SHOULD YOU WORKOUT TODAY?⁣
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Something I get asked often is how to figure out when you’re “pushing too hard” vs. “give yourself grace.”⁣
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To which I say, I think we find two issues. There is no blanket statement because crazy gym-goers and die-hards will 1) almost always push too hard or through a lot more than is sometimes necessary 2) novice trainees don’t know their levels of discomfort yet and may end up holding themselves back.⁣
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This isn’t to say that your own choices aren’t your own. Take a day off if you want or don’t. But it’s about reframing when it’s stupid to push vs. it may be worth doing even if we “don’t feel like it.”⁣
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To start, especially this year — if you are contagious or have any significant sickness symptoms for both the health of yourself and others, STAY HOME YOU GERM. ⁣
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But when it comes to days, we’re a little extra tired, maybe cranky, don’t feel like it this can be hard. Sometimes we should first address these variables if it’s a repeated thing. If it’s an every once in a while, a tired lift OR random single skipped workout won’t kill you.⁣
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My favorite approaches to this are to ask my self:⁣
1️⃣ Would this workout dig me too deep into a hole of recovery that isn’t worth it. Good example? Yesterday I got terrible sleep. I did my lift but skipped the WOD. I did the work but knew that 20 min of HIFT would just wreck me more than I needed.⁣
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2️⃣ The 20 min rule. I used this a lot when I had less serious training in my masters and was exhausted and stressed all the time. I would jog or go to the gym for 10 min. Maybe warm up get started. If I felt like ass, I would legit leave mid-workout. But more often, if I’m “in my head” or “not motivated,”— I would feel better once I got moving and, most of the time, end up enjoying my lift/workout!⁣
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Now, if we find ourselves always sore, always under recovered, and always exhausted. Always wanting to skip, we need to assess the non-gym variables making us feel this way!⁣
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Are you doing junky high volume swipe workouts that spill over into your next workout? Not eating enough? Sleeping enough.⁣
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Control your controllable. Be honest with your goals. Stay home if germy🤟🏻