Dealing with Bad Days in the Gym

LEARN HOW TO BOUNCE BACK FROM EVEN THE WORST WORKOUTS.

Even at the highest level of your sport, the pros are still faced with bad days in the gym. No matter how disciplined you are there will be some crappy workouts. In a way, this teaches us to truly appreciate the great ones we have.

In this article, we’re giving you the guide to overcome a bad training session.

LET’S GET STARTED:

I’m Too Fat

This is one of the most common dilemmas new gym-goers face. Despite knowing the working out is a vital part of losing weight, it’s tough to feel comfortable in an environment like the gym. You might opt to only go during off-hours, or bundle up under layers of jackets and sweatpants but here’s the reality:

Even at your goal weight, you’ll run into the same problem. You’ll continue to feel insecure unless you reframe your mindset

Here’s what you should try to remember if you find your bad days are typically caused by insecurity:

• It’s completely okay to be a work in progress

• Take pride in the victory that comes with simply going to the gym

• Every professional was once a beginner

• You are your harshest critic

If you can push through some mentally tough workouts, eventually, you’ll develop the skills needed to kick those negative thoughts as soon as they arise.

I CAN’T ACTIVATE THE MUSCLE

If you’re having trouble getting proper muscle activation, ask yourself these questions:

Did you warm up effectively?

Did you stretch? Mobilize enough? Warm-up with some light dynamic work?

If the answer’s no: Set aside additional time to loosen up your muscles. Not only will this help with blood flow but it will also decrease your chance of injury.

Are you hydrated?

Did you have enough water today? Did you get in enough sodium and potassium to keep a healthy electrolyte balance?

If the answer’s no: The good news is, this is an easy fix. Get to drinking and if your electrolytes are low, have a banana or coconut water for a boost in potassium.

Are you focused?

Are you checking your phone between each set? Are you timing your rest breaks? Are you chatting with friends without any purpose?

If the answer’s no: Set aside additional time to loosen up your muscles. Not only will this help with blood flow but it will also decrease your chance of injury.

Are you allowing the muscle to recover between sessions?

Did you just train this muscle? Did you recover properly?

If the answer’s no: You might need an additional day for the muscle to recover. You may need 2-3 days between workouts depending on how difficult the session was.

If the answer’s yes to all of these questions:

Perhaps there’s a pre-activation drill you would benefit from. Take some time to explore the mechanics of your body and adjust your workouts accordingly.

Another hack, you can instantly rely on to increase muscle activation is using our TC1 Sweat Ignition Gel to heat up the muscle and get to sweating.

I DON’T HAVE ENOUGH ENERGY

This might come up if you’re forced to train late at night, early in the morning, or on very little sleep. Even though you’re not going to be as motivated to crush your workout when you’re already exhausted, it’s a part of the struggle.

I want you to first ask yourself:

Is this a frequent occurrence? Or is this an isolated incident?

If this one time is an isolated incident and rarely occurs, you have a little more flexibility. Will you benefit more from pushing through a less intense workout or from getting an additional 2 hours of sleep? Can you reschedule this workout in the near future? I deem quality workouts more important than quantity. Most of the time, if you’re able to reschedule the workout, I’d recommend doing so.

If however, this is a repeating pattern, you’ll need to change it or embrace it.

Some of us are subject to training either when the gym opens or when it closes. If this is you, you can choose to look at it as an opportunity to push yourself. You might not be able to give your best but there’s something to be said for showing up.

Your mindset is everything here. If you can push through some mentally tough workouts, eventually, you’ll develop the skills needed to kick those negative thoughts as soon as they arise.

I’M NOT MAKING ANY PROGRESS

Whether you’re talking about your physique or your performance in the gym, this negative thought can potentially derail anyone’s workout.. That is, if they let it.

It’s crucial to monitor your thoughts. Especially when you’re talking about sustainable fat loss. It’s going to look slower. It’s going to take longer.

Don’t forget the trade off for doing things correctly

You had a choice when you started dieting. You decided to take an approach that would allow you to shed the weight and keep it off even after the diet. Yes, there are faster methods you considered. There are some that promised nearly instant results. However, after plenty of thought, you opted for a diet and training regime that supports your short and long term goals.

Nothing worth having ever comes easy. You’ll have to be patient.

So if you’re feeling like you aren’t progressing, ask yourself these 4 questions:

• Are you really following the plan?
• How adherent are you to your diet?
• Can you work any harder to speed up your progress?
• Are you giving every workout 100% effort?

If you’re giving it your all, then there’s no room to feel dissatisfied. This is your best. Trust the process. Crush your workout.

THE BOTTOM LINE

As you can see, these struggles are mostly derived from a lack of reflection and/or negative thoughts.

They key to overcoming doubt is treating the negative self-talk as if it was coming from a friend.

Be supportive. Empathize. Be Realistic. Solve the problem.

No matter your age, gender, or athletic history, bad workouts can benefit you a great deal. Flip your perspective in a way that you can look at each endeavor as an opportunity to grow. This will keep you moving and feeling your best even after you lose the weight.

If you have your own secrets on how you combat bad workouts, let us know in the comments below!