There are many things to debate in the fitness industry such as the benefits of single leg exercises over bilateral as well as the pros and cons of intermittent fasting. One thing we can all agree on is that there are days when you really don't want to workout and you are just not feeling. Admittedly, I have found that some of those days end up being the best workout of the week or month. You can't expect to set personal records and smash your goals every single time you pick up some weight. That being said, there are two solutions for you on those days you feel like s**t.
First and obvious thing would be to take some much needed time off to recover. During the time away you should focus on sleep, nutrition, and reducing the added stress in your personal/professional life. For those of you who are paranoid about becoming a puny version of your previous self....relax hombre! Strength loss occurs only after two to three weeks of inactivity. In this case, we are suggesting you take a week off at most.
A second strategy would be to spend more time firing up your central nervous system (CNS) BEFORE your workout. One of the easiest ways to describe how the CNS works is the feeling you have when your jackass friend dumps cold water on you in the shower. Your brain is basically telling your body that it's time for war, but hopefully it's a battle against the barbell and not your buddies face. This "fired up" feeling is exactly what you need on those days that you would rather walk barefoot on glass than workout. There are four main ways to fire up your CNS; jumps, skips, throws, and sprints. These exercises are done explosively, thus utilizing little to no weight at all.
Skips - Learn The A-Skip Progression
Your feet are natural shock absorbers and should be able to endure more force than any other part of your body. Try the A-Skip to get your engine started.
https://youtu.be/o0_v-ra5Hog
Jumps - Single Leg Snap Down And Stick
Great for improving deceleration, eccentric control, and proprioceptive awareness. Try to be explosive as possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ_aYdSGsDM
Throw - Med Ball Toss/Slam
Choose a light weight that you can toss relatively easily. Goal is to try and throw the ball through the floor.
Sprints
Pretty self explanatory, but if you don't want to run you can do fast paced sled pushes or wall marching (below).
Programing:
Try doing all of the exercises in a circuit type fashion and aim for no more than 5 reps of each. An example would be the following.
A) A-Skip X 5 Per Leg
B) Med Ball Slam X 5
C) Sled Push X 5 Lengths
D) Single-Leg Snap Down & Stick X 5 Per Leg
Repeat 3 X through
Conclusion:
We all have down days where we just don't feel like doing anything. Next time you are in a rut, try taking some time away to recover, adding in some CNS type movements like the ones above, or a combination of both.
Enjoy!
-Mike
First and obvious thing would be to take some much needed time off to recover. During the time away you should focus on sleep, nutrition, and reducing the added stress in your personal/professional life. For those of you who are paranoid about becoming a puny version of your previous self....relax hombre! Strength loss occurs only after two to three weeks of inactivity. In this case, we are suggesting you take a week off at most.
A second strategy would be to spend more time firing up your central nervous system (CNS) BEFORE your workout. One of the easiest ways to describe how the CNS works is the feeling you have when your jackass friend dumps cold water on you in the shower. Your brain is basically telling your body that it's time for war, but hopefully it's a battle against the barbell and not your buddies face. This "fired up" feeling is exactly what you need on those days that you would rather walk barefoot on glass than workout. There are four main ways to fire up your CNS; jumps, skips, throws, and sprints. These exercises are done explosively, thus utilizing little to no weight at all.
Skips - Learn The A-Skip Progression
Your feet are natural shock absorbers and should be able to endure more force than any other part of your body. Try the A-Skip to get your engine started.
https://youtu.be/o0_v-ra5Hog
Jumps - Single Leg Snap Down And Stick
Great for improving deceleration, eccentric control, and proprioceptive awareness. Try to be explosive as possible.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJ_aYdSGsDM
Throw - Med Ball Toss/Slam
Choose a light weight that you can toss relatively easily. Goal is to try and throw the ball through the floor.
Sprints
Pretty self explanatory, but if you don't want to run you can do fast paced sled pushes or wall marching (below).
Programing:
Try doing all of the exercises in a circuit type fashion and aim for no more than 5 reps of each. An example would be the following.
A) A-Skip X 5 Per Leg
B) Med Ball Slam X 5
C) Sled Push X 5 Lengths
D) Single-Leg Snap Down & Stick X 5 Per Leg
Repeat 3 X through
Conclusion:
We all have down days where we just don't feel like doing anything. Next time you are in a rut, try taking some time away to recover, adding in some CNS type movements like the ones above, or a combination of both.
Enjoy!
-Mike