Going to the gym when you REALLY don't want to go to the gym

[rem1956]

I find that on the days I don't feel like going, and I do end up going, that I usually have a better workout overall. I think its mainly due to the fact that "well, I'm here, might as well make the best of it". When I'm working myself up to go, I tell myself that I will do something, even if it's not my usual balls-to-the-wall workout. But once there, things always change and I usually do better.

[thebigguy1]

It continues to amaze me what a disconnect there is between what your mind thinks that you can do and what you actually can do.

I had a stressful couple of days and I also didn't eat as much as I normally do. I also hadn't had much sleep. Yesterday the whole day I was just beat and thought several times "How in the hell am I going to go to the gym tonight?" To top it off I wasn't able to get to the gym until around 1am, which is late even for me. As I was walking up to the door I thought "WTF am I doing here? There's no way I can get a good workout in this condition."

I then went inside and proceeded to have an amazing workout. I actually did better with dumbbell benching than I've ever done since I started training. I felt strong and energized the whole time. If I would have actually acted on what I was thinking before I hit the gym I would have missed out and would have been none the wiser.

I can relate to this BIG TIME! I have had many days even while driving on the way to the gym... "why am I even bothering with a workout today??". And those are the times that I have some of the best workouts ever!

I have learned to tell myself that, unless it is a case of the body truly needing more recuperation time, any workout is better than nothing. Even if it is a moderate-weight workout, that is good......I would mix up the workout and try different things. That usually makes me feel more empowered towards my workout and it turns my thoughts around and I get that workout in.

It's a challenge, but the whole muscle building thing is ALWAYS a challenge.

Ron III-----III

[billrich210]

This is why I always train first thing in the morning. If I wait until after work I will try and talk myself out of it.

[chodan9]

I'm one of the nuts that actually likes going to the gym. Hell, when I go I usually have the place almost to myself.

same here
the Gym is where I go to focus on me
its not home
its not work
its my zone to train where neither place can intrude and knock me off of my game

[Bando]

same here
the Gym is where I go to focus on me
its not home
its not work
its my zone to train where neither place can intrude and knock me off of my game

Got that right.

Under the weather?
Tired?
Not up to it?

The gym will change all that, it's the great healer.

[tonester]

A whole bunch of positive posts. Great stuff!

I never miss a scheduled session. If I'm truly beat, then I throw myself into the pool for some relaxed frolicking.

Always best to show up.

[Braindrop]

Yeah, a home gym has saved my ass a lot. No excuses

[StressMonkey]

I'm there with you. I'd rather go to a gym. For some reason the idea of getting up and going somewhere is more motivating. I also thrive on other people being there, especially people who are bigger and/or in better shape. It helps drive me to push harder.

same here
the Gym is where I go to focus on me
its not home
its not work
its my zone to train where neither place can intrude and knock me off of my game

That's how I am too. I shut off the world for an hour when I'm there.

If I had some reps to hand out, you get some. I started intermittent fasting two months ago, and since I train in the morning, I train in a fasted state. That hasn't stopped me from making steady gains on my program. With the baby I've been hitting the gym with 3-4 hours of sleep, and still my gains are coming at the outlined pace.

Thanks bear. I would die on 3-4 hours of sleep. Don't know how you parents do it.

This is why I always train first thing in the morning. If I wait until after work I will try and talk myself out of it.

Funk that! I'd rather drink bleach than train in the morning.

[beachguy498]

This is why I always train first thing in the morning. If I wait until after work I will try and talk myself out of it.

I have to go after work.. the dangling carrot of the gym at 4 PM gets me through the day. Today, I dragged my sinus-infection and sore-shouldered self to the gym and put in a solid 45 minutes and feel good about it.

BG

[JC480]

I have never regretted going to the gym.

I almost always regret skipping it.

Truth...I say the same thing all the time.

My job stresses me out and, frankly, I have anxiety attacks now and then from it. Going to the gym is therapy for me. Just this morning I had a powerful urge to stay in my warm bed at 4:45 am and got up anyway like every other morning because I knew that without my morning exercise my day is much more stressful.

But I will say when I'm feeling run down I will skip a day unlike alot of guys who go regardless of how they are feeling.

[BDrum72]

Deep Throat?

Today, was one of those days when I just didn't want to go. I've felt a head cold coming on (which, I think is just a stress related response to something rather large I have going on right now). Yesterday, thank goodness, was on "off" day. And it was a good thing. Today, however, I still sort of feel as though I have been hit by a truck. But, I told myself to at least go and try...the whole "guilt" thing, you know. Once I got there and got a few warm-up sets behind me, I was good. Except one side of my headphones decided to stop working. Pink Floyd in just one ear is...well...not good.

YES! that is a line exactly from Linda Lovelace in the movie! you certainty know your porn!

[Like It Or Not]

i've pulled out some of the best workouts in tired, stressed out and underfed days. then in the alternative some days when i'm full of piss and vinegar and think i'm gonna pwn the iron, my workout drowns in mediocrity. however, i always feel better leaving the gym than i do entering, and that is full of win.

A woman saying this, is so HOT!

[guydon]

Once you get that first set in, it is usually all good. Then when you leave you feel great about yourself for pushing through (at least I do). I always tell my self ANY work I get done in the gym is good work, so once I get my lazy a$$ in there it's on from there.

[Old-Time-Lifter]

I've had this experience so often that I no longer have tiredness as an excuse for skipping a workout. If I'm conscious, have two arms and legs, and still have my testicles, I go to the gym.

I don't think we can stress strongly enough the significance and importance of the bolded part of Stenny's post........ LOL

[StressMonkey]

I can relate to this BIG TIME! I have had many days even while driving on the way to the gym... "why am I even bothering with a workout today??". And those are the times that I have some of the best workouts ever!

I have learned to tell myself that, unless it is a case of the body truly needing more recuperation time, any workout is better than nothing. Even if it is a moderate-weight workout, that is good......I would mix up the workout and try different things. That usually makes me feel more empowered towards my workout and it turns my thoughts around and I get that workout in.

I have to go after work.. the dangling carrot of the gym at 4 PM gets me through the day. Today, I dragged my sinus-infection and sore-shouldered self to the gym and put in a solid 45 minutes and feel good about it.

BG

Truth...I say the same thing all the time.

My job stresses me out and, frankly, I have anxiety attacks now and then from it. Going to the gym is therapy for me. Just this morning I had a powerful urge to stay in my warm bed at 4:45 am and got up anyway like every other morning because I knew that without my morning exercise my day is much more stressful.

But I will say when I'm feeling run down I will skip a day unlike alot of guys who go regardless of how they are feeling.

When I have a tough day at work the gym is like an eraser to me. It wipes away the day and makes me feel like a million bucks before snooze time.

[flat6nut]

Sometimes I feel more tired at work when I know I have to go to the gym that afternoon. So psychological sometimes!

99.9% of the time no matter how tired I feel I always feel better after a workout :-)

When you "have" to go to the gym?



I never feel like I "have" to go to the gym. It is something I am always looking forward to doing every day.

[euco09]

I REALLY didn't want to get up and go to the gym this morning becasue I had a really bad sleep but once I got there I felt good and had a pretty good workout. When I first woke up I was like there is no way I can imagine myself getting up and lifting but then I knew I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep properly beacuse I would have been feeling guilty.

[Bando]

Today I woke up with a brutal chest/tricep w/o on the brain, put it on my calendar for 10:45, about the time for Pre shake, something came up that closed that only window for the whole day.

If going when you don't want to is sometimes rough, try not going when you are jacked to go

[euco09]

When you "have" to go to the gym?



I never feel like I "have" to go to the gym. It is something I am always looking forward to doing every day.

Yes HAVE! I HAVE to go to the gym. Is that bad?

[BrotherWolf]

however, i always feel better leaving the gym than i do entering, and that is full of win.

^^^ this is worth a good rep

[StressMonkey]

Today I woke up with a brutal chest/tricep w/o on the brain, put it on my calendar for 10:45, about the time for Pre shake, something came up that closed that only window for the whole day.

If going when you don't want to is sometimes rough, try not going when you are jacked to go

That used to drive me nuts. I couldn't get to the gym in time and they would close and I would have to rearrange my whole week to make up for it. Now I just go at 1am.

[2BLAZERS]

For me being tired is no excuse for missing a workout. The gym is the only reason I can survive working at a desk all day dealing with all the crap I deal with. The gym is my excape from everything. The Crackberry stays in the truck while I workout. I enjoy the people at the gym and I do enjoy a good brutal workout. I don't have to worry about meeting payroll, paying bills, the lawn, the yard, etc... while at the gym.

That said, after working out for 8-10 weeks on a very regular basis and pretty brutal workouts. Sometimes my shoulders and hips just need a brake. So I'll take a few days off. It usuaslly works out to benefit me and I don't loose anything once I go back.

[JerryB]

When I feel like not working out, I don't. In most cases it's a sign I need more time for recovery. I will just take an additional rest day. I have being doing this since I started weight training. I can then work out at a more intense level, be it for emphasis on low reps with heavier weights or high reps with less weight. I also find the additional rest day is good to get my thoughts together for the next workout. I personally think recovery time can be just an important as work out time.

[Growing-up]

It continues to amaze me what a disconnect there is between what your mind thinks that you can do and what you actually can do.

I had a stressful couple of days and I also didn't eat as much as I normally do. I also hadn't had much sleep. Yesterday the whole day I was just beat and thought several times "How in the hell am I going to go to the gym tonight?" To top it off I wasn't able to get to the gym until around 1am, which is late even for me. As I was walking up to the door I thought "WTF am I doing here? There's no way I can get a good workout in this condition."

I then went inside and proceeded to have an amazing workout. I actually did better with dumbbell benching than I've ever done since I started training. I felt strong and energized the whole time. If I would have actually acted on what I was thinking before I hit the gym I would have missed out and would have been none the wiser.

Early this year my contract was terminated (after 14 years of service) because I became in their words too expensive. While in between jobs I started to go to the gym more frenquently mainly because I had more time to spend there.
Now I in the new job things are going fine in all aspects except in my diet, I'm eating at different times; it is a mess. Above all one has to show -or so is my thought- that is worthy, so I press myself twice or three times more than before to finish my assigments and perform better.
All of these elements are of course affecting how I feel at the end of the day.
I make my mind to force me to go to the gym or to the dojo. No buts, ifs, ...
I jump into the car and forget all the preasure of the day go there, and do my best, yes you had a rough week and you know what is not a bad idea to skip one or two days some times these days off help us rebuild our objectives and clear the mind, but once the mind try to play tricks again, then it is when you have to take control.

[Skidmarx]

i've pulled out some of the best workouts in tired, stressed out and underfed days. then in the alternative some days when i'm full of piss and vinegar and think i'm gonna pwn the iron, my workout drowns in mediocrity.

So true. You never really know how it's going to go, until you are 3 sets into a workout. I've had awesome workouts even being sick, and terrible workouts feeling fantastic and amped up on pre-workout drink. lol.

I work out at home now, but the biggest demotivator for me is when I used to do a commerical gym and had a workout partner. When my partner was a no-show, I couldn't get a good workout for shyt.

[boathead]

going when i don't really feel like it is a pretty good indicator of the "health" of my routine. if i bag it, i know i'm in trouble, and not just for 1 workout. but if i soldier on, i'm in the consistency mode that i've long learned yields gains.

going when i'm pumped up is easy.

[whatevergirl]

It continues to amaze me what a disconnect there is between what your mind thinks that you can do and what you actually can do.

I had a stressful couple of days and I also didn't eat as much as I normally do. I also hadn't had much sleep. Yesterday the whole day I was just beat and thought several times "How in the hell am I going to go to the gym tonight?" To top it off I wasn't able to get to the gym until around 1am, which is late even for me. As I was walking up to the door I thought "WTF am I doing here? There's no way I can get a good workout in this condition."

I then went inside and proceeded to have an amazing workout. I actually did better with dumbbell benching than I've ever done since I started training. I felt strong and energized the whole time. If I would have actually acted on what I was thinking before I hit the gym I would have missed out and would have been none the wiser.

It's great when you can overcome your mind telling you to not do something. I have been having some struggles lately with mind over matter, when it comes to weight lifting...decided to change my overall routine, and today...for the first time in a looong time, I'm looking forward to weight lifting. Glad to see your workout went so well for you, despite you not really ''thinking'' you could do it!

[paolo59]

I find that regardless of how tired or stressed that I am, once I get in the gym and start a workout, I amazingly feel a whole lot better afterwards.

[whatevergirl]

I find that regardless of how tired or stressed that I am, once I get in the gym and start a workout, I amazingly feel a whole lot better afterwards.

See, this is amazing to me. If I miss a night or two of solid sleep, my routines are a wreck. I marvel at those who can push through, despite being really tired.

[ironwill2008]

See, this is amazing to me. If I miss a night or two of solid sleep, my routines are a wreck. I marvel at those who can push through, despite being really tired.

It's more a matter of experience, IMO. If you stick with it, after a couple of years of consistent training, you'll likely be the same way. If the norm for a person is to train on schedule, then that's what they do, come heck or high water. But like all other characteristics of successful trainees, it doesn't come overnight.