during a workout, we must change our way of acting to avoid falling into negative behaviours. By changing our mentality, we will make the feeling of having had a bad day not be so important.
Experts recommend using the “repetitions in reserve” method. This means that we will do the exercise as usual, but that we will stop when we feel that we can do just two more repetitions with good technique. This way, we do not constantly work the same number of repetitions , but that every day we will be training to the maximum that we can do at that certain moment.
It's simply about changing our routine a little when we don't feel well at all. This is what is called training intuitively. When we are not going to have a good day, we can lower the weight, reduce the number of repetitions or, directly, change the exercise.
Training doesn't have to be torture. It is not always easy, nor do we always enjoy it, but, in general, it should be a positive aspect of our life, something that brings us together and makes us feel better about ourselves. It's not about leaving the gym mentally and physically destroyed, but about always feeling proud because we have gone and trained, even in our worst sessions.
The premise should always be the same: adapt each workout and change our mentality depending on how we feel each day.
[via GQ Spain]
